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Recipes

Foodie Friday: Mixed fruit smoothie bowl with chia seeds

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Feeling a little… well, indulged lately? You’re not the only one. Get back into the swing of things for 2017 with some wholesome, colourful eating at home. Gorgeous, healthy, Instagram-worthy bowls of jewel-like summer fruits and of-the-minute super foods aren’t just to be found in your nearest hipster café. It’s easier than ever to whip up your own delicious smoothie bowl at home.

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What’s a smoothie bowl, you ask, perhaps a little sceptically? Yes, it’s one of the latest food fads flooding the internet. But while it may be trendy, it’s also both delicious and practical. Simply put, it’s an extra-thick smoothie designed to be eaten with a spoon rather than a straw. Instead of wasting all that wonderful leftover fruit from your Christmas and summer entertaining, pop it all (first peeled, chopped and cleaned) into ziplock bags and into the freezer before it begins to spoil and you’ll always have the ingredients for a tasty smoothie bowl on hand.

Take your frozen strawberries, mangoes, pineapple, blueberries, blackberries, kiwifruit, banana or raspberries and add them into a blender with your preferred liquid, be it coconut water, juice, yoghurt, milk or almond milk. Blend until creamy and fully incorporated but still thick.

Pour it into a bowl and top with the all-important crunch factor: nuts (sliced almonds, chopped walnuts), seeds (chia seeds, hemp seeds), dried fruit (goji berries, shredded coconut, cocoa nibs), fresh fruit (raspberries, bananas, kiwifruit, strawberries, blueberries) or cereal (puffed rice, granola). The result is a breakfast worth looking forward to, a quick pick-me-up, a nutrient-dense pre-workout snack or even a light dessert.

As for our styling tip, don’t even bother with fancy servingware: the spectacular natural features and colours of the fruits, nuts and seeds create a show all on their own.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) almond milk
  • 1/2 cup (125 g) Greek-style yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut milk
  • 1 very ripe banana, peeled and frozen
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) frozen mixed berries
  • 1 Tbsp honey, plus more to taste
  • 1 plum, pitted and sliced
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) fresh blueberries
  • 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds

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Method

In a blender, combine the almond milk, yoghurt, coconut milk, banana, berries and honey until the mixture forms a smooth puree. Taste and add more honey if desired.

Pour the mixture into a bowl. Arrange the plum, blueberries and pomegranate seeds on top. Sprinkle with the chia seeds and serve immediately. 

Love this idea? Head to williams-sonoma.com.au for all the best entertaining inspiration this summer.

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Appliances

Blitz into summer with Smeg’s retro blender and mixer

Designer style, high-end technology and a jelly-bean mix of authentic retro colour: meet Smeg’s latest retro appliances.

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Smeg’s retro style blender ($299) has been awarded the international Red Dot Design Award for 2016 and – together with their stand mixer (also a heavyweight in its own right) – creates the perfect duo for mixing up cocktails and desserts this sunny season.

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Think frozen daiquiris, coconut/mango popsicles, and chocolate vegan cheesecake – just flick through to the fitting function and let the Italian stallion do the rest (the blender will sense the consistency of the contents and adjust its speed accordingly).

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The stand mixer ($799) features an 800W high torque motor, 10-speed variable power with soft start to stop splattering, as well as a planetary planetary mixing action to ensure all areas of the bowl are reached. There is also a low speed front attachment hub for optional attachments such as pasta roller and cutters, making your culinary adventures a piece of cake!

Smeg also has a kettle and toaster to finish off the collection – colours across the range include pastel green, pastel blue, pastel pink, red, cream, black and silver.

Buy them from David Jones, Myer and Harvey Norman. Get the recipes here.

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Appliances Kitchens

Blend retro style and performance with Smeg’s new blender

Smeg has added to the allure of its coveted pure retro collection of small appliances with a powerful 800W blender.

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The new blender’s design focuses on the same 50s-inspired vintage curves as Smeg’s existing toaster, stand mixer and kettle.

Available in in panna, black, red, silver and, my personal favourite, pastel blue, it features an enamel-coated body and Tritan BPA-free 1.5L jug.

Smeg Blender Pastel Blue

The backlit chrome control knob allows you to select from three pre-set programmes: smoothie, for dense and creamy textures; crushed ice; and pulse, which increases the speed gradually.

With four speeds, the blender has a clever smooth-start function, meaning the blades start slowly and mix all your ingredients efficiently. Perfect smoothie? I think so!

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Smeg’s latest creation, along with the rest of its small appliances, is available at David Jones, Myer and Harvey Norman stores.

For more information.

