Warm Chicken Salad. A Varoma recipe

Start this recipe 30 minutes before you wish to serve the meal.
It is all prepared in the Varoma except the salad leaves.
This serves 4.
The recipe is adapted to the TMX from Melbourne Age, Good Food .

2 fresh Bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme
2 smashed cloves of garlic
1 full large chicken breast, skin and bone free.  Sliced into flat serving pieces about 6x3 cm.
Chicken stock, enough to cover the chicken, ( I used 1. 1/2 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste.150 mls of best EVOO
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup of lightly roasted pine nuts
1/2 cup sultanas
200 g green beans topped and tailed
2 large handfuls of salad greens.

Method

Place 1 liter of cold water in TMX bowl.
Place sliced chicken, bay leaves, thyme , stock ,garlic. and S and P in heat proof dish that will fit into Varoma.  An oven bag can also be used.  Cover dish with lid or plastic wrap.
Place an egg ring or 2 bamboo skewers in Varoma  (to allow steam to circulate)  place dish on top and cover with Vatoma lid.
Place green beans on top of cover on chicken.
Steam 30 minutes, removing beans after 10 minutes and refresh in cold water.
While chicken is steaming, place salad leaves in serving bowl and top with blanched beans.
Mix EVOO and lemon juice in a bowl and add saltanas and pine nuts.
When chicken is Cooke, remove from Varoma and set aside and empty  out water from bowl.
Tip in EVOO mixture and mix on reverse  for 5 seconds.  The residual heat will warm this mixture.
Strain the Chicken and place over salad leaves and tip the mixture from the TMX bowl over the salad.
Serve immediately.

Notes
Slivered almonds can replace the pine nuts.
The poaching liquid can be prepared earlier.
I served this with fresh crusty bread.

Tahini biscuits

Morning Tea in new Cafe in Kyneton.  Piper StreeT Food Store.  Lovely coffee and I enjoyed a Tahini biscuit, made in house .
I thought it was a bit like an Anzac but a bit more substantial and probably no butter.   Could also be made gluten free.  Also no nuts,  so good for school lunches.  How healthy is that!
Ingredients , in order of use.

Set oven at 160o C

120 g of Tahini, mix jar well so oil is incorporated.  For a thinner crisper biscuit,  increase to 150g.
2 generous Tablespoons of Golden Syrup,  increase to 3 T for a crisper biscuit.
125 g brown sugar
3 Tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of Carb Soda
50 g coconut
150g mixture of sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.
160 g rolled Oats


Method

Combine Tahini, Golden Syrup and brown sugar in TMX bowl and mix on speed 5 until all comes to form a soft paste.  Scrape down bowl and mix again speed 5 / 10 seconds
Add water and Carb Soda, mix on speed 5/ 10 seconds.
Add coconut and seed, TURBO twice
Scrape down bowl. TURBO once.
Tip mixture into a large bowl and add oats.
Fold oats into mixture,   It will be very stiff.
Use a small ice cream scoop to make balls the size of a walnut.
Place on a lined tray and press firmly with wet fingers.
Bake 20 minutes at 160 oC. Turning trays after 10 minutes.
Leave on trays for 10 minutes to set up and remove to wire rack to cool

If you like your biscuits crunchy on the outside,  after 10 turn them over and pop back in oven until they have dried out, 5 to 10 minutes.

Makes 24 to 30, depending on size of icecream scoop.

Lentil Dip

This recipe is a very tasty variation on "lentil and Sun dried Tomato dip", from"Worlds Best Diet" cook book. I have adapted it to TMX.

1 cup , 200grams, cooked lentils, ( I used brown but any colour could be used.) Well drained and rinsed , canned would also be ok.
35 g of semi dried tomatoes , in oil ok.
Juice of 1 lemon
1 generous Tablespoon of olive oil. 
Pinch of chilli powder
2 teaspoons of ground Cumin
I large clove of garlic.

Place all in TMX and mix , speed 7 until tomatoes are well chopped.
Scrape down and add more oil or Greek Yoghurt and mix again until desired consistency is reached.

Notes.

I used yoghurt as I am watching calories.   But did make a batch with additional oil and it was equally good. ( visitors took this lot home)
Added some to a cheese sandwich, good.
Could add olives.
Could be served with carrot, celery sticks or cucumber slices.
Don't be put off by the look because the taste is amazing.

Sour Dough crumpets with sultanas and walnuts.

