Vegetarian Lentil & Rice Hotpot

Do you have trouble figuring out what to make when you haven't made it to the grocery store in ages? I was desperate for a tasty dinner but had minimal ingredients to work with and out came this incredible vegetarian, lentil-rice concoction. Honestly it was so good I had it for leftovers; and I do not do leftovers!!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 onion

1 garlic clove

1 tin tomatoes

1 tin lentils

100g sliced mushrooms 

20g olive oil

400g water

100g basmati rice

Method:

Chop onion and garlic speed 7, 3 seconds. 

Add tomatoes, lentils, mushrooms, olive oil. Sauté 3 minutes, Varoma, REVERSE, speed 1. 

Add water and rice (watch the water and ensure there is enough as the rice cooks to keep a slightly runny mixture- ALL RICE IS DIFFERENT!) Cook 15 minutes, 100, REVERSE, speed 2. 

Serve with fresh parsley or parmesean cheese. You can let sit in Thermoserver to thicken if you'd like. 

Easy Layered Meal in the Thermomix!

Ok, this is always tricky at first when I am experimenting, but I have succeeded! The hard part for me is not mixing any meat, or meat juice for that matter, into my vegetarian part of the meal. Same goes for dairy if that's something I'm avoiding. Here is a run down of what I made for dinner last night...

Pizza Bianca
Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Rosemary and Thyme Steamed Chicken with Sauce OR Lentils with Sauce
Cauliflower, Green Beans, Tagliatelle Carrot

Sound decadent?! Well, it was, and it was easy. I've based the meal around one of the Thermomix demo's so way too much food for 2, but I am working on the portion stuff after I sort out the taste factor!

Ingredients & Method:

Pizza Bianca
Preheat oven to 220º.

3 sprigs rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled

Add to TM bowl. Chop 4 seconds, speed 7. Remove and set aside.

220g lukewarm water
1tsp sugar
2tsp yeast

Add to TM bowl. Mix 20 seconds, speed 2.

400g baker's flour
30g olive oil
1tsp salt

Add to TM bowl. Knead, 2 minutes.

Place dough on TM mat and divide in 1/2. You can freeze or refrigerate the other half. Roll 1/2 into a ball and wrap in mat and place in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Soup & Chicken

1 garlic clove
1 onion, halved

Add to TM bowl. Chop 3 seconds, speed 7.

20g olive oil

Add to TM bowl. Saute 2 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.

500g water
1 tbsp stock
200g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
300g cauliflower, chopped
**These 2 veggies should fill up you TM basket
2 chicken breasts, prepared how you wish (we kept it as a whole breast)
Salt
Pepper
Thyme

Add water and stock to TM bowl.
Add veggies to TM basket and insert into TM bowl.
Add chicken to Varoma tray (top), lined with dampened baking paper, so no leaks occur, place ontop of TM bowl. Cook 12 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.

**DURING THIS TIME get your dough out on the TM mat and roll out into a circle, top with reserved rosemary and garlic olive oil and salt. Bake on a pizza tray or stone for 20 minutes.**

Vegetables of your choice (and how much you need). I used:
1 carrot, tagliatelle
Leftover cauliflower (what didn't fit in my TM basket)
Handful of frozen green beans
1/2 tin lentils, in a ramekin

Add to Varoma dish. Continue cooking everything 10 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.

Remove Varoma and place veggies and chicken into Thermoserver to stay warm. Add TM basket veggies to TM bowl. Blend 1 minute, speed 9 (gradual). Pour into Thermoserver but leave enough to cover the blades for the sauce.

1 tbsp greek yogurt
2 tsp wholegrain mustard

Add to TM bowl. Mix 10 seconds, speed 3.

Serve up!

Brown 'Fried' Rice in the Thermomix

This healthy, vegan dinner is delicious! Of course, if you have a meat eater to please I have added the steps to help you out*! Packed with vegetables and steamed instead of fried, you will find this is a light and tasty dish. 

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

100g long grain brown rice

200g coconut milk

400g water

Use whatever veggies you'd like, but here is a list of my favourites!

