In today's Adelaide Advertiser 'What's your problem' someone wanted to make jam for a diabetic and asked advice.  The answer was as follows

for every 900g plums you will need 1 x 226g can frozen apple juice concentrate. Pit and chop plums, combine with juice.  Cook in a heavy duty saucepan or stockpot with the lid off over medium heat for 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.

I found this interesting and I'm sure it would be easy enough to do in the TMX.  Where would you buy the frozen concentrate though, have never seen it myself.

They didn't say this would apply to all fruit, only mentioned it for plum jam.  Worth a try though.

Name of Recipe:Tuna & Spinach mornay pie with potato/celeriac topping (converted from a WW recipe book)
Number of People:4 serves
Ingredients:
20g parmesan cheese
60g butter
150g onion - quartered
60g plain flour
500mls milk
150g baby spinach leaves (or cooked, chopped spinach)
425g can tuna in brine (drained and flaked)
2 tblspns lemon juice
S & P to taste
Topping - 400g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm dice
               300g celeriac, cut into 1cm slices
               30g butter
               2 tblspns milk (more or less as required) - don't add this ingredient until you check the consistency of the mash.

Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 180^oC.
Grate the parmesan 5 seconds on speed 8. Remove from bowl and set aside.
Place onion into TM bowl & chop for 3 seconds on speed 5.
Add the butter and cook 5 mins 100^o on speed 1.
Add flour, cook 1 min on 100^o speed 1.
Add milk & S & P and cook for 8 mins 90^o on speed 4.
Add tuna, lemon juice and spinach.
Stir for 30 seconds on Reverse, speed 1.
Pour the mixture into a 1.5 litre (6 cup) casserole dish and set aside. Clean the TM bowl.

Topping - Place the potatoes and celeriac into the steaming basket.  Pour 600mls boiling water into the TM bowl, put the basket into place and cook 20 minutes on Varoma, speed 1. Remove basket, tip out the water.  Place potatoes and celeriac into the TM bowl along with the parmesan, butter and S & P (no milk at this stage). Blend for 10 seconds on speed 6.  Check to see if milk needs to be added and then add just enough to get the right texture for the topping. This will depend on the type of potato used.
Spread this mixture over the top of the tuna mornay and place in a moderate oven until the potato browns.
Serve with steamed vegies.

Photos:

Tips/Hints:

As an alternative to celeriac, use plain mashed potatoes or add 100g creamed corn to the mashed potatoes instead. It is worth trying the celeriac though.

Name of Recipe:Zucchini soup
Number of People:4 serves
Ingredients:
500g zucchini, chopped roughly
130g onion, quartered
100g potato, cut into large chunks
100g carrot, cut into chunks
25g butter
500mls chicken stock or vegetable stock (I used chicken)
S & P to taste
2 Tblspns cream

Preparation:
Place all the vegetables into the TM bowl, chop for 5 seconds on speed 5.
Add the butter and cook 6 mins on 100^o on Reverse, speed 1.
Add the stock and cook 35 mins 100^o Reverse, speed 1.
Check to see what texture the soup is at this stage and either blitz it to suit or leave as it is. (I left it as it was)
Add  S & P to taste plus 2 Tblspns cream and stir through before serving.

Members' comments
Thermie007 -  This was so easy to make and best of all hubby wants me to make this for him again! As soon as he dug into it some of the comments he made were"Mmm,this is tasty","Its full of flavour" & once he finished one bowl went back for seconds.
So from us Judydawn, its a winner!! Thank you.

JulieO - We thoroughly enjoyed this soup.  So simple and quick to make which made for a nice and relaxing day.  Good one Judy.

CP - Thank you JD, I made this today when my DD wanted to know what was for lunch. (Hmm, whatever happened to making a sandwich for yourself?) I like my soups a little chunkier too, so I didn't blitz it at the end. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed it. Cheap and cheerful.

