{Recipe} Zucchini Moussaka #thermomix

As a part of this months meal plan I made a conscience decision to cut down on the meat we were eating. I am not a particular fan of eating much meat and it really isn't great for my PCOS so it was a no brainer for me. The kids don't really notice when we just eat vegetables and legumes and B doesn't really complain that often, as long as he gets an occasional steak then he is fine to eat whatever I serve.... 

So I thought I would try out some new recipes and one such was Zucchini Moussaka. Now B was a little miffed when we sat down for dinner and I told him that we were having moussaka for dinner and well he loves traditional moussaka, he was expecting some mince, but instead he got zucchini. But he did eat it and didn't complain at all, the kids on the other hand hated it. Me though, I loved it and plan on making it again and again and again. 

Ingredients:
Bechamel Sauce
Rind of 2 lemons
3 slices of multigrain bread or 1 cup of breadcrumbs
bunch of parsley
2 eggplants- sliced
3 zucchinis- cut into 3cm chunks or grated if not using a thermomix
4 cloves of garlic (minced if not using thermomix0
2 onions peeled and cut in halves (diced if not using thermomix)
60g Parmesan cheese (grated if not using thermomix)
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Sea salt to taste

Method:

Make bechamel sauce and set aside. Clean and dry TM bowl
Prepare eggplants by salting and allow to rest for at least half and hour
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celicus
Place lemon zest into TM bowl and grate for 10 seconds on speed 8. Set aside
Place parsley into TM bowl and chop for 5-10 seconds on speed 6. Set aside with lemon zest.
Place parmesan cheese and bread into TM bowl and great for 10 seconds on speed 9. Set aside with lemon and parsley.
Rinse the salt off the eggplant and pat dry. Drizzle with with extra virgin olive oil and bake in hot oven for 25-35 minutes until lightly browned.
Place onion and garlic into TM bowl and chop for 10 seconds on speed 6.
Add 10g of extra virgin olive oil and saute for 2 minutes at Varoma temp on speed 1.
Add zucchini and chop for 15-20 seconds on speed 6.
Cook for 5 minutes at 100 degrees on Reverse + soft speed.

Assembling the Moussaka:
Line bottom of oven tray with half of the roasted eggplant. Cover with half zucchini mix and then a layer of bechamel sauce followed by rest of eggplant, then rest of the zucchini mixture. Top with remaining bechamel and the parmesan, lemon, parsley and crumb topping. Bake for about 30 minutes until top is golden brown.



This recipe was slightly adapted from the Zucchini Moussaka found in the thermomix cookbook tiled 'A Taste of Vegetarian

*These are thermomix instructions, but if you would like to convert to a traditional method and need some help, please don't hesitate to ask as I would be glad to help. 

{Recipe} Orange Cake

Ingredients:

250g Sugar
Juice and rind of 1 Orange
170g Butter
4 eggs
50g Milk
250g Plain Flour
1 tbsp baking powder

Thermomix Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celius
Place sugar and rind into TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 8.
Add the butter and eggs and mix for 20 seconds on speed 5.
Add milk, juice, and flour and mix for 30 seconds on speed 6.
Add baking powder and mix for 5 seconds on speed 6.
Pour cake mixture into a greased and lined 20 cm cake tin.
Bake in a pre-heated over for 45-55 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with icing sugar.

Standard Instructions:

Grate the rind of one orange and add to sugar. Mix well with a hand mixer.
Add butter and eggs and mix well until 'creamed'.
Add milk, juice and flour and mix well again. Finally add baking powder and combine well.
Pour cake mixture into a greased and lined 20 cm cake tin.
Bake in a pre-heated over for 45-55 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with icing sugar.

Daily bread

About a fortnight ago I finally decided to start baking all of our own bread again. It was triggered by buying yet another less than stella loaf from our one and only supermarket. We have no bakery here or any other options for shopping.

The bread that is sold in our supermarket is flown up from Perth to the airport which is an hour away in another town. It is then picked up by a ute and driven back to town while being baked all over again in the hot sun in the back of said ute.