1 carrot, sliced into halved medallions

2 spring/green onions, diced

4 mushrooms, sliced

1/4 yellow capsicum/pepper, diced

1/4 green capsicum/pepper, diced

Sliced chili to taste

1 TM measuring cup frozen peas & corn

*1 chicken breast or 2 short bacon pieces, diced if there is a meat-eater

Dash of soy sauce

Dash of sesame oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Place TM basket into TM bowl. Add rice. Remove. Add coconut milk and water. Rinse rice and put basket back into bowl. Place Varoma on top (it's empty at this point). Cook 35-40 minutes, Varoma, speed 4.

While rice is cooking, prepare your veg. They don't need to be cooked until the last 15-20 minutes so don't rush!

Add all veg at 20 minutes remaining, into the Varoma. *If cooking meat, use the top tray, lined with dampened baking paper to cook chicken or bacon. 

Lift out TM basket. Discard remaining liquid. Tip rice into TM bowl. Add veggies into TM bowl. Add oil. Cook 30 seconds, 100, REVERSE, soft speed. 

Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir 30 seconds, REVERSE, soft speed. 

Serve. (Add meat and give another stir once the vego's portion is out if you'd like!)

Happy Thermomixing!

TIP: Always keep an eye on the water level when cooking rice. If you can't see it swishing around on your rice you must add more.

Vegetarian Carbonara- One Bowl Thermomix

A classic dinner done up with vegetarians in mind! This dairy free carbonara doesn't compromise taste and keeps the calorie count down! Plus, it's all done in the TM bowl...couldn't be easier!

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic

1 onion

100g red capsicum, sliced or frozen peas

200g button mushrooms, sliced

200g pasta

1tbsp stock paste

500g water

100g coconut milk

Pepper

Salt

Parsley, chopped

Method:

Add garlic and onion to TM bowl. Chop 10 seconds, speed 8.

Add capsicum or peas and mushrooms to TM bowl. Sauté 5 minutes, Varoma, REVERSE, speed 1.

Add pasta, stock and water. Cook 6-10 minutes, 100, REVERSE, speed 1.

Add coconut milk, pepper and salt. Mix 30 seconds, REVERSE, soft speed. 

Pour into Thermoserver. Let sit for 3-5 minutes to create a creamy thick sauce easy for serving. Serve with parsley. 

Happy Thermomixing!

Best Ever Thai Curry in the Thermomix

Looking for something quick for dinner?! This is it! We love this dish and have made it multiple times already. I'm not even that big of a Thai food lover but I think this recipe here has sold me on the cuisine! I have altered the recipe from the Everyday Cookbook for Thermomix to suit a vegetarian diet and add more veggies! I suggest serving with rice, which I have now perfected in the Thermomix!

Made with Green Curry Paste 

Ingredients:

50g Thai red or green curry paste

400g coconut milk

225g bamboo shoot slices

1/2 lime, zest only

Red or green chili to taste

100g frozen peas

100g broccoli cut into florets

100g bok choy roughly chopped
85g red capsicum/pepper sliced and halved

20g basil leaves only

**1-2 chicken breasts diced or beef strips (should there be a meat eater too!)

Method:

Place paste and 60g of coconut milk in TM bowl. Cook 2 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.

Add remaining coconut milk, bamboo shoots, lime zest and chili. Cook 4 minutes, 100°, REVERSE, soft speed. **Place chicken in Varoma, lined with parchment paper, ONLY IF NOT SERVING WITH RICE, otherwise cook the meat at the same time as the rice (see below).

Add peas, broccoli, bok choy and red capsicum/pepper. Cook 5 minutes, Varoma, REVERSE, speed 1.

Add basil. Cook 1 minute, Varoma, REVERSE, speed 1.

If serving with rice, place curry in Thermoserver. Set aside. Click here to view my post on making the perfect rice to pair with the curry. This is when you will cook the meat if you have a meat eater as well! Place diced chicken or beef strips in the Varoma, lined with dampened parchment paper, on top of the TM bowl for the entire duration of cooking the rice.

Beef strips cooked in the Varoma while the rice cooked!

Cooking Rice in the Thermomix

Here's the best and only way to cook fluffy, perfect rice using the Thermomix. Trust me...you can do it!

Ingredients:

200g long grain basmati rice

900g water

Method:

Measure rice in TM basket, while placed in TM bowl. 

