Japanese Chicken Torihamu(chicken ham)

Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breast (500gm)
- 6 teaspoon of salt
- 4 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon spices (I used salt and pepper only)


Method:
1. trim off any fat or sinew from chicken breast
2. in a small bowl combine salt, maple syrup and spices
3. pour over chicken in a bag and coat evenly. remove as much air and seal
4. leave for 48 hours
5. remove from fridge and place in bowl of cold water for 1 hour.
6. remove from water and pat dry
7 pound chicken to get even thickness. roll and tie up with twine
8. preheat oven to 120C.
9. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until cooked through and the surface has a light brown colour
10. take chicken out, cool , refrigerate then slice thinly

Mini carrot cakes

Adapted from trtlmt.com.au

Ingredients:

450g carrots

4 large eggs

140g olive oil

250g self raising flour. I used 250g cake flour + 1.5teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

90g brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2tsp vanilla bean paste

50g raisin

100g Choc chips

Method :

Blitz carrot in tmx for speed 7, 6 seconds

Preheat oven to 180C, line 2 12 muffin trays

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl

Mix all wet ingredients in another

Pour carrot and wet into dry ingredients 

Do not over mix batter

Scoop into muffin tray and bake for 14-18 mins

Choc Chip Muesli Bar

adapted from : http://themarathonmom.com/crispy-chocolate-chip-granola-bars.htm


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup crispy brown rice cereal
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Stir oats and rice cereal in large bowl.
2. Melt oil, honey, and sugar until bubbly, for no more than two minutes.  Stir constantly.
3. Let oil/honey/sugar mixture cool for 2-3 minutes, then add vanilla and stir.
4. Pour liquid mixture over oats and cereal and stir thoroughly.  It’s important to mix well so that the oats and cereal are all coated and stick together well.
5. Grease an 8×8 glass pan, then pour mixture into pan.
6. Press down firmly.  This step is just as important as the mixing.  Packing down the granola helps them stay together!
7. Add chocolate chips to the top while mixture is still warm and press firmly again.  (Waiting too long to add the chips will result in chocolate chips that “fall off” the top of the granola bars when eating.)
8. Place granola bars in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
9. Once set, turn pan upside down on cutting board.  (Turn them over carefully if you want them to be “face up”.)  Then cut into the size bars you like.
10. Store in fridge.

Buttermilk Chicken strips

Adapted from :
http://wishfulchef.com/oven-baked-buttermilk-chicken-strips/

Ingredients:

1kg chicken strips

600ml buttermilk

3 teaspoon paprika

3 teaspoon sugar

3 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon pepper

A lot of breadcrumbs, panko seasoned with garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder

Olive oil

Brine:

Mix buttermilk, paprika, sugar and salt together with chicken and soak overnight

Cooking method:

Mix all breadcrumbs, panko with seasoning. Coat chicken evenly and bake at 230C for 15mins

Tiny teddies chocolate version

Adapted from:

http://www.trtlmt.com.au/chocolate-teeny-teddies/

Ingredients:

80g butter, cubed

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

100g sugar

40g honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

170g plain flour

65g self raising flour

1/2 teaspooon bi carb soda

Method:

1. Place butter, sugar, honey and vanilla into bowl.
2. Melt at 100 degrees, speed 2 for 5 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Mix on speed 3 for 45 seconds or until well combined.
5. This will be a sticky, wet dough. It firms upon cooling however.
6. Remove dough from bowl or saucepan and place onto a silicone mat in a rectangle shape to cool slightly, approximately 5 minutes. Be careful as this will be hot. Do not put it in the fridge or leave it too long as it will be harder to work with.
7. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
8. Once dough is slightly cooled and easy to work with, roll out into a thin rectangle about 2mm in thickness. When I roll, I lift and flip it over a few times whilst rolling to ensure its an even roll. Work gently and slowly when lifting and flipping.
9. If your dough is sticky allow it to cool a little longer. You want a dough that is able to be lifted from the surface it is being rolled on.
10. Using a small teddy cutter cut shapes from the dough. You may choose to cut and then place the teddy on the tray or you may chose to cut them all at once then peel away from the mat and put on the tray. You can see both options in the blog photo.
11. Cut as many from the first batch us possible. As the dough cools it is harder to roll. Warm for 15-30 seconds in the microwave if it dries or cool too much.
12. These will only need to bake for 5-8 minutes or so. Watch them very carefully. You want them slightly browned and a crunch to them. Do not overcook though. Burnt chocolate is not tasty. Every oven varies so watch them

Thermomix Skinless Sausages

Inspired from Thermomix recipe community.