Name of Recipe:Chicken Cacciatore Casserole
Number of People:4 serves
Ingredients:
600g chicken thighs, (weight after skinning and defatting) Cut into 3cm pieces
1 medium onion, quartered
1 clove garlic
60 mls white wine
400g can crushed tomatoes
250g potato, peeled and diced 2cm
120g carrot - 1/2 cm slices
150g mushrooms, thinly sliced
50g red lentils
100g reduced fat natural yoghurt
1 dessertspoon cornflour
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
S & P to taste

Preparation:
Place the chicken pieces into the varoma bowl & set aside.
Place onion and garlic into TM bowl and chop 3-4 seconds on speed 5.
Add 10g oil and saute 4 minutes 100^o on Reverse, speed 1.
Add wine and cook for 1 minute, MC off, on 100^o Reverse, speed 2.
Add tomatoes, potato, carrot, mushrooms and lentils.  Place varoma dish & lid on top.
Cook 30-35 minutes on Varoma temperature, Reverse, soft speed.
Add chicken pieces to the TM bowl and cook 5 minutes 100^o on Reverse, soft speed.
Season to taste with S & P.
Combine yoghurt, cornflour and parsley.  
Add to bowl and combine for 1 minute on Reverse, 90^o speed 1.

Serve with rice or mashed potato and green vegies.

Tips/Hints:

You could use chicken breasts but they are not as moist as thighs.  This recipe is suitable to freeze and comes from the Victorian Govt Go for your Life site.

members' comments

CP - Would include in this recipe to chop parsley 5 - 10 seconds on Speed 7 and set aside in initial stage prior to chopping onion and garlic (lazy me). A very nutritious and easily prepared family meal. Delicious. Added to my file and will make again definitely. Thank you JD, love your recipes.

cathy79 - Made this with a few "family preference" changes.  I left out the lentils and the carrot and added a large teaspoon of vegie stock instead of s & p to taste. Was very nice and made heaps.  The chicken was nice and moist and plenty of flavour.  Next time I think I'll leave out the potato (potato and rice or potato a bit much) and will try adding zucchini and capsicum halfway through cooking the chicken. Thanks JD - great family recipe and a different type of cooking for me, so opens up lots of casserole conversion ideas.

cookie - I made this and we all enjoyed it. Lovely for the cooler weather.

Pumpkin Pie - I made this but couldn't work out why I needed to serve it with potato or rice, as there was potato already in it, so just cooked up some brussels sprout to serve with it. At the end of cooking realised that the potato and lentils disintegrated.  It was really tasty and DH gave it the tick of approval, so next time will add either the rice or potato to serve it.

Name of Recipe:Chicken with a tomato & fennel sauce
Number of People: 3 - 4 serves
Ingredients:
200g bulb of fennel
3/4 teaspn lemon zest
1.5 tsp olive oil
S & P to taste
160g sliced mushrooms (I used Swiss browns)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tspn dried oregano or 1 tsp fresh leaves, chopped (I used fresh)
pinch coarsely ground dried chilli peppers - you could use powder, fresh chilli or sambal oelek to taste (I used the dried version)
1/8 tspn dried basil or 3 fresh leaves, torn (I used fresh)
50 mls dry white wine
400g fresh or canned chopped tomatoes (I used canned)
450g chicken thigh meat - 5 cm chunks
2 tsp olive oil, extra

Preparation:
Cut fennel in half lengthwise, remove the solid core and feathery fronds, reserving the fronds for garnish.  Cut fennel into thin slices lengthwise & set aside.
Sprinkle chicken with S & P.
Heat oil and lemon zest in TM bowl 100^o 2 mins speed soft.
Add chicken and cook 7 mins Varoma temp, on reverse, speed 1. Remove chicken from TM bowl and set aside.
Without cleaning the bowl, mince the garlic by dropping it onto the running blades of the TMX at speed 8.
Add the extra 2 teaspns olive oil, fennel, mushrooms, oregano, basil and chilli.
Saute 10 mins 100^o on reverse, speed 1.
Add tomatoes, wine, reserved chicken and any juices that have collected.
Cook a further 15 minutes 100^o on reverse, speed 1.
If you feel it needs thickening, a couple of teaspoons of cornflour mixed with a little water will do the trick. Add that now and continue mixing for 1 minute on reverse.

