Another family favourite that you can enjoy with the whole family Toad in the hole and trust me your family wont notice the difference – this is basically the 1 syn yorkshire pudding recipe but with low syn sausages! I used half the mixture as there is only the 2 of us and in my Toad i used weight watchers cumberland sausages half a syn each therefore 4 syns total (if your following slimming world) if not use whatever sausages you wish and turn it into a vegetarian dish by using vegetarian sausages so no one has to feel left out
This is really easy to make and will also freeze well if you want to batch cook
Im sure you will all be aware by now that im always looking for ways to save money and this is one of my top money saving tips! This 1kg joint of gammon was about £3.50 ish which is a good size – i always cook mine in the slow cooker you can take it out at the end and glaze it pop it in the oven and finish it off, but this joint was to use in soups, pastas, rice and sandwiches and is much cheaper than buying packet ham. Here is how i do mine ginger beer works well with ham as it adds a sweet spicy kick to the meat not over powering but just a different taste
once cooked this will also freeze well for another day
Just loved this! and its so easy to do would make a fab starter or main for a dinner party, but its also a great way of getting speed veggies into your diet (if your following slimming world) this recipe is so adaptable you can add anything you want i added a little bit of chorizo and it really went well with the dish, This also makes a fantastic vegetarian dish
This is such an easy way to cook lasagne – i cooked the ragu (bolognese) part in the slow cooker for me this is just easier but you can do it whichever way you like – cooking it on the hob works equally as well. Plus my recipe for this part is basically my spag bol recipe it just works so well, so i cook up a huge batch of bolognese then decide which meal to turn it into.
For the white sauce i have tried everything and to be honest most of it works but my preferred method at the moment is to use primula cheese, (because it does not taste like cheese) to which i add hot water and create a creamy sauce. I promise no one is going to pick this up i use this a lot throughout my recipes and many people have eating my food and never once guessed what the sauce was made of.
Lets talk lasagne sheets i will not put everything into the slow cooker and cook for 4-7 hours the pasta sheets taste awful cooked this way they are overcooked and become soggy. In my recipe you will see i pre soak the sheets in hot water then build the lasagne after the ragu is cooked this way the pasta sheets are only cooking for approx 30mins meaning they are not overcooked or soggy.
Whatever you do please dont worry about the lasagne sheets breaking or looking untidy once its cooked you wont notice it at all.
Every weekend i have the same issue probably because i still think im cooking for 10 people! but here is a little top tip of what i do with my leftovers. If you have pasta left from the week keep it in the fridge as shown in my previous video and you can add this also basically add anything you want
I love these Maggi bags they really can help get a quick tasty meal on the table with very little effort. The bags are designed to be cooked in the oven but they work equally as well cooked in the slow cooker I have used this method for years now and they always produce a fab meal.
Use any bag you like the method is the same regardless of flavour, just a couple of tips once the bag is filled with the ingredients give it a good massage to ensure the spice kit is distributed evenly.
Also the packet comes with a red tie if cooking in the slow cooker you don’t need that just roll the top of the bag over loosely try and squash as much air out of the bag as possible.
Add water to the slow cooker just enough to cover the base as this stops the slow cooker cooking above the set temperature.
NOTE:- if your using a slow cooker that has a ceramic pot once the meal is cooked leave the pot to cool completely before you wash it up DONT put it into any water until its cool or you could crack it
These are super simple and real tasty plus they are so easy to make – you can used any flavour smash and cottage cheese plus you can enhance the flavour by adding any spices and herbs you want or add extra cheese. I cook these in my halogen oven so i find i need to flip them over to ensure the bottoms are cook through. Also remember if you are following slimming world smash now carries a syn value.
Nom Nom i love beef but sometimes it can be a bit “chewy” and tough but not when done this way plus its another of my Lazy Sunday Dinners which makes the beef melt in your mouth beautifully tasty. For 2 people i tend to use a joint approx 750g – 1kg.
I have cooked all cuts of beef in the method below and it always turns out delicious for me the key is to give yourself plenty of time and cook the joint on low and for a long period i find if you rush it you can run the risk of not cooking it for long enough and ending up with a tough piece of meat on your plate.
You can add any flavours you like i have even used a small bottle of lager to cook the meat in and that works really well, but a dash of water works equally as well.
If you would like to make the gravy from the meat juices i would really recommend getting a fat separator jug this will remove the fat from the juices with great ease, i have used every method know to man to do this and they are all a pain and time consuming.
I love lemon Curd and to be honest I have not made this recipe for years, probably since 2016 when I first posted it to my website.
It works well with Lemon cake and also to add to fruit at breakfast time, it will also last in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
You can add more lemon zest if you want to make a sharp tart curd the choice is yours. My top tip for getting the curd to stop turning into scrambled eggs is to take your time and keep taking the bowl off the pan and whisking it ………if you dont it will heat too much and turn into scrambled eggs!
Also as soon as you have the curd to the consistency you like take it off the heat and place the hot bowl straight into cold water this stops the cooking and again avoids the scrambling of the eggs.
This is such an easy cake to make and can really help when you are craving something sweet. There are some top tips to getting this cake to stop tasting of eggs and I have added them into my video.
The eggs are the rising agent in these types of cakes and if you don’t whisk the whites into really firm stiff peaks as soon as your cake is cooked it will sink so have patience when doing this part.
There is another common issue with this cake and it goes along the lines of “it tastes eggy”… well yes it will if you don’t get all the eggs incorporated properly and this starts when mixing the yolks into the flour ensure everything is incorporated and you can’t see any “lumps” of yolk sorry this is the only terminology I can find to describe this process 😂 you will understand what I mean when you see it.
Then we move onto the eggs whites once you have them into stiff peaks add 1/3rd of the mixture into the cake batter and slowly incorporate it. Add the rest of the whites but again make sure once its mixed you cannot see any lumps of the egg whites showing because this is how it will cook in the cake and this is what you are tasting, hence the “eggy taste”
Sweetness is personal preference I don’t particularly have a sweet tooth so I have reduced the amount of sweetener in the recipe. However this may not be sweet enough for you so my suggestion is taste the batter mix and if needed add more sweetener to suit your taste.
If you are following Slimming World you need to decide what’s best for you with regards to sweetener the rules for this changed a few years ago and it should be synned but the choice is yours.
Once the cake is cooked you can use a cocktail stick to prick it with holes and drizzle more lemon juice over or a mix of lemon juice and icing sugar.
Another super easy and super quick recipe you will see i softened down the onions but thats personal preference if you dont want to or dont have time then chop and chuck them in. I would suggest you fry off the mince as it helps hold it together. Add anything you want or anything that needs using up also add as much or as little chilli as you want – i like it hot hot hot! I have made this chilli today as part of my batch cooking and filling the freezer again this recipe makes 4 good sized portions and is a fantastic fall back when time is tight as it reheats perfectly
If you want to make this dish vegetarian and are using quorn add it towards the end of cooking say the last 40mins
Below are some of the meals i have made out of the slow cooker chilli, im a firm believer in always trying to find new ways to serve up old family favourites and to try and keep meals interesting.
This happens lots and as you can see it even happens to me it depends on many factors the veggies you use and how much liquid they add back into the dish also the amount of condensation your slow cooker produces which forms on the glass lid and then drips back into the cooker but here is a very simple way of dealing with it – basically this is exactly the same as bubbling a pan on the hob to reduce a sauce down
Jules The Lazy Cook 