So really it was an easy choice, I have been trialing a few ways to make and bake the bread. I tried out a new recipe in my thermomix, 

I have also been playing with a no knead bread

and finally I decided that now would be as good a time as any to try sourdough and make my own starter.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 4

So far the starter is going well. I can't wait to bake my first loaf of sourdough.

Do you bake bread?

Linseed, Oats, Honey and Chia Loaf

This loaf all came about because I went shopping on Monday morning and the shelves were completely empty of any kind of fresh items in our one and only supermarket. It was then and there that I decided that I really needed to start making my own bread again (and get a crack on adding more things to our vegetable garden).

I really want to try my hand at making sourdough, but that takes time to build up the starter etc so I was flipping through my Everyday Recipe book that came with my Thermomix and came across a Five Seed Bread recipe.

Now, I don't have five different seeds in my pantry, but I did have Oats, Linseed Meal and Chia Seeds. So I adjusted the recipe to suit what I had.

You don't need a Thermomix to make this bread. You could use a bread maker or just your two hands.

Ingredients

500g Unbleached plain flour
120g Oats
2 tsp dry Yeast
1 tsp Salt
60g Linseed Meal
50g Chia Seeds
30g Honey
30g Oil
500g of lukewarm Water



Mix all ingredients by whatever means you are using.

In my Thermomix I used the interval speed for 2 1/2 minutes. If doing my hand, I would give it a good knead for at least 5 minutes or until I was happy with the dough.

This is a sticky mixture so don't stress if you are worried about the consistency of the dough.

Grease a 20cm square baking tin and pour the mixture into it to rise. We have ducted air conditioning in our house so I have to heat my oven to about 50-60 degrees for about 15 minutes then turn it off to create a suitable environment for the bread to rise. As soon as I turn the oven off I pop the tray of bread dough in the heated oven (make sure it is turned off though, we don't want to start cooking this loaf yet!) and let the dough rise to fill the pan. It will take about 25-30 minutes.

Once it has risen turn your oven onto 200 degrees Celsius and bake your bread for about 40-45 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. This is important because if you leave it in the baking pan the bottom will sweat.

DO NOT CUT THE LOAF WHILE IT IS STILL HOT. It is still cooking on the inside and if you cut it too soon it will collapse.

Once it is sufficiently cooled, slice and enjoy.

If you try your hand at baking this bread, please let me know how you went and what you thought.

Day 31: A Round up

This month has been fun, challenging a little there when I lost my smoothie mojo, but fun none the less. I did have to resort to some Pinterest style posts for a few days. but for the most part, I am happy to have shared over 25 different smoothie recipes.  I really hope you enjoyed this series too.

So without further ado here is a round up of all of the smoothie recipes over the past month.

Which one was your favourite?

Day 1: Banana Smoothie

Day 2: Watermelon, Blueberry and Banana Smoothie

Day 3: Kale, Apple and Maple Smoothie

Day 4: Banana, Orange and Spinach Smoothie

Day 5: Spinach, Carrot, Banana and Blueberry Smoothie

Day 6: Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Day 7: Green Peanut Butter Smoothie

Day 8: Pina Colada with a Tweak. {Guest Post}

Day 9: Berry Smoothie

Day 10:Banana and Tahini Smoothie

Day 11:Mango Smoothie 

Day 12: Pineapple and Mango Smoothie

Day 13:Cucumber and Pineapple Smoothie

Day 14: Spinach, Banana and Strawberry Smoothie


Day 15: Banana, Blueberry & Lemon Smoothie (Guest Post)


Day 16: Berry, Orange and Spinach Smoothie


Day 17:  Apple, Strawberry & Rhubarb Smoothie (Guest Post)

Day 18:Watermelon and Orange Smoothie


Day 19: Power Smoothie {guest post}

Day 20: Choc Banana Smoothie

Day 21: Super Green Smoothie

Day 22: Mango and Banana Smoothie

Day 23: Lettuce Smoothies {The Pinterest Edition}

Day 24: Carrot and Orange Smoothie

Day 25: Beetroot Smoothies {The Pinterest Edition}

Day 26: Choc Blueberry Smoothie

Day 27: Banana Coconut and Cashew Smoothie

Day 28:Orange and Parsley Smoothie


Day 29: Banana, Orange and Parsley Smoothie

Day 30: The Pinterest Edition

I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did!

