Bon Voyage!

Stefan the Thermomix Spatula

My trusty Thermomix Spatula, Stefan, is setting off today for 2 weeks in France.  Stefan's been waiting for this day to come - he's just a little spatula but he has big dreams.

While in Paris this week, Stefan's fortunate enough to be taking a cooking class at his favourite chef's cooking school, Alain Ducasse's Ecole de Cuisine.  He's also swindled his way into some swanky restaurants for a nice meal or two and is then setting off to Chantilly & Champagne for a few days of r&r.

If you'd like to live vicariously through Stefan's adventures, be sure to follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (links on the sidebar).

He and his entourage will be back in early November, so until then - Bonnes Vacances!

Paleo Bread

Paleo Bread

So, the Paleo diet is big in a lot of people's worlds at the moment.  I've had a number of customers who've had remarkable improvements moving away from a grain based diet.  When I saw this recipe on Elena's pantry (one of my all time favourite Gluten Free websites) I thought I'd convert it and try it out.

It's nutty and delicious.  It stays fresh and moist for days and has a really great, breadlike, consistency.  It makes a good loaf size (don't think wonder white size, think banana bread size) but is quite dense, so you only need a little.  It slices well and stands up to being filled like a sandwich style bread.

Let me know what you think, cavepeoples!

Paleo Bread

(converted from Elena's Pantry)

Ingredients:-

300g almonds
15g coconut flour
40g linseeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
5 eggs
50g coconut oil
35g honey
15g apple cider vinegar

Method:-

1.  Place almonds in TM bowl and mill for 30 seconds on speed 10.
2.  Add coconut flour, linseeds, salt & baking soda.  Mix for 5 seconds on speed 5.
3.  Add remainder of ingredients and mix for 15 seconds on speed 3.

Pour into a lined, small loaf tin (mine measures 10 x 20cm) and bake on 180C for 45 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out cleanly).

What's Cooking This Week

It's been a while between menu planning posts.  We're still eating every day - my children aren't starving, I promise!

The beauty of having a fridge full of pastes and stock concentrates is that on the really busy days, I can just pull something out of the freezer, identify what type and cut of meat it is and then decide on the fly what we'll do with it later.  As long as I stock up on fruit & vegetables at the market each Sunday, we cope just fine.

That said, I don't like the fly by the seat of your pants style of cooking anywhere near as much as I like menu planning.  It feels less chaotic and generally ensures there's more variety in our meals.  It also increases my recipe repertoire because I'll make sure I'm trying at least one new recipe every week.

So, I'm making the most of school holidays and actually doing a few menu plans at once.  I tend to keep my menu plans and shopping lists and recycle them, adding a couple of changes here and there.  I store them organised by season, so when next winter comes around I can pull out this year's plans and re-use them.  It's incredibly anal I know, but I'm a fan of anything that saves time and repetition!

 

What's Cooking This Week

 

Monday:-  Last night we had the Thermomix Roadshow and I went to see Jules & Grace update us on all that's happening in the Thermomix world.  Before I left, I made Hedgehogs (from the Lunchbox booklet) and made a quick tomato sauce out of diced tomatoes, herbs, tomato paste & vegetable paste.  It was a winner apparently because there were no leftovers to be found when I got home!

 



Tuesday:-  I'm using up some leftover lamb from a roast on the weekend by making Aush.  I'm also cooking some extras today, making some Mint & Coriander chutney, Bindi Balls, Carrott & Beetroot patties, Cranberry Slice and gingerbread cookies.

Wednesday:-  We're having Quirky Cooking's Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, mashed potatoes and greens.  To follow we're having a coconut sago pudding I tried last week and just want to make a few changes to.

Thursday:-  My favourite fish dish, the Fragrant Fish Curry adapted from Jude Blereau.

Friday:-  I'm out at a demo on Friday night, so thought I'd make Annabel Langbein's Lamb, Rosemary & Apple sausage rolls as converted by Iron Chef Shellie in the afternoon for Mr WFK & my boys to enjoy with some steamed veg for dinner.

Saturday & Sunday:-  We're out celebrating on Saturday night which will be a welcome relief, given I've got a cooking class on Saturday afternoon.  On Sunday we're having some friends over so I'm making the Beef Stir Fry from In The Mix - super easy and makes a huge quantity.  It's also really delicious, which is probably the most important thing!

Whatever you're cooking this week, I hope it's delicious.  For those on school holidays, enjoy. 

Happy Mixing!