Silk-Dyed Eggs

Easter is around the corner and I was dreaming: Martha Stewart, Oprah and I steaming some coloured eggs...lol. Too bad, she knows already about this technique.

My friend Hans shared almost 3 years ago his Family-Easter-Eggs-Dyeing-Event with me. They wrapped eggs with ugly, old pieces of silk from ties/scarves/old blouses and placed them in boiling water with vinegar. The silk was reused the other year.

I'm going to show this technique some TMX-Users and better check out the Thrift Store. My husband is not too happy to give more of his ties away.

Now, this is my way using the Varoma and the Thermomix:

Ingredients:

Raw Eggs ( room temperature)

100% Pure Silk Ties - lining removed

Yarn

Oil

Method:

• Cut silk in pieces -large enough to cover one egg- and moisten them with water
• Wrap silk -right side/print facing- with yarn around the eggs
• Place in the Varoma, add 800 ml of water in the TM-bowl and steam for 2o min/Varoma/speed 1
• Rinse under cold water and remove silk from cooled eggs
• Wipe them -for shiny eggs- with some Coconut Oil or any other oil

Young Green Coconuts - Kims Dream

You want a smile, like my friend Kim, on your face all day long ...... You have to try this one.
Use fresh or frozen pineapple/mangos. I get my young green coconuts from HealthEnut.

Ingredients:

Coconut Water and Coconut Meat of 1 Young Green Coconut
75 g / 2 hand full of fresh Spinach
300 g / 2-3 Bananas
150 g Pineapple (or Mango)
60 g Ice cubes ( 1 handful, only if yiu use fresh fruit)

Method:

• Place all ingredients into the TM bowl and blend 1 min / speed 9
  

Raw Chocolate Mousse Tartlets

I played a little bit with the ingredients for the fillling. Since the crust is dehydrated it takes time to plan ahead.


Ingredients:

Crust:

350 g Almonds

50 g dried unsweetened Coconut

150 g Dates

1 tbsp. Organic Coconut Oil

Pinch of Sea Salt

Filling:

1 1/2 large Avocados (230 g)

Pinch of Sea Salt

30 g Cacao Powder

50 g frozen AcaiPureé

1 Tbsp. Acai Powder

1 Tbsp. Tocotrienols

1 Tbsp. Vivagave

30 g Organic Coconut Oil

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 drops mint extract

75 g Agave Syrup


1 - 2 Bananas, sliced

Method:

• Saok the almonds for the crust overnight and blend with the crust ingredients for 1 min/speed 5
• Press in muffin pan or tartlet molds and dehydrate ( 12-14 hours) until dry
• Fill the crust with banana slices and press them in with a fork
• Blend the ingredients for the filling 1 min/speed 5
• Fill cup cakes with a pastry bag and chill at least 1 hour before serving

Red Beet & Carrot Salad

This simple salad is a favourite in our house. It can be made ahead to marinate and blend the flavours. The lemon juice and olive oil help to break down the veggies for easier digestibility. My root vegetables are grown at Whole Circle Farm or from Pfenning's Organic






Ingredients:

500 g root vegetables ( carrots & beets)

1 small apple
20g apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
20 g olive oil (or half flax seed oil)
celtic sea salt & pepper
fresh dill weed or parsley

Method:

• Place all ingredients in TM bowl and chop 5-7 sec/speed 5

Optional addition: add 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp. mustard or ginger

Makes 4 cups

Raw Banana Coconut Pie

Inspired by a question for Cashew Cream, which was to runny at Forum Thermomix , I came up with this pie. Everybody, who tried it at the Health & Wellness Fair loved it.


Ingredients:

Crust:
200 g soaked and dehydrated Almonds
200 g pitted Dates
20 g desiccated Coconut

Filling:
130 g Cashews (unsoaked)
150 g filtered Water
80 g raw local Honey
60 g desiccated Coconut
1 tsp fresh Lemon juice
1 pinch of Himalayan Salt
1/2 Vanilla Bean, split and scraped

3 to 4 ripe Fair Tade Bananas (sliced and brushed with fresh lemon juice)
2 Tbsp Coconut to sprinkle

Method:

• grind the almonds for the tart shell 2 sec/speed 8
• add dates and coconut, blend 15-20 sec/speed 5 and press evenly with moist fingers into tart pan
• blend the ingredients for the filling for 1 min/speed 10. Mixture should have the consistency of thick pancake batter. Pour into prepared shell
• Arrange bananas in overlapping rows beginning at the edge of the tart. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut. Chill for 1 hour

Georgetown Health & Wellness Fair and Tosca Reno

I had last Saturday a booth at the Health & Wellness Fair in Georgetown organized by Living on Live Food Coach Susan Wilson.