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Appliances Kitchens

Smeg small appliances finally available in Australia

In this job, you get pretty good at spotting what’s going to be popular and I’m convinced these new Smeg small appliances are going to FLY off the shelves. I was lucky enough to attend the launch of these in Milan last year and have been waiting (im)patiently for them to land in Australia. Last week, Olivia attended a glamorous launch in Sydney and ever since we shared pictures on Instagram, our readers have been going mad for them!

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Smeg say Italian design, award-winning style and enduring performance are the trademark features of the new collection of small appliances – the latest extension to the brand’s iconic FAB retro refrigerators. While we would all love a FAB fridge (I’ve been obsessing over the thought since I was a teenager and still don’t know which colour I’d choose but it WILL happen one day!), they aren’t the cheapest out there. Now, there’s an entry level Smeg option with a two-slice toaster ($179 to $199) through to the space age looking signature kitchen mixer at $799.

Designed in collaboration with Matteo Bazzicalupo and Raffaella Mangiarotti of Deep Design Studio, there’s also a kettle ($199) and a four-slice toaster ($199 to $219). Each retro style appliance pays homage to the Golden Age of the fifties while showcasing Smeg’s signature elegance and sophistication. Indeed, the aesthetics of the stand mixer and toaster have already received the GOOD DESIGN Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design plus the prestigious international iF Design Award for 2015.

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There are up to seven colours — silver, black, red, panna and pastel blue across the range — plus pastel green and pink for the kettles and two-slice toaster.

And while style is always a standout feature of any Smeg appliance, it goes hand in hand with the brand’s commitment to the very latest technology and highest performance. The kitchen mixer, for example, sets new benchmarks in terms of power and versatility. Attributes include 800W high torque motor, 10-speed variable power and the all important soft start (no more splatters when starting at a high speed) and a planetary mixing action to ensure all areas of the bowl are reached. There is also a low-speed front attachment hub for optional attachments such as pasta roller and cutters. A blender, with a capacity of 1.7 litres, an 800W motor and four speeds will be added to the range later this year.

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The Smeg kettle is feature rich with quiet-boil technology, soft-opening lid, cord-free swivel base and auto shut-off when the body is lifted from the base. It also has automatic switch-off at boiling point. A variable temperature model will be added to the range later this year.

Toasters include both a two and four-slice model with extra wide slots, reheat, defrost, cancel and bagel settings plus self-centring racks, six browning levels and removable stainless steel crumb tray.

Each of the small appliances features an enamel-coated stainless steel body and has been manufactured to the highest standards. Smeg provides a 12-month replacement warranty on all kettles and toasters, a three-month replacement warranty and five-year full manufacturer’s warranty on all kitchen mixers.

The complete range of Smeg small appliances is available from electrical and appliance retailers nationally from May. The range is already available at Myer.

For more information.

Categories
Appliances

Electrolux: bringing professional quality to the home kitchen

Be you a professional chef or a budding home cook, the new Electrolux Masterpiece Collection can help you achieve professional restaurant quality dishes from your home.

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Launching later this month, the collection consists of a blender ($399), a food processor ($599) and an immersion blender, otherwise known as a stick mixer ($199), that feature innovative technology and a sleek design. Almost half of all Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe use Electrolux appliances and while they’re not promising you’ll be able to make food that good, the new collection certainly brings professional capabilities to home chefs!

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Electrolux Masterpiece Collection Blender

Special features of the Electrolux Masterpiece Collection Blender include the PowerTilt feature, which uses the force of gravity to move the contents around the jug, so they then fall back down directly onto the blades. The PowerTilt is made possible by the optimal combination of titanium-coated blades, a precisely tilted jug/bowl and a powerful surge motor. Together, they blend even the toughest ingredients into the smoothest texture that conventional blenders cannot beat. Yet my favourite feature has to be the ingenious noise dampening design, so that you can whip up delicious breakfast smoothies without waking the whole house!

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Electrolux Masterpiece Collection Food Processor

Next in line is the Food Processor, which includes an adjustable slicing disc that features 28 settings from 0.15 to 0.75cm and an extra wide, dual-sized feeding chute. The titanium-coated stainless steel blades are guaranteed to stay sharper longer and offer increased durability and performance.

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Electrolux Masterpiece Collection Immersion Blender

Finally, the Immersion Blender is the first to feature a stand, which can be used throughout the cooking process and saves dirtying the bench. The stand is also durable enough to be cleaned in the dishwasher, saving time and hassle. The extra long stainless steel mixing bar also means it can be used directly in pots and pans and the professional triple blade and open foot design features mean no splashing when mixing.