Ingredients:

500gm chicken mince

1 carrot

1 knob ginger

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon chicken stock, Thermomix made

Breadcrumbs -1/2-1 cup

1 egg

20g grapeseed oil

Herbs of choice

Method:

Place garlic and ginger. Chop for Sp 6, 5 seconds. Scrap down and sauté for 2 mins, Sp2, 100 C

Let it cool before placing all other ingredients. Mix 30seconds, Sp 6.

This amount makes 8 sausages. Roll into cling wrap

Cook Varoma, 15 minutes, Sp 2.

Finished off in oven for another 15 minutes

Tortilla wraps

Adapted from :

http://www.trtlmt.com.au/thermomix-tortillas/

Such a lovely simple recipe.

Ingredients

1. 335g bakers flour - I mix 100g whole meal or atta with bakers flour)
2. 170g water
3. 40g olive oil
4. 1 teaspoon of salt

Instructions

1. Place everything into the tmx bowl.
2. Blitz on speed 6 just to slightly combine.
3. Lock lid and press interval speed for 2 minutes.
4. Let it sit for 15 minutes. See note below however.
5. Remove from bowl. Divide your dough into 8 pieces.
6. I find rolling and cooking as I go easier compared to rolling all one go. It stucked despite the flooring between layers and I don't like additional flour on them. So heat up the pan, gently lay the first wrap then roll the next and flip.
7. Ensure the pan is not too hot. Medium heat is just nice. Press down tortilla as it blows up. 
8. Once they start bubbling, flip it over.
9. You will only need to cook for a minute or so each side but keep an eye on them so they don't burn. You want them to be cooked but still flexible.
10. Place it onto a plate with a tea towel over the top.
11. Continue to cook all Tortillas, placing them one on top of the other. The heat keeps them nice and flexible.
12. The first one or two Tortillas in each batch tend to be a bit harder and cardboard like whilst finding the right temp of the pan. If you have a hard, non flexible wrap, place it underneath all the other wraps. It will soon soften from the heat and be yummy like the rest of them.

I did not let my dough rest. I rolled them right after mixing in the thermie.

Cooked up chicken pieces to go with the wrap for lunch boxes. A simple coat of egg and seasoned breadcrumbs. 

Thermomix 3 little teddies

Adapted from :
http://www.trtlmt.com.au/teeny-teddies/

Ingredients

1. 60g butter, cubed
2. 140g honey- I used raw honey
3. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
4. 170g plain flour
5. 65g self raising flour
6. 1/2 teaspooon bi carb soda

Instructions

1. Place butter, honey and vanilla into bowl.
2. Melt at 100 degrees, speed 2 for 5 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Mix on speed 3 for 30 seconds
5. This will be a sticky, wet dough. It firms upon cooling however.
6. Remove dough from bowl or saucepan and place onto a silicone mat in a rectangle shape to cool for 30-45 minutes. Be careful as this will be hot. Do not put it in the fridge or leave it too long as it will be harder to work with. I manage to work on it immediately without waiting. The consistency was just right 
7. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
8. Once dough is slightly cooled and easy to work with, roll out into a thin rectangle about 2mm in thickness. When I roll, I lift and flip it over a few times whilst rolling to ensure its an even roll. Work gently and slowly when lifting and flipping.
9. If your dough is sticky allow it to cool a little longer. You want a dough that is able to be lifted from the surface it is being rolled on.
10. Using a small teddy cutter cut shapes from the dough. You may choose to cut and then place the teddy on the tray or you may chose to cut them all at once then peel away from the mat and put on the tray. You can see both options in the blog photo.
11. These will only need to bake for 5-8 minutes or so. Watch them very carefully. You want them golden and a crunch to them. If you do not cook long enough you may have less crunchy teddies on day two and beyond. Do not overcook though. Burnt honey is not tasty. Every oven varies so watch them closely. I baked mine in 5 minutes.

Chicken schnitzel

I made chicken schnitzel to freeze for the boy's lunch box for this term

Ingredients:
3 large chicken breast
2 cups bread crumbs
dash of onion powder and garlic salt
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs

Method:
Sliced the chicken breast into 3 thin layers
Coat the chicken slices with egg
Then coat with the breadcrumbs seasoning and Parmesan cheese
Fry in the air fryer for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown

Good for sandwiches

Spring Rolls

Another variation to the kids lunch box

Ingredients:
500gms minced pork
1 cup of shredded cabbage
1tbsp of minced ginger
Sesame oil to fry filling
1 clove of garlic
1 large carrot
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce

sugar to taste

Stored bought spring roll wrappers (i only used 1 packet)

Method:

1.Heat up sesame oil

2. Fry the minced pork. Add in vegetables and sauces. Amend the ratio of seasoning according to taste. I added some of the homemade chicken stock powder as well.

