Month: September 2016

Slow Cooker Pork (With Crispy Crackling)

Ahhhhh you’ve got to love a lazy Sunday lunch and this has got to be it! I absolutely love pork but it can have a tendency to be chewy and dry but not when cooked this way it turns into melt in your mouth yummyness. In the video below i have also shown how to create crispy crackling, we dont like the fat off any meats so for us this usually gets given to our local fox lol………however i know a lot of families like it so here is how i would do mine.

I always say you must lift the pork or any meats off the bottom of the slow cooker …why??? the heating element is right under the inner pot when you place it back into the slow cooker housing this is the hottest part of the slow cooker and this can make the meat cook quicker in the centre which can make it dry but more importantly not cook it evenly which can be dangerous when cooking meat.

Another option for using slow cooker Pork is to make pork buns with apple sauce and stuffing
by julessmithie

Spicy Sausage Casserole

This has got to be the easiest slow cooker meal i make and i usually turn to it when i know im going to have little time! Its very adaptable and can be easily changed to suit your family needs you can spice it up or spice it down the choice is yours plus it the most cost effective meal ever to feed a family.  I have used 4 weight watchers Cumberland sausages for 2 of us but you will see in my video how i make the sausages go further which if your on a budget keeps the cost down
You can also change this into a vegetarian dish and use vegetarian sausages and it will work just as well if your using Quorn add them to the slow cooker in the last hour of cooking

Below is a different version of the above recipe this is similar to a pasta bake but done in the slow cooker. The recipe is exactly the same as above BUT i have broken up lasagne sheets and added them to the slow cooker and added a layer of cheese and cooked for a further 15 minutes – verdict??? GORGEOUS

by julessmithie

Spaghetti Bolognese

Very quick and easy way to get a mid week meal on the table and very adaptable as you can literally use all the bits you have lurking at the bottom of the fridge, freezer vegetables also work well in this dish .

As you will see on the video i dont add any further liquid or stock the reason for this is that all the veggies frozen or fresh will add liquid to the dish (most veggies are water anyway) the trick here is towards the end of cooking if the sauce is too thick just add a splash of water but to date i have never added any further liquid – but each slow cooker is different and you will know better how yours cooks

This recipe appears in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS which is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle  https://amzn.eu/d/bxDzxmn

The Slow Cooker i use is on my Amazon shop press the link it will take you there then look under KITCHEN GADGETS https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

by julessmithie

Lamb Curry (Pataks)

This makes a fab very easy weekend curry i have also made it using beef and it is equally as good this curry is very similar to a rogan josh in taste.

A very easy simple curry but dont let that fool you its packed with flavour it also batch cooks and freezes well i have made this many times now and it turns out perfect every time.

You will see i use frozen spinach purely because during the winter months spinach tends to not get used in our house so buying frozen stops any food waste. Both fresh and frozen work well in this recipe and both are added towards the end of cooking.

by julessmithie

Chicken Tikka Masala (Spicentice)

This is fab way of creating a very low syn Masala the spice pack from Spicentice is syn free and you can you fat free yogurt instead of cream or light cream personally i would used light cream. On the pack it doesn’t mention blending the sauce smooth but i think it worked better this way as the onions and cream blended make a beautiful thick sauce for the chicken tikka.  We cooked the chicken tikka on the BBQ but it can also be cooked under the grill.

Full cooking instructions are on the spice pack together with a shopping list of ingredients very easy to follow even for the most nervous of cooks

Use discount code Jules 20 for 20% of any order https://www.spicentice.com/

by julessmithie

Oxo Roasties

This a fab way of cooking roast potatoes as the stock keeps them lovely and soft and adds a nice little background flavour

TIPS
if you have hard potatoes par boil them first
turn the potatoes half way through the cooking time to ensure both tops and bottoms are cooked
all the liquid doesn’t have to be evaporated but 90% of it should be that way you know they are cooked

INGREDIENTS
potatoes of your choice
1 x oxo cube
half a pint of boiling water
spray oil

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Lamb With Gravy Made from meat juices

This is a really easy and lovely way to cook Lamb as it ensures the meat becomes so succulent and will literally fall off the bone
The idea here is to create a trivet to stand the lamb on this also keeps it off the bottom of the slow cooker you will see on the video what i used but basically you can used whatever you have carrots parsnips leeks and you can add any herbs you want this will add a lovely background flavour to the lamb

In the video below you will see i used a fat separator jug which is on my Amazon Shop press the link it will take you there then look under kitchen gadgets https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

As you can see it makes removing the fat so easy, to be honest I’m not sure why I didn’t buy one of these years ago as they make the job so much easier.

by julessmithie

Bombay Potatoes (Spicentice)

I love a good curry and especially ones that are easy to do! well as you know i don’t do fussy and when your cooking over a weekend its nice to have something special to eat without spending hours of cooking it. In this curry i have used a spice kit by Spicentice and have to had it to these guys they certainly have got this right this kit is also syn free if your following Slimming World but if not then they are a really healthy option as they contain no nasty’s here is my video of how i used the kit.

Use my discount code Jules 20 for 20% of any order https://www.spicentice.com/

by julessmithie

Microwave Bacon

Got to admit when i first did this i frazzled the bacon and the kitchen roll stuck to the rashers but god loves a trier so i persevered with it and found a way that worked for me so here goes:-

 TOP TIPS

Dont pat the kitchen roll down after laying the bacon down this makes the kitchen roll stick to the rashers
It will depend on the type and thickness of bacon you use as to how long you want to microwave it for and how crispy or not crispy you like it (i like mine well done)
If you build the power up slowly this stops the bacon becoming overdone and you can get it cooked the way you like it
Each microwave is different so have play around with heat and time settings once you have cracked it you wont look back…………………..  no more cleaning messy grill pans out!

by julessmithie

Syn Free Raita Dip

Such a fab and easy dip – love making this to go with chicken keebabs (saves on using syns on mayo!) and is so fresh well worth making especially if your having a BBQ or a Indian meal

INGREDIENTS
Fat Free Yogurt
Mint – fresh is best
Cucumber
Salt
Lemon

TOP TIPS
Adjust the dip to your taste by adding less or more of all the ingredients experiment until you get the taste you like when i started making this dip i added less of everything then slowly slowly added more of each ingredient until it matched what i wanted it to be

by julessmithie

Fish Goujons

This is such a lovely way of eating fish (if like me your a bit fish averse) but i do try 🤣🤣🙈.

In this version I added Spicentice Herby Fish Rub which is one of my favourites it has a unique taste which works really well especially in this dish. You can get these rubs from http://www.spicentice.com use discount code JULES20 for 20% off any order AFFILIATE

You will see i have said flour for dusting is optional at the moment it can be difficult to get hold of flour so it’s not a deal breaker if you can’t get it, however if you have it I would use it as personally I think it really helps the cornflakes or breadcrumbs stick better.

For tartar sauce recipe press here https://julesthelazycook.co.uk/2020/05/20/tartar-sauce/
by julessmithie

Potato Waffles

These are so easy to make all i used was instant mashed potatoe flakes (WHICH IF FOLLOWING SLIMMING WORLD NOW CARRIES A SYN VALUE) then added some chives but you could add anything you want the key to this is not to add too much mixture to the moulds keeping a thin layer will give you a thin crispy waffle but if you like them full and softer add more mixture!

If you want a truly syn free waffle use potatoes, microwave them then scoop out the flesh add the flavouring and an egg to bind then follow the instructions in the video.

To make them even more interesting you could add bacon, mushroom or even a smattering of cheese the choices are endless.  These could be batch cooked and frozen to use at a later date

by julessmithie