Day 29: Banana, Orange and Parsley Smoothie

Ingredients: 

1 Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Banana
1 Orange
1 cup of cold water
1 cup of Ice
1 tsp of Camu Camu powder

You know the drill- Blitz in a blender and enjoy!

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series.

Day 28: Orange and Parsley Smoothie

I finally ventured to the shops the shops to stock up on some more Parsly (I am still waiting for our herb garden to establish) but would you believe it, there were no lemons! And since I used the lemons on had for dinner the other night I had to change my plans. So here it is...

My Orange and Parsley Smoothie! It doesn't look to flash, but it tastes great!

Ingredients: 

1 Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Orange
1 cup of cold water
1 cup of Ice
1 tsp of Camu Camu powder

You know the drill- Blitz in a blender and enjoy!

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series.

Day 27: Banana, Coconut and Cashew Smoothie

This 31 Days of Smoothies Series is winding down and well I think I have lost my smoothie mojo.

Never fear, I still have a stella smoothie to share with you today.

It's a simple one!

Ingredients:

1 Banana
3/4 cup of ice
1 cup milk
2 tsp of Coconut Cashew Cream

You know the drill- Blitz in a blender and enjoy!

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series.

Day 26: Choc Blueberry Smoothie

I woke up this morning with plans to have a Lemon and Parsely Smoothie. Until I opened the fridge and the parsley was nowhere to be found... Well that put a spanner in the works now didn't it?!

So I had to rethink my plans. I checked the freezer and the pantry and decided on this little number.

Ingredients:

1 cup of frozen blueberries
1 cup of milk of your choice
1 tsp raw cacao powder

Blitz in blender and enjoy! This one is a thick one so you will probably need a straw!

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series. 

Day 24: Carrot and Orange Smoothie

I am back on the smoothie bandwagon this morning, and am I using up things in my fruit bowl and vegetable crisper in preparation for our monthly shop coming up soon.

It's a simple smoothie but really refreshing, which is just what I needed this morning!

Ingredients:

1 Carrot
2 Oranges- peeled
1 teaspoon of Camu Camu powder
1 table spoon of chia seeds
handful of ice

Chop carrot in small chunks and blitz in the blender first. Add Oranges, Chia Seeds, Camu Camu Powder and Ice and blitz again.

The only thing left to do is enjoy!

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series.


I'm linking up with:

Day 22: Mango and Banana Smoothie

It's the weekend, so my smoothies need to satisfy the whole family. The kids have been doing good with the green smoothies. B, not so much, so today I went for a more 'traditional' colour of smoothie but still used some 'un-traditional' ingredients...

Ingredients:

1/2 mango
1 banana
1/2  lime
1 orange
1 celery stalk
1 table spoon of chia seeds
1 teaspoon of Camu Camu powder
200mL water

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series.

Day 21: Super Green Smoothie

After my Choc Banana smoothie from yesterday I thought I would try a super GREEN smoothie today. And I am glad I did! This one is packed full of all the good stuff.

I used the Rainbow Superfood Blend again, plus chia seeds, but I have already told you about my love of Chia Seeds.

The Rainbow Superfood blend is packed full of 'the worlds most nutritious raw foods'. So I am looking forward to reaping it's benefits in the near future!

Now today's smoothie is especially green, but please don't let that turn you off! Give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised! 

Ingredients:

1 stalk of celery
1 carrot
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 banana
1 orange
1 table spoon of chia seeds
2 table spoons of Rainbow Superfood Blend
Cup of Water

Blitz in blender and enjoy!

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series.

Day 20: Choc Banana Smoothie

Earlier this week I received a long awaited delivery of my order from Loving Earth. Well I say long awaited because it felt like forever for it to arrive when really it was less than a fortnight.

