Thai style pumpkin and sweet corn soup

With a few corn cobs left over from making my Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup I thought I'd try a blended soup. Using the Thermomix was an absolute dream compared to ladling hot soup from the pot into a blender and making a huge mess (I'm very clumsy..)

I didn't have any onions so I just improvised and used dried onion flakes.

700 grams pumpkin , peeled, deseeded and cut into 2-3cm cubes
3 sweetcorn cobs, kernels removed (300g)
2 level teaspoons TM Vegetable stock paste
550 grams water, to make up vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes, mixed into stock
250 grams sour cream
1 heaped teaspoon curry paste (your choice, I used red curry)
salt and pepper to taste

coriander to serve

Add pumpkin and corn to Thermomix bowl and sweat for 10 minutes / 100 degrees / reverse, speed soft, with measuring cup (MC) in place.

Add water mixed with stock paste and onion flakes and cook for 15 minutes / 100 degrees / speed 2 - 3, with MC in place
Puree for 30-40 seconds, going slowly from speed 1 to speed 9, with MC in place.
Add curry paste and sour cream and mix for 2 minutes /speed 5.
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Serve with fresh coriander

Thai style pumpkin and sweet corn soup recipe on Recipe Community website

Vegetable Rice

Here is a quick and easy recipe using your rice cooker. It can be adapted to use up any vegetables that you have on hand. I only had green capsicum, cauliflower and frozen peas & corn so that's what I used. But this made it predominately green and gold - a great Aussie dish but it would look much better with some red capsicum to liven it up a bit. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock if you want to make this a vegetarian dish. You could also cut up some chicken thighs and toss them in as well.



Serves 2

1/2 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 green capsicum, diced
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/2-3/4 cup basmati rice
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp hot ground chilli (optional)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup frozen peas & corn
1 spring onion, sliced to serve
fresh green herbs to serve

Place all ingredients except spring onion and herbs in your rice cooker bowl and stir to combine. Switch to the Cook setting.

When it switches to the Warm setting remove the lid and fluff up. Spoon onto plates and top with spring onion and any other green herbs of your choosing.

Steamed greens with toasted almonds

2 Tbs flaked almonds
12 spears asparagus
250g broccoli, broken into florets
2 zucchini, chopped into 4cm lengths
150g baby beans
100g sugar snap peas
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat . Add almonds and toss for 5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside.
Place asparagus in a steamer and steam for 3 minutes. Add broccoli, zucchini, beans and peas and steam for a further 5 minutes, oruntil all vegetables are tender. Transfer to a bowl and toss gently with oil and balsamic vinegar.
Scatter with almonds and serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a side dish

Source: The CSIRO wellbeing diet

Panko-Crusted Eggplant Parmesan

I grabbed some panko crumbs the other day and have been searching for some good recipes to test out. I'm not sure how H will feel about a meatless meal so I might have to save this for his next work trip..

3/4 cup panko Japanese bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 egg whites
1 large eggplant, about 1 1/2 pounds, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 16 slices)

Sauce and Pasta
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 pound angel hair pasta, cooked following package directions

Eggplant: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large rack on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a pie plate, mix together panko, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. In a second pie plate, lightly whisk egg whites.
Dip each slice of eggplant into egg whites and then into panko mixture, coating both sides. Place eggplant on prepared baking rack. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, until browned and tender.
Sauce: While eggplant is baking, make sauce. Coat a medium-size nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Cook garlic until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Tear basil into bite-size pieces and stir in.
Overlap eggplant slices slightly on the baking sheet, making four piles. Spoon sauce evenly over each portion (reserve a quarter of it for serving) and evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Serve eggplant with cooked pasta and reserved sauce.

Per Serving: 416 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat.); 21 g protein; 72 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 856 mg sodium; 12 mg cholesterol

Vietnamese rice paper rolls

2 x 100g packets vermicelli bean thread noodles
1 large (200g) red capsicum, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced
2 medium (200g) carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
1 1/2 cups chopped snow pea sprouts
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 fresh long red chilli, finely chopped
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional)
12 x 22cm round rice paper sheets
sweet chilli sauce to serve, for dipping

Step 1 Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak for 2 minutes or until softened.

