Hello everyone

Sorry I've been very quiet for the last few weeks. I've had personal things that needed sorting out. I'm still working on them but I'm going to try to get on here and contribute more often. It's good therapy

I'm not up to speed on everyone else's goings on either, so please forgive me if I say or ask anything silly!

Love to you all, and I've missed you xxx

Name of Recipe:
Chicken Biryani
Adapted from the Diabetes Cookbook
Makes a lot! 4 - 6 serves

Ingredients:
250g basmati rice
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp cinnamon
800ml boiling water
30g olive oil
400-600g chicken, cubed (I used breast but will use defatted thigh next time)
1 large onion, peeled and halved
2 garlic cloves
3-4cm piece ginger, peeled
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 potato, chopped
2 tbsp medium strength curry paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon, extra
100g green beans, trimmed and halved
1/2 medium sized cauliflower, chopped
60-80g sultanas (I added some craisins and chopped dried apricot as well)
150g natural yoghurt, plus extra for serving if desired
1 small bunch fresh coriander

Method:
1. Chop coriander for 3-5 seconds/speed 6. Set aside.
2. Rinse rice in steamer basket and insert into TMX bowl. Sprinkle cardamom and coriander over rice, add water and steam for 10 minutes/varoma temp/speed 4. When cooked, set aside.
3. Empty bowl. Add 10g olive oil and heat for 1 minute/90 degrees/speed 1. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes/90 degrees/reverse + speed 1 or until browned. Set aside.
4. Chop onion, garlic and ginger for 5 seconds/speed 5. Scrape down bowl and add 10g olive oil, sliced carrots and chopped potato. Saute for 4-5 minutes/100 degrees/reverse + speed 1.
5. Add this point, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Empty ingredients from TMX into pan along with beans and cauliflower (I tried to fit in all in TMX but it just didn't work).
6. Continue to saute ingredients on stove for approximately 5 minutes or until all vegetables are slightly softened.
7. Stir chicken, yoghurt, turmeric, cinnamon and dried fruit through the vegetables. (I also added a few splashes of water here, about 1/3 cup.) Spread rice over the top but don't stir.
8. Cover pan with a layer of foil and then replace lid. Reduce heat to low for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and leave to stand for a further 5-7 minutes.
9. Remove lid and foil, add coriander to pot and mix all ingredients together well. Serve, with extra yoghurt if desired.

This was so delicious

I can't believe its nearly here already, and I've hardly thought about what I'm going to cook

I have an idea for dessert: I'm going to try making chocolate cases with cheesecake mixture in them. I'm hoping to post the recipe if they work. But I have no idea what to cook for a main course

What is everyone else cooking, or having cooked for them?

Chia, Date & Walnut Slice
Converted from this month's Healthy Food Guide magazine

Ingredients:
150g rolled oats
80g walnuts
40g coconut (shredded or desiccated)
40g chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp vanilla
425g pitted dates
few tsp cold water
icing sugar, to serve, if desired

Method:
Chuck everything except water and icing sugar in TMX bowl. Whizz on speed 5 until mixture becomes fine, then add little dashes of cold water through lid until it comes together. Press into a greased dish (I used a 23cm pie dish) and refrigerate. When ready to serve, slice and dust with icing sugar. Can be kept, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks

Members' comments

Cookie - I was keen to try this recipe and I really liked it.   DH wasn't too keen but he likes things sweeter. I melted a small chocolate and sort of drizzled it over it. A nice healthy slice or truffle. I added milk instead of water to bring it all together. The chia seeds are quite crunchy in it. Very tasty.

Tam - Just made this as I had some roasted almonds blitzed that I needed used.  I used them instead of the walnuts. I decided to use melt some chocolate to put on top (instead of icing sugar). Will look forward to one after dinner with a cuppa....or 2. I added only 30gms of chia seeds as the taste can be quite strong.  I could really taste them in the first 1 or 2 bites but then all I could think of was how yummy it was.

kmw -  is very tasty.  It is very hard to stop at one. Thumbs up from hubby & one for his lunch box when back at work. Thanks for the recipe.