3. Let the mixture cool before wrapping

4. I froze this right after wrapping. I used the air fryer for this. Fry for 20 minutes at 180C.

Chicken Pie

Another great recipe for the kids lunch box

Ingredients:

• 3/4 shredded roast chicken
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped celery (1 large stalk)
• 1/3 cup chopped carrot (1 carrot)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Stored bought shortcrust pastry

Method:
1. Me;t the butter, add in onions and fry till it is soft
2. Add in celery and carrot and fry till soften
3. add in chicken broth and let it simmer down
4. Lastly, add in chicken and cheese
5. Let the filling cool down before wrapping
6. once cooled, get the pastry ready. i cut one large pastry sheet into 4
7. Pile 2 large tablespoon of the filling on each of the 4 squares
8. Cut another 4 squares from another pastry sheet and pile it on each of the filling.
9. Fold in the edges into a circular shape and pinch them tightly. Crimp the edges with a fork and make a cross cutting on top for the air to release during baking
10. I freeze the pies at this stage but if baking is required, bake it for 180C for around 20 minutes

This pie is very tasty with the chicken broth. I have used homemade chicken broth, and vegetables from the garden. 

Pizza Puff

Found this very interesting recipe for the kid's lunch box

Ingredients (you can use any vegetables you fancy):

- 2 small zucchinni

- 1 medium red onion

-2 cloves of garlic

- 1 cup of button mushroom sliced

- 1 cup of grated cheese

- 300gms of shredded ham

- 1 tomato sliced and diced

- 12 frozen puff pastry

- tomato paste

Method:

1. blitz zucchini and button mushroom in the Thermomix. 2 seconds on Speed 4. I didn't blitz it to a minced as i wanted some texture in the pizza

2. diced onions and garlic

3. Mix all ingredients in a big bowl except for tomato paste and pastry

4. Thaw the pastry

5. cut the pastry into 4 squares, scoop some tomato paste and then the filling (about 3 spoons), shaped it into a mountain

6. Use another pastry square and cover it on the top and squeeze the sides to ensure it is tightly sealed. I used the knife to trim the edges so i can a nice circle

7. Cut a small X on top of the pastry so it will release the air when baking

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown

Chicken Sausage Rolls with Vegetables

Adapted from:
http://foodforlittlesouls.com/2013/06/18/chicken-pumpkin-leek-sausage-rolls/

 Ingredients:
- 1 kg of chicken thighs (minced)
- 1/4 butternut pumpkin
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 large leek
- 3 small apples cored and grated
- 2 cloves garlic
- 25gm butter
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2.5 cups of breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs (1 for egg wash)
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds (garnish)

Method:
1. I used the thermomix to do all the mincing. First goes the pumpkin. After mixing at Speed 5 for 2-3 seconds, remove and set aside. Then place the apple and zucchini together and mix on Speed 4-5 for a few seconds
2. I sliced the leek manually into small pieces and set aside
3. First cook all the vegetables. I wanted to make sure the vegetables juice are dried off before mixing into the sausage mix. I have been having issues with very soggy homemade sausage rolls, so trying out a different method this time as compared to mixing them raw into the meat mixture.
4. In a non stick frying pan add butter and oil. Over a low-medium heat, saute the leeks for 10 minutes or until they are soft and golden. Add the zucchini, pumpkin and apple. Cook for a further 10-20 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated out of the pan and the vegetables have collapsed. Set aside and cool completely.
5. Once cool, add the chicken minced, breadcrumbs, thyme egg,vegetable stock, dash of sesame oil and seasoning. Add the egg as well and mix with hands till well combined. I used a hand glove to get them all well mixed up.
6. Defrost frozen puff pastry sheets. Cut each square of pastry in half to make two rectangles. Using a clean spoon, place mince mixture along the middle of each rectangle. roll them up nice and tight, seal the ends by pressing with a fork. Then brush the bottom and top of the rolls with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and then place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes at 180C. Remember to pre heat the oven first and line up baking trays with baking paper. I tried the first batch with the cooking raw as i wanted to make sure all the moisture drips to the bottom of the tray and pastry stays dry and flaky but it did not turn out well as the pastry got stuck in between the racks. So lining them flat is a better idea

7. I used up 10 pastry sheets for this volume of meat/mix. The pastry were not soggy due to the egg wash and because i have rolled them tight. Finally a good recipe for getting nice crispy sausage rolls.