So simple.  I love toasted Fruit toast for breakfast. this is easier, keeps well in plastic container and freeze well.
To 1 cup of SD starter , add 3/4 cup of sultanas mixed with chopped walnuts.( 3/4 cup total amount )
Follow recipe down a couple of recipes in this Blog.
Can double recipe.
Can use starter straight from fridge.

Yoghurt

2 litres of yoghurt is too much for us,  so looked for ideas to make 1 litre.  This is what I did,  easy.

1/2 cup of yoghurt,  didn't say pot set  but did contain lots of good bacteria.
1 litre of UHT milk, fresh would be ok.
 Electric yoghurt maker,  but could use small Thermoserver or wide mouth Thermos.

Process
Switch on electric yoghurt maker
Pour hot water into container that is to take the mix. ( to warm it)
Pour 1 litre of milk into TMX bowl and heat to 37 degrees, speed 2
When 37 light stop flicking, stop machine and add 1/2 cup of bought yoghurt.
Mix for 30 seconds, speed 1.
Check to see that the added yoghurt has mixed through.
Empty out warm water from container add pour in mixture
Place in Electric machine and set for 10 hours.  ( i do this over night)
I place a tea towel on top to keep the heat in. 

This made a light set yoghurt.
Can add powdered milk to make a thicker set but I don't like the taste

Soda Bread

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This recipe is different from other Soda Breads  that are on the Forum,  so I have decided to post it.  It also reminds me of the Soda Bread that we had at a Pub in Ireland, several years ago.  I have adapted the recipe from. Justin Gellatly's book, 'Bread, Cake Doughnut , Pudding. ' to TMX.  I have also made small changes to the ingredients.
The finished loaf has a beautiful crisp crust, great texture with  healthy grains and  satisfying taste.
It makes an 800gram loaf, will keep well,  toast, but will also freeze. 

Set oven at 200o C
Ingredients.
250 grams coarse or standard strong  wholemeal flour. ( I used BioFort Golden Wholemeal, by Laucke.)
250 grams Self Raising flour
80 grams of oatmeal, ( I used rolled oats6 grams of Bicarbonate of soda.
12 or 6 grams of salt. ( Laucke flour has added salt)
12 grams of soft light brown sugar.( I used Coconut sugar)
200grams of water
250 grams of buttermilk or yoghurt.( low fat ok)
1 teaspoon of oil to brush loaf before baking.

Process
Place all ingredients in TMX bowl and knead for 2 minutes.
Tip out on to baking tray Lined with silicon  or baking paper.
Form into a round cob shape , brush with oil and sprinkle a few rolled oats.
Cut a cross into loaf, about 1/4 way through.
Let sit on bench for 5 minutes.
Bake 45 minutes, turning 1/2 way through.

Notes.  My loaf took 45 minutes as it was fairly high.  A flatter loaf may be cooked in 35 minutes.
             This loaf can be cut when still warm. 

Sour Dough Crumpets, NON TMX

I am posting this recipe here as many people make Sour Dough bread in the TMX and wonder what to do with an excess of starter,  this is an easy and delicious way to use it.

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These are so easy , and good to use up some Sour Dough Starter.  I fed the starter in the morning,  left it on the bench all day and went out. While out I bought some crumpet rings as I think the normal metal egg rings are too small. The rings I bought are 'd.line' egg and crumpet rings,  non stick and about 9 cm  diameter. They were $1.79 for a packet of 2.  I bought 2 packets.  These are much better than the large silicon rings as they cook the edges of the crumpets as the base is cooking.
The recipe I used is from an English site,  King Arthur.
Ingredients. For 4 crumpets.  Mix and cook 4 at a time.

1 cup, 250 mls of sour dough starter
I teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon carb soda.

Method
Oil a large non stick flat based frying pan.
Oil rings and place in frying pan to heat.  Place rings so that the rim is outside .
Pour sour dough starter into a 2 cup jug.  It will bubble up when the carb soda is added.
Add sugar, salt and carb soda.  Give it a good stir.
Pour immediately into rings.  About a 1/4 cup into each.
Cook over moderate heat for 7 minutes.  You will notice that edges are starting to set and slightly pull away from ring.
When top has just set,  the rings can be lifted off.
Flip crumpets to cook top slightly.  Remove and cool on cooling rack.

Continue with above method.  No need to re oil rings, but do brush oil on pan between batches.
Notes.
These do not taste sour. 
Some were thicker than others.  The very thick ones,  I split before toasting.  The thinner ones were toasted without splitting.