Tuna and Vegetable Ragout
Makes a lot and freezes well

Ingredients:
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium carrot (100g), peeled and roughly chopped
250g zucchini, roughly chopped
120g capsicum, deseeded and roughly chopped
1-2 garlic cloves
20ml oil
400g tinned tomatoes
1 tsp chicken stock concentrate
1 tsp dried dill
5-10ml Worcestershire sauce
250g cup mushrooms, quartered
450g tinned tuna in springwater, drained and flaked
Cornflour slurry, amount depending how thick you want the dish

Method:
1. Chop onion, carrot, zucchini, capsicum and garlic for 2 seconds/speed 5. Scrape sides of bowl and chop again if you want them finer, otherwise add oil and saute for 6 minutes/100 degrees/reverse + soft speed.
2. Add tomatoes, stock, dill, sauce and mushrooms. Use spatula to roughly stir mushrooms through, then cook for 15 minutes/100 degrees/reverse + soft speed.
3. Add tuna and cornflour slurry. Cook for 5 minutes/100 degrees/reverse + speed 1.
4. Serve with vegetables and rice or pasta.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cookies
Converted from AWW Cookies cookbook, with a couple of tweaks

Ingredients:
250g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
120g caster sugar
120g brown sugar
1 egg
300g flour
25g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
45g roasted hazelnuts, chopped (I used walnuts)
120g white choc bits
120g milk choc bits
120g dark choc bits

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees or 160 degrees for fan-forced. Line baking trays with baking paper.
2. Cream butter, vanilla, sugars and egg for 15 seconds/speed 5. Scrape sides of bowl and beat for a further 10 seconds/speed 5.
3. Add remaining ingredients and knead for 1 minute/reverse + interval speed. Scrape around sides of bowl and knead for a further 30 seconds or until combined.
4. Roll tbsps of mixture into balls and place 5cm apart on trays. Do not flatten. Bake for 12 minutes and cool on trays.

Makes a lot

Hot Cross Bun Cookies
Converted from the AWW Cookies cookbook which lovely Chrissa sent me

Ingredients:
125g butter
150g sugar
1 egg
300g SR flour
1 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp milk
40g mixed peel
80g currants
100g marzipan, for crosses
2 tbsp almond meal, for crosses
Apricot jam, warmed, to brush over baked cookies

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees, or 140 degrees for fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Beat butter, sugar and egg for 20 seconds/speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.
3. Add flour, spice, milk, peel and currants. Knead for 40 seconds/interval speed or until combined.
4. Roll teaspoons of dough into balls and place on baking tray. Flatten only slightly.
5. Pulse the turbo button to get as much dough as possible from around blades, then you won't have to wash the bowl before the next step.
6. Add marzipan and almond meal to bowl. Mix for 30 seconds/speed 4 or until the almond meal is incorporated and the mixture sticks together.
7. Roll the marzipan into sausages 5mm in diameter. Cut into 4cm lengths and arrange in crosses over buns.
8. Bake cookies for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Brush with jam and cool on trays.

Notes:
The most time consuming part of this recipe is definitely rolling the marzipan. I'd never worked with it before so it probably took me a bit longer.
I learned after I baked the first tray that you really need to be generous with the marzipan. I had rolled it too thin and cut it to short on the first ones. My second lot (in the photo) are much better!
You can probably see I was very generous with the apricot jam I don't have a cooking brush so I just had to spoon it on and it ended up quite thick. There were no complaints though

Apple Nut Cake
Converted from the The CWA Cookery Book

Ingredients:
400g warm stewed apple (see note below)
125g butter, softened
200g sugar
300g SR flour
20g cocoa
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp bicarb soda
80g chopped nuts (I used macadamias)
90g raisins or sultanas

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a cake pan (the recipe doesn't specify size so I used a 20cm and it was very full,; if you want a flatter cake use a wider pan).
2. Chop nuts if not already chopped.
3. Cream butter and sugar for 10 seconds/speed 4. Scrape sides of bowl and repeat until light and fluffy.
4. Add all remaining ingredients and mix briefly with spatula. Mix for 20 seconds/reverse + speed 4, give another mix with spatula. Mix for a further 20 seconds/reverse + speed 4 or until combined.
5. Pour mixture into prepare pan and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (mine took about an hour).

Note about apple
I stewed my apple first in TMX. I had seven small granny smith apples, which, after being peeled and cored, weighed 700g. I sliced them quite thinly and stewed them with 50ml water and 50g sugar for 20 minutes/80 degrees/reverse + soft speed. I set them aside to drain, washed the TMX and proceeded with the recipe above. I ended up with some apple leftover so next time I will stew less.