8. those sausage rolls were very yummy and moist, too much herbs and must cut down on them next time.

Chicken Nugget with CornFlake crumbs

This is the easiest chicken nuggets I have prepared and taste just as yummy. I omit the flour and egg step and the less mess makes a happier me.

Ingredients:

Minced:

1kg chicken thigh fillet (minced up in the Thermomix till resembles mince)

1 large zuchinni

1 bunch of kale leaves

Garlic Salt -a few shakes of this and to suit taste

Dried parsley- another few shakes

Salt and pepper

Crumbs coating:

3 cups of smashed up corn flakes. I use the Thermomix for half of the cornflakes and found it disintegrated into powder form, so for the other half i manually squashed them to give it that crunchy texture when i coat the chicken.

at least 1 cup of breadcrumbs- i used all my leftover breadcrumbs

Onion powder- just a dash

Garlic powder- another dash

Method:

prepare the bed for coating your chicken first. I mixed all the coating together and place it in a large baking tray

Prepare all trays for baking and line with baking paper

Next prepare the mince. I minced all the vegetables in the Thermomix for a good Speed5-6 for couple of seconds. Then in another bowl goes the chicken, Speed 10 and longer as the chicken was hard to get into a nice minced texture. 

Then mix them all up with the seasoning. The mixture should be wet so you do not need to coat with flour and egg and crumbs.

 The mixture goes straight into the coating. I rolled them up in ball sized and dip them in the coating.

make sure they are nicely coated

Bake for first 10 minutes at 200C and the next 10 or until cooked at 180C.

My kids gobbled them up despite seeing all the green vegetables in them. They are truly yummy with the crunchy cornflakes. 

 

Quinoa Banana Choc Chip Muffin

 

Adapted from: http://www.onecooktwokitchens.com/gluten-free-banana-quinoa-muffins-and-the-grains-giveaway-continues/

Ingredients (modified to my tastebud):

3 cups quinoa flour 

1 cup almond meal

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon if you have fresh)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

 1 cup walnuts broken into pieces

2 large egg

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

6 large mashed ripe bananas (approximately 1 1/2 - 2 cups)

12 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

1. prepare the dry ingredients first. I used the Thermomix to made my quinoa flour and almond meal.
I measured 3 cups of quinoa grains and blend in Thermomix on Speed 10 for 1 minute. Pour mixture into large bowl
2. Next place raw almonds into Thermomix bowl (I used the same bowl from the quinoa flour). Blend for 40 seconds on Speed 10. I turn the dial slowly up to Speed 10 as the almonds are quite hard and can cause quite a fright in the house.
3. Pour the almond meal into the bowl and whisk them together.
4. Add in baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Whisk them and blend them together. Add in the chocolate chips and the nuts and mix them slowly.
5. In another Thermomix bowl, I add in all the wet ingredients. eggs, brown sugar, bananas (make sure the are really ripe, mine was really brown all over), oil and vanilla. Blend on Speed 4 for 10-15 seconds.
6. Preheat oven to 180C
7. Mix the dry and the wet ingredients. DO NOT over mix. Muffins just need to be barely combined. I stir from bottom up and big folds.
8. I managed to get 24 muffins out of this batter. I used an ice cream scoop to get them into muffin cups.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Use the toothpick to check if it is cooked. Toothpick will come out clean when it is cooked.
10. These muffins are really good. They are soft, moist and not tough. So this time the mixing is right.

My batter ready to be bake

 large scoops for a good wholesome snacks for my kid's lunch box.

after baking them. Nice straight out from the oven.

They are healthy, packed full of good stuff. Please do try it

Aussie Meat Pies



Adapted from:
http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/aussie-meat-pies/69279

I did not make my own pastry but I promise I will when I am given more time in the future.

