Summer Sunflower Smoothie

Makes 1 big drink or 2 smaller serves.

¼ cup of organic sunflower seeds

1 ripe banana

1 ripe mango

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

3-4 slices of canned pineapple (or if you can tolerate the enzymes in fresh pineapple use fresh. Some people are sensitive to fresh pineapple and it can cause a allergic reaction)

250 mls coconut water

1. Put sunflower seeds in Thermomix and grind on speed 9 for approx 10 seconds (till you have a powder)
2. Place all remaining ingredients in and slowly work your way up to speed 9  until processed and smooth and creamy. Serve immediately

If you are not nut free you could try Macadamia nuts in place of the Sunflower this would make the smoothie quite creamy too.

The most versatile bolognaise sauce ever!

This is a regular make in our house as it has so many uses and I always have a few tupperware containers of it in the freezer in 2 little people portions for quick lunches/dinners.

You can use it as humble spag bol sauce, Shepard's pies, tacos, burritos, jacket potatoes, serve with rice, etc etc

I get asked quite often what my recipe is so here it is based very loosely on the Ragu recipe/method in the Thermomix EDC.

400 - 500g of chicken breast cut into cubes
 (slightly frozen is best) and then on turbo for a few pulses till you get a mince like consistency (you can use less mince and bulk with lentils as per tip below*)

1 onion quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 organic carrot roughly chopped (SKIN ON)
1 organic zucchini roughly chopped
2 bottles of Pasatta (700ml bottles I use - check ingredients to make sure no additives should just be tomatoes and salt)
Pink salt & pepper to taste, dried oregano
30g of EVO (extra virgin olive oil)
* 1/2 can of organic lentils (optional - can use this to bulk out the meal if you don't have much mince) and is a great way to get reluctant legume eaters eating lentils!

1. Place onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini (and really whatever other vegetable you like) in TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6.

2. Add oil and saute 3 mins 30 seconds at 100 deg speed 1

3. Add mince and cook for 8 - 9 mins on Varoma reverse speed soft. Once timer goes off give it a quick stir to break up the mince as it tends to bunch up

4. Add 2 bottles of passata, salt, pepper and oregano to taste and if using lentils add.

5. Cook for 15 mins Varoma reverse speed soft and leave the MC in lid on a inclined position as the sauce does spit as you are using the machine at it's full capacity.

This makes 1 thermoserver full of sauce, you can freeze in smaller batches for quick dinners/lunches or use it to make other dishes such as Shepard's pie of which I add a couple of cups of cooked frozen peas/carrots with the sauce and then make a batch of EDC dairy free potato (or a mix of potato/sweet potato mash) and put in the oven for about 30 mins till bubbling (you can add cheese on top if you are not dairy free)