Pumpkin and Coconut Soup (TMX)

Ingredients

1 onion, quartered

1-2 cloves of garlic

30g olive oil

Stick celery roughly chopped

1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped

approx 1 kg pumpkin peeled and roughly chopped (I like Jap or Kent pumpkin)

2 tblsp Vege Stock Concentrate

250g water
270ml can coconut milk

Method

1. Place garlic and onion to bowl and chop 3 sec/Speed7 then add 30g olive oil and sweat for 4 min/100c/Speed 1.

2. Add Celery, carrot and pumpkin and chop for 20sec/speed 4, using spatula to help the mix the large peices

3. Add vege stock concentrate and water and cook 20min/100c/speed 1

4. Blend 20 sec/Speed 5

5. pour in coconut milk and and continue to cook 5min/100c/speed 1

6. check for seasoning

Tips

Adjust water for you preferred thickness

Gingerbread

 

This is a yummy ginger bread recipe that I have adapted for the Thermomix.  If you don't have a Thermomix the original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

100g Nuttelex

60g rice/oat milk (or preferred alternative)

40g Honey

140g sugar

300g plain flour

1-2 tblsp ground ginger

2 tblsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp ground cloves/star anise

3/4 tsp bicarb soda

Method

1. Add to bowl Nuttelex, oat/rice milk, honey and sugar.  Cook for 6mins/70c/soft speed until Nuttelex has melted and sugar has dissolved

2. add dry ingredients and mix 40sec/Speed 4-5 until well combined

3. remove from bowl,  flatten out on a tray lined with baking paper and cover with cling film.  Place in fridge for 2-3 hours to rest.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius
 

4. Working with small portions at a time (leaving the rest in the fridge) roll the dough out to 3mm thick and cut into desired shapes.

5. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for 10mins or until golden brown

6. Allow to cool (they will firm up as they cool)

Tip: Best to roll on a plastic board or smooth surface. If you are using a wooden board and it is starting to stick try sprinkling some corn flour on the board and roller. 

About Ellen Friendly

I decided to start this blog as a way of storing the recipes that I find, develop or tweak to accommodate my daughter's food allergies.  Her allergies to dairy, soy and nuts were diagnosed when she was just 4 months and still fully breast fed.  This was a defining moment for us as new parents and continues to impact our lives on a daily basis.

Initially it meant that I had to stop eating dairy and nuts while breast feeding.  As a cheese lover this was difficult, but I was happy to do it.  It also meant that I had to continue to breast feed for at least 12 months as my baby refused the only alternative, the extensively hydrolysed amino acid formulas (not that I blame her - they taste awful!).  Again this was not a problem as I had always planned to feed for a year.  It did however mean that there was no flexibility when I returned to work... I had to make sure I expressed enough milk and could not rely on formula as a back up.  So I bought a double breast pump and got on with it.

At 5 months when we started to introduce solids we discovered that she was also allergic to eggs, and later peanuts.  Much of the bought baby foods were not suitable for her so I had to make everything from scratch.  On one hand - not a big deal as I like to cook and prefer to make things from scratch. On the other hand - this again meant I had limited back up options. When out and about or late home I still had to prepare food that was suitable.

As she grew older and started becoming more aware making food choices for herself we educated her on what she needed to avoid.  The term "Ellen Friendly" soon evolved and has stuck.  Along with this awareness came the risk that she would feel like a pariah, or that she was missing out.  I decided to make it a priority to ensure that, where possible, I had an Ellen Friendly version available. This included challenges like teaching myself to make a hollow dairy/soy/nut free easter egg. The first one was a little average but the second was a winner.

I started to learn to cook with substitutes (with varying success) and began to find new recipes online.

When Ellen was 18 months and my son was about to start solids I was very lucky to be given a Thermomix by my Dad and his wife.  Best thing ever!  My thermomix journey continues to evolve and I have come across lots of amazing websites and blogs that provide endless inspiration.  Some of these sites have provided recipes that I am very grateful for, like the Ginger bread recipe we used to make "Ellen Friendly" ginger bread men and a ginger bread house.  This is about much more than biscuits, it is about sharing experiences with Ellen so she does not feel limited by her food allergies.