Photos:

Tips/Hints:

This recipe is from the UK EDC but amazed me by everything being cooked on the stove top, apart from the garlic being crushed in the TMX.  I couldn't see any point in including it in a TMX cookbook so set about to prove to myself that it could all be done in the TMX. I would be very  if I bought a recipe book for my TMX and their version was in it.

I kept it warm in the thermosaver whilst I made the mashed potato to accompany it. I imagine the leftovers tomorrow will be even tastier than today's serve.

500g fish fillets - a mixture of firm white fish such as cod, haddock or monkfish - skin and bones removed (I used Flathead but you
could use Hake, Salmon or Red Snapper)
juice of 1/2 lemon
300g milk
200g water
60g butter
40g plain flour
20g parsley
3 spring onions (optional, not in original recipe but they added some flavour)
S & P to taste
pinch of nutmeg
Mashed potato for topping.

Preheat oven to 220^o.
Put the milk and water into the TM bowl and insert the steamer basket. Put fish fillets into basket with the lemon juice squeezed over it.  Cook 12 minutes 100^o speed 4.
Tip the fish liquid into a bowl and set aside the fish separately. Cut the fish into bite sized chunks.
Rinse and dry the TM bowl. Drop the parsley and spring onion onto the running blades at speed 8.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula.
Weigh the fish liquid back into the TM bowl, using extra milk if necessary to make it up to 400g.
Add the butter, flour and seasonings.  Cook 4 minutes on 100^o Speed 4.
Taste and adjust seasonings
Add the fish back into the sauce and mix for 10-20 seconds on soft speed, reverse.
Transfer to an ovenproof dish, top with mashed potato and dobs of butter.
Place in a preheated oven until brown on top.

Members' comments
Shayla - I have made this too it is delicious; I chop the spring onion and parsley first then the bowl does not need to be washed out as it just stays in for steaming the fish.

troycam lee82 - Just tried this recipe - great flavour.  Used latchet, salmon and a few scallops though, and leek instead of the spring onion as I don't like a super spring onion-y flavour.  Leek needs cooking a bit (after dropping onto the blades, I used a few nobs of butter, 100oC for 2,30m), and then took the leek out, chopped the parsley, added the leeks back in again.  I left the scallops out right until the last minute (ie adding to the casserole dish), but even then they were a bit overcooked, I'll probably leave them out all together next time.   REALLY delicious though, fantastic recipe, makes me want to explore the UK EDC a bit more.

CP - Made this last night from the F&E cookbook. Used snapper, took the curry powder alternative and also added 3 sliced boiled eggs, about 3 chopped spring onions to the filling, and then puff pastry to top instead of mashed potato. As a side dish, made brons Sauteed Potatoes (from this forum). It was deelishus  5/5 and will make it again definitely! Sliced boiled egg is also a nice addition.

Lellyj - Thank you for this recipe (which I found via CP's list of faves).  It was easy and delicious.  I just used gummy shark fillets, but I agree that it could easily be "tarted up" for visitors by adding more glamorous fish and seafood.  It would look lovely served in individual ramekins too. Thanks again.

Julia Balbilla -  made this using pollack, haddock, salmon with the curry option too.  I used a spice mix called Pakistani Basar, which can be obtained in Asian grocery shops in the UK - not sure about Australia though.  I didn't try it myself, but DH enjoyed it although he said it could have done with some garlic and onion.

obbie - made with King Salmon, it was wonderful.

JD - I've also made individual pies using bits and pieces from the freezer, 1 piece of flathead, 1 piece of salmon and a handful of raw prawns then topped with pastry.

ES - We had this for dinner last night. This was really easy to make and both kids cleaned up their plates. My only problem was the mash sinking to the bottom, it didn't look pretty but it tasted good.