Rinse rice. Add basket back into TM bowl. 

Add 900g water into TM bowl. Cook 15 minutes, Varoma, speed 4. **You can steam things in the Varoma during this time as well! We cook meat if someone is adding it to their dish, while the main is staying warm in the Thermoserver :)

Happy Thermomixing

Piirakka's Using the Thermomix

I come from Finnish decent and these neatly folded little pockets of heaven are to die for! They are simple in taste and in preparation. I love that I was able to incorporate the Thermomix into this family classic and I am proud to share them with you!

Ingredients:

Mashed Potato Filling

1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped

250g water

salt to taste

30g vegan butter

Rye Dough

1 1/2 cups rye flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Rice milk (traditionally buttermilk if you can have!), enough to make a stiff dough

Method:

Place potatoes, water and salt in TM bowl. Cook 20 minutes, 100°, speed 1. Watch the potatoes that they don't over cook. You do not want them to be mush but soft and still in pieces.

Add all dough ingredients into a large bowl. Mix together with a wooden spoon. Place on TM mat. Work the dough into a ball. Now, make balls (the size of a 50 cent piece AUD!) with the dough and set aside, keeping part of the TM mat folder overtop to ensure they don't dry out.

Insert butterfly to TM bowl.  Add butter. Mash 20 seconds, speed 3.

Line a pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 230°.

Roll out the balls, one at a time for assembly, using a rolling pin. Make an oval shape. Place a large spoonful of mashed potato into the centre of the rolled out oval. Now, starting in the middle, pinch in the edges of the oval dough and work your way up and down leaving a gap for the potato to peak through.

Place on lined pan. Bake until brown (no more than 10 minutes in my oven). Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Best served with butter! (You can keep these in the fridge or freezer, but they are always best if reheated in an oven).

Some variations on the spelling may include: piirakkaas, pirakas, karjalanpiirakka

Creamy Vegetarian Pasta- One Bowl Thermomix

Yum, yum, yum! This pasta dish is quick and simple with the ability to easily add meat should there be the need (think Varoma!) Many people are afraid to add the pasta in to the sauce but I much prefer to use only the Thermomix when whipping up a quick, but nutritious, dinner and not bother with the oven or stovetop and I have perfected this pasta dish just so. The original inspiration came from Trish B on the Official Thermomix Recipe Community. 

Ingredients:

1/2 onion OR 2 spring/green onions
1 clove garlic
4 sprigs of parsley
Red chili pepper to taste

1/2 red capsicum/pepper thinly sliced and halved
100 g broccoli cut into florets
20g olive oil

200 g button mushrooms
100 g frozen peas
1 tin/can of diced tomatoes
200 g coconut milk
350g water
1 tbsp stock
salt to taste

**1-2 diced chicken breast(s) should there be a meat eater :)

300g pasta (we really like the large shells with this sauce!)

Method:

Add onion, garlic, parsley and chili to TM bowl. Chop for 5 seconds, speed 7. Scrape down sides.

Add capsicum, broccoli and oil to TM bowl. Saute for 5 minutes, 100°, REVERSE, speed 1.
** At this point place a dampened piece of parchment paper in the large Varoma covering all of the bottom and sides (do not leave gaps around the corners or the chicken juice will leak into the TM bowl and the vego's won't like that!!!) Place, with lid, on top of the TM bowl (without the measuring cup of course) and cook as above BUT at Varoma temp.

Add mushrooms, peas, tomatoes, coconut milk, water, stock and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, 100°, REVERSE, speed 1.
**Varoma temp still if steaming chicken!

Add pasta to TM bowl. Cook for 7-10 minutes (read the packet and reduce the time by 2 minutes as the pasta will continue to cook in the TM bowl or serving dish and you do not want a gluggy mess), 100°, REVERSE, soft speed. Check the pasta for firmness- you will want a bit of bite to it otherwise you will find it overcooks just in the time it takes to serve it.

**Varoma temp still if steaming chicken!

Garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 4. Enjoy!



We have tried a few variations with different veggies and it always turns out great. It is important to always keep the liquid the same so that the pasta cooks correctly and if you add more veggies you account for it by adding more water or coconut milk. I'd love to hear your variations...happy Thermomixing!