Prepared and with the help of the Thermomix were samples of Green Smoothies, Raw Pizza Crackers, Red Beet & Carrot Salad, Raw Banana Coconut Pie, Dipping Oil, Red Lentil Hummus, Baguettes, Farmers Bread, Banana Espresso Spelt Cake and Blueberry Matcha Spelt Cake available. As promised, I'm going to post the recipes.

Guest speaker was Tosca Reno, author of the Eat-Clean Diet. I couldn't believe how gorgeous and inspiring she is. I did some reading before: Every recipe in Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook has a beautiful photo, with serving size and nutritional information. It is not a vegetarian but a veggie-friendly cookbook with a couple vegan recipes made with wholesome ingredients. All her books are on her website and book stores available.

The other highlight were young green coconuts fresh shipped from Costa Rica.

Seitan Stroganoff - Part 4

Ingredients:

2 Tbl Olive oil

180 g Onions

2 cloves of Garlic

100 g Shitake mushrooms (2 cups), sliced

200 g White mushrooms (3 cups), quartered

100 g Portabello mushrooms ( 3 cups), sliced

1/2 tsp Paprika

Pinch Cayenne pepper

320 g Rice mylk

130 g Seitan stock (or vegetable broth)

1 Tbl Shoyu or Miso Damari

250 -500g Seitan

Parsley, Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

• Chop onions and garlic on speed 5 / 5 seconds
• Add olive oil and sauté 5 minutes /100°C/speed 1
• Add half of the mushrooms , sauté 10 minutes/100°C/speed1/reverse speed
• Add paprika, cayenne, rice mylk and stock and blend 1-2 minutes/speed 9-10
• Add remaining mushrooms and seitan. Cook 10 minutes/80°C/speed 1/reverse
• Add remaining ingredients and serve with dumplings or pasta

Seitan Herb Marinade - Part 3

Ingredients for the Herb Marinade :

150 g Filtered water
1 tsp Braggs or Shoyu
2 tsp Agave
1 handful Herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, thyme)
2 tsp Mustard

1 Tbl Lemon juice
1 Tbl Apple cider vinegar
2 Tbl Olive oil
2 clove of garlic

Pinch Cayenne

Method:
Blend the ingredients in your TMX-Bowl and place with the seitan in an oiled casserole. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C, marinate for 20 minutes and bake for 20 minutes.

Homemade Seitan with Red Fife Wheat - Part 2

Seitan will keep for at least 1 week refrigerated in its cooking broth. For freezing, it should be removed from the broth.

Ingredients for the stock:

1 600 g water

1 strip kombu

100 g Braggs Liquid Aminos or Tamari
10 g (1 Tbsp) fresh grated Ginger

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 bay leaf

5 cloves of garlic

370 g raw gluten Part1

Method:

• Put the stock ingredients (without gluten) into the Thermomix jug, cover with the steaming basket, close the lid. Set the timer for 60 minutes on speed 1 at 100°C, after 10 minutes to 80°C.
• Form the gluten into cutlets by stretching, rolling or pulling until thin
• Drop them one by one into the simmering stock through the lid b lifting the meassuring cup
• Stir during the first few minutes with the spatula to prevent sticking.
• Allow the seitan to cool completely in the broth before using

Homemade Seitan with Red Fife Wheat - Part 1

Seitan is quite simple to make. I decided today, to try fresh ground Red Fife Wheat, grown at the WholeCircleFarm . I used my grain mill for milling, sifted the flour and freeze the 120 g sifted Red FiFe Bran. You can use whole-wheat bread flour or spelt flour instead the Red Fife.

Ingredients:

880 g whole-wheat bread flour ( sifted or not)

880 g cold water

Method:

• Mix flour and water on speed 5 for 1 minute and knead on intervall setting for 20 minutes


• Turn into a bowl and cover the dough with cold water and let sit for at least 30 minutes


• Set the bowl in your sink and knead the dough this time with your hands slowly and carefully in the water until the water becomes thick and white . Pour off the liquid.


• Cover he dough with water and knead again. After about 6 rinses only the gluten (around 370 grams) will remain and the water will be almost clear.

If you do not plan to cook the seitan the same day, store the gluten, covered with water in a bowl in the refrigerator. It may be refrigerated for at least 3 days or frozen indefinetly.