 

Name of Recipe:Steamed Coconut Custards (recipe converted from one in Take 5)
Number of People:6 serves
Ingredients:
25g plain flour
100g castor sugar
40g dessicated coconut
45g butter, melted
2 x 59g eggs
200ml Carnation Light & Creamy Coconut Flavoured Milk
65g skim milk (1/4 cup)
1/2 tspn vanilla extract


Preparation:
Place everything into TMX bowl and mix for 30-40 seconds on speed 3.
Grease and line the bottoms of 6 x 125ml ramekins or moulds.  Pour the mixture evenly into them and place 3 into the varoma dish and 3 onto the tray. You may be able to fit more into the dish but that's all I could get in there with my ramekins.
Pour 1 litre of boiling water into the TM bowl, place the varoma dish, tray and lid in place and cook on varoma temperature for 30 minutes on speed 1.  Leave to cool slightly before unmoulding. Can be served warm or chilled.


Tips/Hints:
The lining of the ramekins helps to unmould the custards.  Some mixture still seeps underneath the paper but doesn't affect the look all that much (have a spoon ready to eat the residue though ).  You could skip this step, just grease and eat the custard from the ramekins.
I served them with some canned lychees I had in the freezer and a dob of cream but something more colourful would be more pleasing to the eye for guests.

Mixture can be doubled and baked in a 180^o oven for 30 minutes.

Name of Recipe:Quick Chicken Laksa (converted from a Prawn Laksa from Take 5)
Number of People:4 serves

Ingredients:
100g vermicelli noodles
1 tblspn vegetable oil
250-300g chicken thigh fillets, defatted and cut into 2cm cubes
1 - 2 tblspns Thai-style curry paste (I used yellow and only used 1T for a milder taste)
1 tsp turmeric
400ml coconut milk
1 chicken stock cube
250mls boiling water
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tblspn brown sugar
1 tblspn chopped coriander leaves

Preparation:
Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water.  Stand for 10 minutes until noodles have softened.
Meanwhile, heat oil in TMX for 2 mins 100o soft speed. Add the chicken cubes and cook 5 minutes on Varoma, speed 1 Reverse.
Add the curry paste and turmeric and stir 30 seconds 90o on reverse, speed 1.
Add the coconut milk, stock cube and boiling water and cook 10 minutes on 90o on reverse, soft speed.
Add the fish sauce, brown sugar and coriander and stir 1 minute 90o reverse, soft speed.
Drain noodles and divide between 4 serving bowls.  Pour hot curry mixture over noodles.

This is a very basic and quick Laksa compared to other recipes but it passed the test in this house.
For a prawn laksa, saute 16 medium green prawns in the first step until they change colour.  Remove from bowl and add back into the TMX when you add the fish sauce, brown sugar and coriander.

members' comments

Kimberley - yum! 2 friends over had never had laksa before, they loved it.
Changed vermicelli for singapore noodles and added chopped spring onion, grated carrot and shitake mushrooms.

Natalia - DH said it is the best laksa he has had.

Amy- I loved it. Here are my changes:
1. I used breast meat instead of thigh, so to ensure I didn't dry it out, I didn't saute the chicken first. I heated the curry paste and spices for 3 mins, then added a very finely sliced onion and cooked for a further 3 minutes.
2. I added 400ml light 'n' creamy evaporated milk + 1 tsp coconut essence instead of the coconut milk.
3. I added my diced chicken at the same time I added the milk, stock cube and water. I set the TMX for 15 minutes and added the vegetables through the hole in the lid. I used very finely julienned carrots and capsicum, and finely sliced celery, snow peas and cabbage. I added more water to accommodate the vegetables and I gave it a good stir with the spatula to help incorporate everything.
4. I also used prawns, but I cooked them separately and just stirred them through each bowl at the end.
Oh, but I just realised I forgot to add the last three ingredients
But it was still very yummy and I'll definitely be making it again.

Denzelmum - Vegetarian version using store bought red curry paste. Family enjoy this a lot.

Lovely-lindaloo -  It was very nice and very quick. Love it for a week night.

Chickie - I've made this a couple of times now - so quick, easy and delicious. It's now hubby's favourite soup.

TM Ted - OMG this was sensational. Smelled and tasted just like a shop one. We used 2 fillets (600g) chicken, 100g Hokkien Noodles per serving bowl, and a handful of Bean Sprouts in each serving bowl.  Everyone loved it. I didn't use Thai Curry Paste, I used Laksa Paste. I'm not sure of the difference.