The Electrolux Masterpiece Collection offers superior professional level appliances for the home without any compromise on quality, with a five-year product warranty on all appliances and 25 years warranty on the motor of the Masterpiece Collection Food Processor.

For more information visit the Electrolux website here.

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Appliances

The best in kitchen power and luxury from Kitchenaid

Deemed the ultimate in power and luxury, the new KitchenAid Pro Line Series offers premium features that promise to deliver professional-style culinary results every time.

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Developed with professional chefs for the serious cook, the distinctive looking range has recently won Kitchen Innovation of the Year at Ambiente, the world’s largest consumer goods fair.

Covering all of your kitchen bench-top needs, the range includes the 6.9L Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, 16 Cup ExactSlice Food Processor, 5 Speed Cordless Hand Blender, 1.5L Electric Kettle and 2-Slice Automatic Toaster.

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Pro Line Series 6.9L Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer

With the most powerful and largest capacity Stand Mixer in the KitchenAid range, the Pro Line Series 6.9L Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer features a highly efficient, quiet direct drive motor designed to run longer and deliver optimum torque with less heat build-up. The nifty bowl-lift design allows for easy attachment and removal of the bowl and is ideal for use in kitchens with low overhead cupboards.

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Pro Line Series 16 Cup Food Processor

For the absolute best in food preparation, the Pro Line Series 16 Cup Food Processor is your answer. Featuring a die-cast metal base and the revolutionary ExactSliceTM system, you can slice from thick to thin with one slide of the lever making it easy work for everyday food preparation.

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Pro Line 5 Speed Cordless Hand Blender

The Pro Line 5 Speed Cordless Hand Blender features incredible power, flexibility of movement and five versatile attachments; meaning you can blend, chop, whisk, froth and puree to perfection.

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Pro Line Series 1.5L Electric Kettle

Fast and precise, the Pro Line Series 1.5L Electric Kettle allows you to select the exact temperature for the perfect brew – from 50C to 100C. The dual wall construction insulates the kettle to keep water hotter, reduces noise and means it’s cooler to the touch.

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Pro Line Series 2-Slice Automatic Toaster

KitchenAid’s most advanced toaster yet, the Pro Line Series 2-Slice Automatic Toaster guarantees exceptional performance thanks to the self-centering racks, which help ensure consistent toasting of thin or thick breads, the auto-sensor to automatically lower and lift bread and the ‘Keep Warm’ feature – to keep toast warm for up to three minutes.

The KitchenAid Pro Line Series range is available now in quality homewares stores and major department stores across Australia. Visit their website here for more details and stockist information.

Categories
Appliances Kitchens

Electrolux’s Expressionist Collection makes breakfast easy

If you’re anything like me and find early mornings a serious struggle, the new Electrolux Expressionist Collection of appliances may just be your ticket to having a nutrititious breakfast and getting to work in time. It features a 1.7L kettle, a 2-slice toaster and a tabletop blender – the first standalone blender for Electrolux.

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The blender is your first morning saviour, with its titianium-coated blades and toughened glass jug meaning it can take anything you throw at it. TruFlow technology also pulls all of the contents towards the blades so there is nowhere for ingredients to hide. Making a smoothie is as simple as pressing one button!

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Your next little helper is the 2014 Good Design Award winning Expressionist Collection Kettle, which knows that you don’t have the time to wait for a full kettle to boil just for the one cup of tea. Its OneCup Turbo function heats up just enough water for one cup of tea in no time at all and will keep the water warm for 40 minutes so you don’t need to re-boil.

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Finally, the toaster is the perfect companion for even the fussiest toast connoisseur. It features Fabulous Toast sensor technology that ensures the same perfect browning results toast after toast, while the extra wide slots makes it versatile for toasting thick cut bread, as well as buns or bagels. The Digital Countdown Timer function lets you know exactly how long is left until your toast is perfectly golden, while the Lift and Check function lets you pause to check browning and then resume toasting without having to restart. The ingenious crumpet function will even toast your crumpets to perfection; crispy on the top and perfectly warm on the bottom.

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Electrolux’s new Expressionist Collection combines smart innovative features with timeless design. Available in stores from August 2014.

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Appliances Kitchens

Matte is the new black for Sunbeam’s latest appliances

I’m a big fan of matte black, in anything really: sunglasses, laptops, cars! So I’m very much liking the look of Sunbeam’s latest offering, their premium Cafe Series appliances in matte black.

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MX9200K Planetary Mixmaster

Stylish, sophisticated and contemporary, these appliances will add a touch of mature elegance to your space. An increasingly popular colour, matte black is perfect for melding together popular rustic decor with modern homes and can be the ideal standout against high gloss kitchens and appliances.