I had been crafting a wish list of items from them for a long time, and I had been saving my pennies so that I could put it a substantial order to make it worth while.

Two such items on my wish list were Rainbow Superfood Blend and Organic Raw Cacao Powder.

So of course I had to include them in today's smoothie! And I have recently noticed that green smoothies have been receiving some negative feedback, so today I thought I would ditch the green and just go with a simple Banana and Chocolate Smoothie.

But I did want to mention green smoothies today. About 2 years ago I never thought I would ever ever ever try a Green Smoothie. I mean spinach, kale or chard in a smoothie? YUCK! But then one day I thought, what the hell. I am always banging on to the kids that they need to try things so why not take my own advise and give it a go. And I can honestly say that I have not had one bad green smoothie yet. The trick is to balance the flavours. If you are just starting out in green smoothies, stick to 'safe' flavours like this Berry, Orange and Spinach Smoothie, or even this Green Peanut Butter Smoothie. But please don't discount them. They are a great way to pack a lot of nutrients into one meal and are actually really filling.

Anyway, back to today's smoothie!

Ingredients:

1 Banana
1 table spoon of Organic Raw Cacao Powder
1 table spoon of Rainbow Super Food Blend
1 cup of milk of your choice

Blitz in blender and enjoy

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series. 

Day 18: Watermelon and Orange Smoothie

This smoothie really is as simple as the title suggests. Watermelon, Orange, a tsp of chia seeds and some ice and you have a smoothie!

This smoothie was simply brought about because well our local supermarket was severely lacking in fresh fruit and vege when I went in to stock up on super supplies. The watermelon has only been in the fridge a day and really needs to me used ASAP!  Hence it's inclusion in today's smoothie.

Even though this smoothie has very simple origins. It still tastes great and is super refreshing. Which is just what I needed after trying to go for a walk with Ethan in the pram after school drop off. He just doesn't like going for a walk after school drop off and spends the whole time screaming at me and telling me we are going the wrong way!

Ingredients:

Quarter of Watermelon
two oranges
cup of ice
1 tsp chia seeds

Blitz in blender and enjoy.

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series. 

Day 16: Berry, Orange and Spinach Smoothie

This morning all I knew was that I wanted a greenish smoothie with oranges. We seem to have a load of oranges in need of being used so using them in a smoothie seemed like a wise decision.

I also added a banana for some sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 orange (peeled)
1 banana
1 green apple (quartered)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 table spoon of Chia seeds
1 table spoon of Linseed
enough milk to get it to your desired consistency.

This post is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies Series. 

Day 14: Spinach, Banana and Strawberry Smoothie

Day 14! I can't believe I have made it this far without making the same smoothie twice. Although I have been tempted as there have been some really great smoothies.

But I am glad I haven't repeated anything as that would mean that I wouldn't have tried this combo today.

Spinach, Banana and Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Banana
1 cup Spinach
1 cup frozen Strawberries
1tbl Maple Syrup
1tsp Chia Seeds
1tsp Linseed Meal
1 cup Milk

Blitz in blender and enjoy!

This recipe is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies series.

I am linking up with Anne for Thriving on Thursdays

Day 13: Cucumber and Pineapple Smoothie

Something I really struggle with is adding vege to my smoothies or having solely vegetable smoothies. It is something I am hoping to do more in the series, but again sourcing the vegetables is hard here.

I have a super long wish list of what I would like to grow at home, and hopefully come spring I will have a lovely source of fresh produce in my backyard (that is if I can figure out a way to stop my dogs from eating it!)

Anyway I had some pineapple and cucumber in my fridge that needed to be used as well as some coconut milk from yesterdays smoothie that needed to be used and that is the truth on how this smoothie came about.

And I have to say, I like the results! It is really refreshing!

Ingredients:

1/2 Lebanese Cucumber
1/4 Pineapple (peeled)
1 cup Coconut Milk
1tsp chia seeds
1tsp linseed meal
Ice

Blitz in blender and enjoy!

This recipe is a part of my 31 Days of Smoothies series.

Do you make vegetable smoothies?  What type of vege to you use?