Ingredients for Pie Filling:

2 garlic cloves minced
1 brown onion minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cornflour
500 g minced beef
3 stalks of celery minced
1 large carrot minced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 small teaspoon of Thermomix vegetable stock diluted with 1/2cup water (can omit and replace with salt)
1 tbsp Vegemite
1 tbsp. of mix dried herbs of choice (I used dried parsley)
100 g button mushrooms, , thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
a squeeze of tomato ketchup

Method:
1. Sautee the garlic and onions until fragrant
2. Add in the beef, season with pepper, soy, Worcestershire sauce and vegemite
3. Next add in the mushroom and continue to cook the mixture down
4. Add in the vegetables together with vegetable stock and cornflour. Add in pepper and continue to add seasoning until taste suits.
5. I let the filling cool in the fridge overnight
6. To bake the pies, I used store bought shortcrust and puff pastry. Shortcrust goes to the button and puff is to line at the top of the pie.
7. I used the 12 muffin tray to make the pies. I cut a large circle to ensure I am able to fill the muffin hole with the shortcrust pastry. Fill them up with the filling and cut a smaller circle to cover the top. Use some water to seal the sides
8. Mine pies exploded as I did not seal them properly. Also the shortcrust pastry is really hard to handle.
9. Bake for 20 minutes at 175C

Vegemite/ Ham & Cheese Scrolls

 

 Ingredients (Vegemite):

250 g white baker's flour
250 g wholemeal baker's flour
50 g chia
2 tsp dried yeast
40 g extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch sea salt
300 g lukewarm/tepid water
20 g butter, melted
2 tbsp Vegemite
200 g mixed cheeses grated

Ingredients (Ham and Cheese):

250 g white baker's flour
250 g wholemeal baker's flour
50 g chia
2 tsp dried yeast
40 g extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch sea salt
300 g lukewarm/tepid water
Pizza base sauce (2 sachets)
150gm shredded ham
200 g mixed cheeses grated

Method (same for both, just switch ingredients at Step 5):

1. Make dough by placing flours, seeds, yeast, olive oil, salt and water into TM bowl and mix for 6 seconds on speed 6. With dial set to closed position , knead dough for 2 minutes on interval speed .

2. Place dough in an oiled bowl and allow to prove in a warm place for 15-20 minutes. (You could cover the bowl with a clean, damp tea towel and place in oven set at 40 degrees C).
3. Meanwhile, place the cheeses into the TM bowl and grate for 8-10 seconds on speed 8.
4. When dough has risen, pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C. Use a little of the melted butter to grease a rectangular ovenproof dish.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangular shape. Brush with a little of the melted butter and all of the Vegemite. Next, sprinkle almost all of the cheese on the dough taking care to cover all the edges.
6. Carefully roll into a large sausage shape and use a serrated knife to cut into 10 x 5cm rounds. Turn filling side up and arrange in the baking dish next to each other so there are no gaps.
7. Brush the scrolls with a little butter, sprinkle with extra cheese and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown. The Cheesy-mite scrolls are best eaten straight from the oven but can frozen and defrosted later for the school lunchbox

My dough ready to rise. It took me an hour to double its size. i made double the recipe as i want to make two different types of scrolls.

Flour the surface and get ready for rolling the dough. I cut it to a nicely shaped rectangle. It makes it easier to roll when the shape is consistent

Spreading the vegemite over the butter.

Roll them tight into a huge long sausage :)

 

 All done, getting ready to be bake in the oven. Just waiting for the ham n cheese counterpart.

 

 

Spread pizza sauce all over the dough for the ham and cheese

Sprinkle and go crazy with the ham and cheese. Ham then later cheese

Nicely rolled and waiting for the final touches.

I used up the remaining butter to spread on the scrolls and then sprinkle with a bit more cheese.

Ready to be baked. It took me 20 minutes to complete them
i rotate them between the shelves in the oven just to get an even bake.

 

Both look the same but the top is the vegemite and i the bottom is the hamd and cheese scrolls

 

 





My Chicken Nugget Recipe

Ever since youtube and media has released so many creepy stories about chicken nuggets, I have avoided any nuggets bought outside. Even the frozen ones. My only solution is to make my own chicken nugget.

Honestly, the ingredients are simple. The steps and the preparation is the messy part. But seeing the exact goodies that goes into my chicken nuggets, it is worth while.

Ingredients:

-2kg chicken breast (i like to make this in bulk and freeze)

- one large zuchinni

- one large carrot

- one large onion

- 3 cloves of garlic

- Salt & pepper to season

- Breadcrumbs (i made alot of breadcrumbs due to lack of bread popularity in my household)

- 4 eggs ( this is the amount i needed to make all my chicken nuggets)

- flour (add this as you go)

- Chia seeds (optional)

Method:

-Make sure you have all the largest pan, plates ready with the ingredients

- I required 2 baking trays ( one to spread my breadcrumbs and chia seeds mixture, another one for the flour)

- I had one bowl of eggs whisked

- I used at least 3 large plates to store the nuggets temporary

- First step, minced the chicken meat. I turbo this in my Thermomix for a few seconds. I remove the meat aside

- Second step, minced the veggies, onions and garlic. I turbo this as well in the Thermomix for few second. I added the seasoning at this stage. I only added around 1 tbsp for 2kg of meat. I realized I do not need a lot of salt for this as my breadcrumbs were already pre seasoned with salt when i made them.