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PB9800K Blender

The new Cafe Series includes the powerful 2400 watt PB9800K Blender, ($299), the LC9000K Food Processor with two bowls, wide chute, on-board storage and a range of accessories ($449), the MX9200K Planetary Mixmaster with instant pause and balanced head lift ($549) and the EM7000K Espresso Machine with the temperature sensing steam wand ($949).

Available now. Shop online.

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Appliances Travel

Smeg launch seriously stylish stand mixer, toaster, kettle and blender in Milan

If there’s one thing Smeg’s known for it’s iconic and stylish design and their latest small domestic appliances, launched in Milan this week, do not disappoint.

On the one hand, it’s entry level Smeg for those of you who have been lusting after their retro FAB fridge for years but not quite able to justify the price tag. Or you may be lucky enough to already own a Smeg fridge or dishwasher (jealous!) and looking to add a complemetary toaster and kettle! You’ll struggle to find more stylish gadgets for your bench top and the big plus is they all come in ALL OF THE COLOURS!

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Together with Matteo Bazzicalupo and Raffaella Mangiarotti of deepdesign, Smeg has delved into the not too distant past to come up with this 1950s style collection. Similar to the adored FAB28 fridge, the collaboration has created much more than simple electrical appliances.

 

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Smeg say they are for those who love to surround themselves with strong aesthetics without compromising high quality and performance. From the 2×2 and 2×4 slice toasters, to the standard or variable temperature kettles, to the blender and stand mixer, Smeg small domestic appliances are tools that ensure excellent performance in all stages of food preparation, and have powerful personalities to match.

I was lucky enough to be at their world premiere at the Dolce & Gabanna Gold resaurant in Milan as part of design week. They are the result of intensive research and Smeg’s continuing ability to express excellence in “Made in Italy” design. If, like me, you want your gadgets to look as they function, look no further.

I also enjoyed tours of two of Smeg’s factories in Guastalla this week. I’ll share more with you about that soon.

The products will be available in Australia later this year. Find out more at Smeg Australia.

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Categories
Appliances

A soup maker for just $59? Could be just what winter ordered!

Have you discovered Avancer yet? We are talking seriously bargainacious kitchen appliances. Seriously. We are yet to try any for ourselves but hope to share some reviews soon.

Avancer-Soup-Maker

As it’s pretty damn chilly, let’s take a look at the (stainless steel) soup maker first. It’s currently just $59. The 1.3 litre unit will not only look good on your bench top, it will also deliver smooth, chunky or blended soups to your table in as little as 15-to-25 minutes. Simply add your ingredients, choose the setting and relax. Mine and Damian’s kind of cooking!

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Appliances

Bosch goes pastel with latest stand mixer

Following in the growing trend for coloured kitchen appliances and taking it pastel, this is the latest addition to Bosch’s Styline Kitchen range: the Yellow Passion MUM5 Kitchen Machine.

Bosch Yellow Passion MUM5 Kitchen Machine

It’s complemented by silver and chrome trims, appealing to both classic and contemporary kitchens. Each comes with a stainless steel bowl and accessories, including a fitted lid, continuous shredder, blender, kneading hook, beater, whisk and citrus press.

Categories
Appliances Kitchens

The latest colourful kitchen appliances

The trend for colourful kitchen appliances isn’t going anywhere any time soon and I have to admit, they’re becoming quite tempting! Red is apparently the best selling colour of these products, but personally, I really don’t like using red in my home AT ALL. Clearly I’m in the minority!

It’s not just red these days though; there are plenty of colours from pastels to brights, whatever your personal palette. Here’s my roundup of some of the nicest out there at the moment. Which are your favourite?

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De’Longhi’s latest Icona Vintage collection is inspired by the brand’s Italian heritage and is an extension of their existing 1950-styled Icona range. There’s a set of matching manual coffee machine (RRP $299), kettle (RRP $149) and 2 or 4-slice toaster (RRP $149 & $189) with curved silhouettes, accentuated by 5 new shades which take their colour cues from the 1950s: tan leather, cream and mahogany, olive green, sky blue (pictured) and black velvet. So there’s something for everyone.

Bosch Miracle Blue MUM5 Kitchen Machine MUM54530AU (without accessories)

Later this month, Bosch is introducing pastel colours to its Styline Kitchen range with the MUM5 Kitchen Machines (RRP $699). Two new models will be available in vivid Miracle Blue (pictured above) and cheerful Yellow Passion. They’re complemented by silver and chrome trims, appealing to both classic and contemporary kitchens. Each comes with a stainless steel bowl and accessories, including a fitted lid, continuous shredder, blender, kneading hook, beater, whisk and citrus press.