Quick Fix: Every Occasion by Alyce Alexandra

It has been a while since I trawled through a cookbook. Blame it on a busy life with too many commitments, or perhaps I needed to coast for a while. But now I have the perfect book to refocus my attention.

 I am reading Quick Fix:Every Occasion by Alyce Alexandra with recipes specially designed for the Thermomix. I love the concept of a quick fix as it ties in so neatly with simplifying my life. This cookbook is sure to help as many recipes can be completed and on the table in less than 30 minutes.

First cab off the rank has been the Zucchini Cupcakes recipe which encouraged me to play with extra flavourings. All I bought was a zucchini as I had the remaining ingredients or easy replacements. A little too much kefir yoghurt in lieu of sour cream made the mix a little too moist but resulted in delicious cupcakes with the addition of pecans contributing to the richer flavour.

After the nice light taste of the zucchini cupcakes, next I played with the Spicy Pork Balls recipe. Despite careful weighing, I managed to add a titch too much liquid again which led to a fortuitous discovery. While the pork balls were in the oven, I cooked some leftover mix in a frying pan. I have made rissoles in the past with limited success because they never held their shape. But this recipe mix worked beautifully in the frying pan which means that I can now add rissoles as an option for my dinner. Eating the balls with a dipping sauce was a pleasure with the herbs and other condiments combining to produce a tasty treat.

I have often enjoyed some cooked quinoa with fruit for breakfast. So imagine my delight when I found the Quinoa Salad recipe and realised that I had all the ingredients on hand, with the slight adjustment of replacing parsley with young celery leaves. My taste test went down well with the addition of nuts and dried fruit providing bursts of flavour along with a refreshing tang from the mandarin segments.

The cookbook is a delight to browse through with recipes grouped in three different ways at the beginning of the book to assist with meal planning.  All angles are covered with special symbols used to highlight dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. Clear instructions along with a photo opposite each recipe help make the decision to indulge. Alyce’s recipes provide a memorable taste sensation while combining familiar foods. This cookbook is a keeper.

For more details about Alyce's cookbook, visit the website: Alyce Alexandra Cookbooks

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

In the early 1990's, I took a few vegetarian cooking classes through Sanitarium and was delighted to find this vegetarian version of a favourite food. I have made this recipe a number of times over the years, because it is an easy choice when vegetarian friends are visiting and the rolls taste just like the real thing bought from a bakery.

Being a Thermomix fan, of course I converted Sanitarium’s Country Cottage Rolls recipe from their 1994 recipe brochure, and with a few minor modifications, the recipe is available on their webpage below.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• ½ cup pecans
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 slice bread broken into bite-size pieces and dried in the oven on the lowest setting – should supply about ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 cup quick cooking or rolled oats
• 3 sheets reduced-fat canola puff pastry
• 1 tablespoon milk for glazing
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1 Process bread pieces, oats and pecans on speed 6 for 10 seconds. Set aside in a bowl.

2 Process eggs, onion, soy sauce and cottage cheese on speed 6 for 10 seconds. Add to bowl with dry ingredients and mix.

3 Cut each pastry sheet in half and spoon mixture along one edge. Brush other edge with soymilk. Roll to enclose filling with pastry and repeat with remaining pastry sheets. 

4 Cut each log into 6 even lengths. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in a hot oven, 200°C, for 40 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Sanitarium's Country Cottage Rolls recipe:-

http://www.sanitarium.com.au/recipes/country-cottage-rolls

These rolls go very nicely with a Thermomix version of Heinz's tomato sauce which can be found here:-
http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=10013.0