- Third step, mix the chicken and veggie mixture. I like the veggies really minced up as the kids will be picking on them if the are not small enough. Again, i used the Thermomix to do a quick mix on Speed 5.

Now, the preparation. I believe this is the long and messy part.

Take a scoop of minced mixture and roll into a ball. I had to oil my hands as it was very sticky. I rolled them all up and place them on plates before the next step.

Once all the mixture is done, I started coating them in the flour and flattening them into a nugget shape. I finished all the flouring too before moving to the egg part (the tricky part).

At this stage i would have all my containers lined up on my kitchen bench. Start with dipping the floured nuggets in the egg mixture and then putting them in the breadcrumbs mixture. I try to do a batch of 5 egg dips until i have no space in my breadcrumbs mixture tray.

Make sure the nuggets are well coated in the breadcrumbs. Once they are well coated i transferred them to the containers.

I made around 25 semi large sized chicken nuggets with this amount of ingredients. I think if you rolled them up smaller you will get more. My were looking more like a chicken steak. I got lazy. :)

Just bake the nuggets straight from the freezer. No need to thaw them. I sprayed some olive oil on them to give them a nice golden brown colour.

This is just some of the nuggets we had for dinner. They tasted good. the kids enjoyed it and I had extras for lunch the next day. this fed the entire family of 4 plus 2 lunch boxes. My little one himself had 4 nuggets. They were massive size!

After baking in the oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes. Love Love them.

You can also add any type of vegetables in the chicken nugget. I only used what i could get hold on at that time.

Healthy M & Ms cookie with Quinoa Flour

Adapted from :
http://www.semihealthyblog.com/2012/01/semi-healthy-m-cookies.html

*updated 9 November 2013 - This is my version after 3 tweakings and bakings.

Ingredients (i double them to bake in bulk)
1 cup (226 gms) crisco -i used butter instead
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
4 TBS milk 
2 TBS vanilla
2 TBS chia seeds + 6 TBS warm water = chia gel (let sit for 5 minutes to get thick)
Dry ingredients:
3 cup whole wheat flour - i used oat flour
1/2 cup flaxseed flour - i used quinoa flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup dark chocolate m&ms or smarties
1/2 cup of toasted sunflower seeds. You can add more nuts/seeds of any kind. I will increase to 1 cup next time. I was baking for a boy that may not tolerate nuts so i just used up my sunflower seeds

How To:

1. Cream together sugars and butter. Add milk, vanilla and chia gel. (make sure all ingredients are room temperature)
2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients (not m&ms) together. I made my flour on the Thermomix Speed 9 for 9seconds or until fine.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients and carefully stir. Add seeds/nuts
4. Either scoop cookies onto greased baking sheet if you are baking immediately, i put 3 M&Ms or smarties on each cookie. You can opt for just 2. I put the separately like this cause i don't like it to get crushed in the batter.
5. Bake 10-15 minutes at 325 degrees F. 

How I love creating healthy version of cookies, cakes and anything sinful. My son eats snacks that are mostly made from scratch at home. If i do not have time, i will get him store bought treats. But nothing beats having fresh cookies in the lunch box.

I found this recipe where it does not use any egg or flour. Not that i am against it but i love using chia seeds. And this is another method of replacing eggs in baking. - chia gel!

i modified the recipe as it calls for flaxseed meal and wholemeal. I used oat flour and quinoa flour. The distinct smell of quinoa is just lovely. I used the thermomix to mill them into flour.

 

This is my chia gel after sitting in 3 TBS of water for 10 mintues. 

 

 

Unlike the recipe where it mix the M & Ms in the batter, i individually place them as i do not want them squashed

 

 

The recipe was abit sweet. Or i might have put too many M & M on each cookie. But it taste really nice and light. And so good for the kids. I also need to bake it longer as it was too soft. It took me around 15 minutes of baking time. I think it is due to the type of flour i have used in this recipe.

Verdict, the kids love it and i will definitely make more of them soon

 

Oops upside down pic of my smarties cookies. I have adapted this recipe to the right taste/texture.