MESSY BENCHES

A mild chicken curry made in the Thermomix that replaces potato with cauliflower. Aromatic, full of flavour and lighter on the spices than some traditional curries, this recipe is great for the whole family.

Looking for a healthy chocolate treat to hit those sweet cravings? While this is refined sugar free it is packed with sweetness from dates and bananas. This is super easy to make in a Thermomix or a high powered blender. The goji berries give it a sweet crunchy texture and you can experiment with different types of nuts.

Every barbecue meal deserves a tasty coleslaw, especially one featuring pulled pork. I made this particular slaw to accompany a smoked pork collar, hence the addition of the granny smith apples.

Heston Blumenthal inspired BBQ sauce with an espresso hit. Use this espresso BBQ sauce on your smoked meats, steaks, burgers… any type of meat really!

With a barbecue loving husband who likes to fire up his Weber Smokey Mountain most weekends its my job to come up with salads to compliment the low and slow cooked meats. While I do enjoy my not so traditional cauliflower ‘potato’ salad sometimes you just want the real thing which calls for roasting some potatoes and including some bacon.

One of the selling points of buying a Thermomix is the ability to make delicious home made mayonnaise. While we normally use Kewpie (Japanese) mayonnaise for use in small doses if we need a lot of it for potato salad or a dipping sauce there is really no better option than fresh home made.

Coconut macaroons are a sweet, delicious biscuit perfect for an afternoon tea or a sweet treat. Crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

Pork fillet with a sweet and spicy glaze has been a favourite in my family since I was a kid growing up in South Africa. A simple dish that is delicious for a weeknight meal and flavoursome enough to impress for a dinner party.

Tri-tip is labelled by some as ‘poor man’s eye fillet’ or ‘poor man’s tenderloin’. Whilst it is certainly cheaper in price (about half the price or less) it certainly has more than half the taste and flavour of the more expensive cuts.

If you are looking for family friendly, healthy, refined sugar free, gluten free and delicious recipes head over to The Fit Interest website or follow them on Instagram. After seeing these chocolate brownies posted over Easter Mr Messy Benches put his request in for me to get baking.

Mac n cheese is a great side dish for a lot of meals and is especially popular alongside barbecued meats. I recently tried a mac n cheese loaf at a local barbecue restaurant and was really impressed with the crunchy and cheesy crust so I thought I’d give it a go using the simple, yet very tasty, 3-Ingredient Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.

Tiramisu is a decadent traditional Italian dessert that can be made with savoiardi (sponge finger) biscuits for an easy and delicious dessert. Some recipes call for raw egg to be used though I choose to leave it out. I do, however, include philadelphia cream cheese in the cake to maintain a think consistency.

The first time I tried buttermilk fried chicken I was really impressed with the taste and texture. It was served in a burger and it was only a matter of time until I tried it at home. It may seem like there are a lot of steps involved but it’s not as complicated as you may think. You will, however, have some very messy benches by the end of it!

Chicken, bacon, cheese and jalapenos. These really do tick a lot of boxes. The jalapenos are stuffed with cheese, cumin, garlic and a hint of lime then wrapped up in a chicken breast that is wrapped with bacon. They can be grilled in the barbecue, baked in the oven or smoked over coals.

Gluten free muffins with the option to be dairy free and refined sugar free. These are made with coconut flour, a flour with a unique taste that requires some experimentation when it comes to quantities.

Traditional hot cross buns with a twist! Your favourite Easter bun with the addition of dried cranberries and a marzipan centre.

Brisket. The holy grail of barbecue. If you over cook it becomes dry, under cook it and it will be tough and chewy. But get it just right and it is out of this world!

Fortnum & Mason hot cross bun shortbread make for a great change to the usual Easter fare. I have converted the recipe for Thermomix.

Craving a sweet treat but want something on the healthier side? These little balls will hit the spot. They are also great for a breakfast on the run. The protein powder is optional.

No need to buy store bought protein balls or bars when you can make them at home. There are a variety of different textures and flavours available at local supermarkets, health food stores and at shopping centre juice bars but nothing beats homemade.