Step 2 Drain noodles. Use kitchen scissors to cut into smaller lengths (this will make the noodle mixture easier to combine and divide among rice paper sheets).

Step 3 Add remaining ingredients (except rice paper sheets and chilli sauce). Toss to combine.

Step 4 Using one sheet of rice paper at a time, dip into a bowl of hot water and soak for 30 seconds or until pliable. Place on a clean chopping board or tea towel. Place some of the noodle mixture below the halfway mark of the round, leaving an edge, and fold in both sides. Securely fold the bottom edge over the filling to enclose, then carefully roll to the end. Repeat with remaining rice paper sheets and filling.

Step 5 Arrange on a large serving platter. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Variations
Wasabi chicken
Omit capsicum from recipe. Place 250g skinless chicken breast fillet in a frying pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Poach, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Shred. Add to noodle mixture with 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2 teaspoons wasabi paste.

Nori and teriyaki beef
Omit capsicum from recipe. Place 200g sirloin steak in a glass dish. Pour over 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce and add garlic and just 1 tablespoon salt-reduced soy sauce from ingredients list. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spray beef with cooking oil. Cook for 3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Thinly slice and add to noodle mixture with 2 tablespoons quality whole-egg mayonnaise and 1 shredded dried seaweed (nori) sheet.

Ginger and soy pork
Omit capsicum from recipe. Place 200g pork fillet in a glass dish. Combine 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce and pour over pork, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat a chargrill over medium-high heat. Spray pork with cooking oil and grill, turning, for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain. Add to noodle mixture.

Basil and prawn
Omit coriander from recipe. Add 1/3 cup shredded basil leaves to noodle mixture. Shell and devein 18 medium cooked prawns. Cut in half horizontally. Place 3 halves on top of noodle mixture in step 3.
For great results

The secret of success is to be well organised. Start with a clean bench and have all the equipment out that you will need.
Rice paper sheets come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can purchase 16cm or 22cm round rice paper sheets as well as square rice paper sheets. They are available from the Asian grocery section of your supermarket or any Asian grocery store.
Nuts such as finely chopped cashews and slivered almonds are great to add to filling ingredients. Other ingredients that can be used in rice paper roll fillings include avocado, bean sprouts, mint leaves, shredded cabbage and shredded lettuce.

Open roast pumpkin & feta pies

350g pumpkin, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes
2 tsp olive oil
3 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 eggs
100ml light thickened cream
100g low-fat feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease two 12-hole muffin pans. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. drizzle with oil and season. Roast for 20 minutes or until cooked.
Cut 20 rounds from the pastry sheets using a 6.5cm cutter. Press into muffin holes to cover base and a little of the sides. Whisk eggs and cream together. Divide pumpkin among rounds, top with 1 teaspoon of egg mixture, then sprinkle with feta. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool slightly, then turn out.

Makes 20

Source: delicious. - October 2005 , Page 120
Recipe by Mandy Biffin

Friday, 14 November 2008
I made these for the second time for my birthday party. They are so quick and easy and never last long enough for a second trip around the room. Next time I'll make a double batch because they are always snapped up so fast.

Spiced red lentils with green beans & mint

1 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbs grated ginger
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp turmeric
1 Tbs garam marsala
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes
400g red lentils
200g pumpkin, peeled & cut into 2cm cubes
1 cup water
150g green beans
2 Tbs shredded mint
1/3 cup low-fat natural yoghurt, to serve

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until onion is golden.
Add spices and chilli and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add tomato, lentils, pumpkin and water (the vegetables should be covered - if not, just add a little more water), and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until lentils are soft.
Add beans and cook for a further 3 minutes. Gently stir mint through and lightly season. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and rice.

Serves 4 as a side