Month: June 2020

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Meatball Subs

This wasn’t supposed to be on my meal plan this week but when you wake up feeling not too good my advice is go for the easiest option if you have to cook- so meatball subs it is!

As you will see i have used sausages to make the meatballs with, this is purely down to the fact i did the food shopping on Wednesday the week before and meatball subs weren’t even on my radar. However, i have to admit they worked beautifully and when i make this again i will probably use the Richmond sausages you see in the video.

This recipe makes 4 portions and because there is just 2 of us i still have 2 portions left in the fridge patiently waiting for my second meal which will be spaghetti and meatballs – now don’t you just love the fact you have taken 10 minutes out to create meals for 2 days in the week! i know i do – this will also freeze well.

There is a meat version of slow cooker meatballs already on my website press here for the written recipe and how to video https://julesthelazycook.co.uk/2016/11/23/slow-cooker-meatballs/

by julessmithie

Chicken Sharing Platter

As you know I’m huge fan of making these because they are minimal effort but always look fab and are a great way of cooking in the hotter months.

This is basically my Slow cooker chicken to roast chicken served with bread buns stuffing amd roast potatoes… so a kind of deconstructed Sunday Dinner. Serve woth anything you and your family like it all works with these kind of meals.

by julessmithie

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ohhhh the months I have spent thinking about this recipe and trying to make it “diet friendly” has actually hurt my head 🤣🤣 However, it’s all being worthwhile.

We absolutely loved this recipe and for us it ticked all the boxes and it will be making another appearance on my meal plan very soon.

When creating this recipe I wanted to show you that you can take time to create a meal say for the weekend that is amazing but also one midweek which will also be equally as good. Here is my thinking…. in this recipe you will see i have coated and baked the chicken and I have to admit it was really tasty. You could actually make this recipe without coating or baking the chicken which will speed up the cooking and reduce calories.

How would you do this…. dice the chicken and in a large frying pan sprayed with oil cook the chicken towards the end of cooking turn the pan to a high heat just to add a little bit of colour to the chicken removed from pan and set aside. Then make the sauce as decribed below.

As you know I follow Slimming World but I’m not going to give syn values on any of my recipes as it breaks copyright rules. So below is the information you need to work this out for yourself:-

Tomato Sauce – depends on brand you use, and if you decide to use reduced sugar versions

Sugar / Sweetener – depends how you calculate it

Cornflakes – you could use breadcrumbs, or you may opted to not coat and bake the chicken

These variables can only be decided by you and what diet you follow and how you calculate your diet plan / calories.

This recipe appears in my cookbook MY FAKEAWAY AND EVENING MEALS which is available on Amazon in Paperback & Kindle press here https://amzn.eu/d/8iJRPY1

The air fryer i use in the video is on my Amazon Shop you can now watch a short video review explaining the benefits of my air fryer – press the link it will take you there then look under kitchen gadgets https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

by julessmithie

Toffee Baked Oats

I’m not always a fan of baked oats but every now and again I have the urge to make them. So today’s flavour is toffee which I adore and I’m sure you have seen biscoff used all over social media I decided to try something different.

I used ASKEYS toffee sauce which can be found in most supermarkets it tastes amazing, unlike biscoff it doesn’t have the density to “sit” on top of whatever you drizzle it on for too long but don’t let that put you off! the end result is so good.

by julessmithie

Cheesy Taco Gnocchi Bake

Another fantastic vegetarian meal we really enjoyed this one and it is super easy to make perfect for those days when you don’t have time to stand and cook for hours, this literally takes 15mins to get onto the table. My top tip for cooking gnocchi is don’t over cook it as soon as it floats to the top of a pan of boiling water remove it and drain it immediately.

The taco beans i used were in a spicy tomato sauce but to be honest i didn’t feel the sauce was spicy at all and once i added the vegetables to them i decided to add a teaspoon of paprika this is optional, as always taste and adjust to your liking.

Although this meal is part of my “meat free Monday ” series on instagram and facebook you can add meat to it if you wish Chicken, Minced Beef, Sausages or ham would work well.

You will notice in the video that i transferred the meal from the frying pan into an oven proof dish – this was for the end photograph only and when i make it again i will add the gnocchi to the frying pan top it with cheese and pop it under the grill. Making more washing up is not for me at all 😂😂😂😂🙈

by julessmithie

Peri Peri Pork Kebabs (Spicentice)

I have wanted to make this recipe for weeks now and i have finally got around to it and it did not disappoint! Im using Spicentice Peri Peri Chicken spice kit which serves 4 i used half the sachet and will use the other half another day. Spicentice also have a Portuguese Peri Peri spice which i love this would also work well in this recipe.

Spices are from https://bit.ly/2VYUZLG use discount code JULES20 for 20% off any order (AFFILIATE)

Pork is a relatively cheap cut of meat and is very lean which means it can have a tendency to dry out and be tough. My top top is don’t overcook the pork if you are unsure start on a low heat and keep checking until the pork is fully cooked.

by julessmithie

Portuguese Peri Peri Pork Chops (Spicentice)

I have made these many times and if you like Nando’s these really have that vibe / taste to them. Pork is such a cheap cut of meat and for us has always been a firm family favourite.

However everytime I cook these chops I get asked how I cook them how do I get such a lovely colour and how do I stop the drying out. So here it is my “HOW TO” .

I like my meat well cooked and that in itself can dry meat out but I use the Jamie Oliver technique which I think he designed for novice cooks like me, at the time I was terrified of cooking meat 🙈🙈. This method just works it slows down the process you’ve got time to adjust heat settings etc and for me it definitely helps with not over cooking meat.

This spice is part of the Licence to Grill kit from Spicentice https://www.spicentice.com/ use discount code JULES 20 FOR 20% OFF ANY ORDER (AFFILIATE)
by julessmithie

Pizza Bagels

A brilliant way of getting a quick lunch and perfect for the little ones, add any toppings use any cheese, add any flavours you like.

You will see from the images below i have also use a wholemeal pitta bread to make these, they work just as well – just use the method in the video.

To top mine i add mushrooms, pepper, tomatoes, and usually a mini peperami stick.

PITTA PIZZA Same method just using a pitta bread instead of a bagel
by julessmithie