Month: November 2016

Diet Coke Chicken

Sounds like a strange one but this really does work but patience is key here as you need to let the liquid bubble away to reduce it down into a sticky consistency – it does reduce eventually but this can take anywhere from 10 to 20 mins

You can use any diet coke i used decaff but use what you like diet pepsi etc. add any vegetables you like i added ones that work well in a chinese meal as this is basically the flavour of this meal due to the 5 spice.

On the recipe card it says 2-3 teaspoon of 5 spice i actually added 3 for 4 portions as i really like the flavour but if your unsure then add 1 teaspoon and keep tasting the bubbling down liquid add more 5 spice if you like

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup

Another soup from me yep i do love my soups especially in the winter and especially when they are easy to make as this one! This i guess is an old fashion way of making pea and ham soup using Chana Dal which is split yellow peas as you will see i added carrots and onions which add some veggies to the soup but they really do work well and no one will ever guess they are in there trust me this soup has past my Dads test

Top Tips – If you have not made pea and ham soup this way i would suggest you make it whilst you are at home the Chana Dal will absorb the water and you may need to add more depending on how hot your slow cooker works. You also need to ensure the Dal is cooked you want it soft and to be able to squash between your fingers.

As your taste buds are all different what i would suggest with this recipe is you watch the saltiness of the soup i added a ham stock cube to give the added “ham flavour” because in theory this soup should be made from bacon bones this is how my mum made it when we were little. Now i don’t add salt to my food once its served – it drives Graeme mad lol and i do not like over salty foods, so i would suggest if you are going to use a smoked gammon you use a vegetable stock pot as the last thing i would want is you making this and it too salty.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Yep another curry from me as you can guess i do love a good curry and this was a good curry and so simple to do which makes it even more appealing for me! If you dont want to soften down the onions the choice is yours this literally then becomes a chop and chuck it in and walk away and let the slow cooker do its job.

My slow cooker can go on the hob and in the oven it has an aluminium non stick inner pot and they are the best slow cookers ever and so easy to clean so no need for plastic slow cooker bags. You can find the slow cooker i use 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 will see in more recent video’s and recipe cards i have switched over to using passata instead of tinned tomatoes i find passata does not give you a watery sauce, a tin of cheap tomatoes is more liquid than pulp so this will always give you more liquid than you need.

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

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Meatballs

Got to admit these were absolutely fab! i made my own meatballs to keep the dish syn free if your following slimming world but use whatever meatballs you want or make your own in batches and freeze until you need them again which is what i did – i basically made a huge batch of cooked meatballs and froze the leftovers. See the old Youtube video to see how i make my own homeade meatballs.

Since making this recipe way way back a lot has changed in the world of meatballs lol and lots of manufacturers have really upped their game and created lower fat lower calorie versions. In this updated recipe i used ready made meatballs from Asda and to be honest they were really good they weren’t fatty and held together well. So i guess the question is do you really need to make your own, to be honest i think i will save myself sometime and use ready made.

Italian herbs i use in the video are from Spicentice Use my discount code (affiliate) Jules 20 for 20% off any order https://www.spicentice.com/

In this version i used the meatballs to create a pasta bake but you can serve it with anything you like

I use the same recipe to make meatball subs from and these are amazing so easy to make.

You will see from the video i haven’t used an egg to bind the meatballs together this is because i use a cooked onion and find the moisture from the onion is enough to hold them together but if you want to used an egg please do – flavour the meatballs in anyway you like i used Spicentice Italian rub but any herbs will do even a bit of garlic would be nice, the choice as always is yours
by julessmithie

Pan Fried Duck Breast

I love duck but i can be really fatty which can put me off plus i dont like it pink in the middle which causes no end of trouble in our house lol……….so here is how i do mine, you will see if butterflied the breast to help it cook quicker this also ensures its not too pink inside for me!

Adding a teaspoon of marmalade may sound like a mad thing to do but it really adds to the flavour well worth trying if you’ve not done it before – i removed the fat layer on mine before eating

by julessmithie

Tandoori Chicken Kebabs

Quick simple but mega tasty love chicken kebabs and with a bit of planning you can prep them the day before and marinate in the fridge overnight if not then 1 hour will do. I used Spicentice tandoori spice but used whatever spice you like or have remember if following slimming world to syn anything that carries a value.

I used yogurt on this batch because it protects the chicken from burning and drying out – but add thats charred look and taste to the kebabs

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

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Shepherds Pie

Who doesn’t love Shepherds Pie??? we do in our house! lovely warm winter food that never fails to hit the spot! I added split red lentils to make a thick gravy these disappear during the cooking so you wont see or taste them they just dissolve but its a fab way to thicken a sauce or gravy and if your following slimming world its syn free!

I added a mixed mash to the top of my shepherds pie but add any mash you want – one point to note is make sure your slow cooker inner can go in the oven or under the grill, mine is aluminum so is oven proof

In the video I have made 4 portions but foze 2 portions of the meat part and used 2 portions topped with mash. The reason I did freeze with the mashis because sometimes I like carrot as nd turnip mash to top the Shepherds Pie with.

This recipe appears in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS Press here for my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS

https://amzn.eu/d/bxDzxmn

My Slow cooker and the chopper I use is on my Amazon Shop (AFFILIATE) press here https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

by julessmithie

Mayflower curry in the slow cooker

This was perfect really worked well and personally i think it tasted better out of the slow cooker than when done in the pan! I use chicken thigh but you can use breast just leave it whole until the meal is cooked then you can dice it or shred it.

The Key is to mix the powder with boiling hot water to a dripping consistency not too watery but not too thick it needs to drip off the spoon – you can always add more water if needed.

I would also suggest you cook your first one when your around the house if possible because all slow cookers work differently and its hard for me to give you exact times measurements etc but if you follow the video you can always “tweak” it to suit your slow cooker

In the recipe i have said use 200ml of hot water but lately i have noticed buying new boxes sometimes i need to add more hot water, so start with 200ml then if you need more add small amounts slowly.

The slow cooker i use is on my Amazon Shop which if you look under the video section you can now watch a short video reviewing the slow cooker. Press the link it will take you there then look under KITCHEN GADGETS https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

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

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Jacket Potatoes

This has got to be the easiest shortcut ever and i know they can be done in the microwave but when your at work all day or out at the weekend for me i just want to walk through the door and have no messing! you can literally pick these out of the slow cooker and get your meal done and you may need the microwave to heat other things – anyway the choice is yours!

Some tips – cooking time will depend on how big your potatoes are and what size slow cooker your using and how quickly it cooks but as a rule of thumb i would say 6-7 hours on low, i did a test batch when i was in the house as my slow cooker is a bit of a hottie.  You will see i also scrunched up some foil and sat it on the bottom of the slow cooker when i used my old cooker i had a couple of occasions when the bottom of the potatoes were burned so i decided to lift them off the bottom and sit them on some foil

If the potatoes come out and are brown in the middle dont worry they have just been over cooked they are still perfectly fine and will probably have a “nutty” taste to them – just adjust your cooking time next time around

by julessmithie