Another fantastic Vegetarian recipe but the reason i love this one is because its a brilliant way of using up any vegetables you have that are heading towards getting thrown in the bin! and as you know i hate food waste.
Its a really adaptable recipe and you can use whatever you like the key is taking your time to create the creamy sauce. The Cajun spice i used is from Spicentice im a huge fan of their spices and meal kits you can purchase these from https://www.spicentice.com/ use discount code JULES10 for 10% off any order (AD)
When you are pushed for time this is a fantastic meal which will take you 2 mins to prep and if like me you are going to pop it all in the slow cooker you can then walk away and get on with your day.
I used a sachet mix today its not designed to be used in the slow cooker but it works perfectly well so don’t be afraid to use it.
You can serve this many different ways in the below videos you will see i have served using sliced potatoes making a kind of hotpot dish or i have topped it mashed potato which also worked really well, a very versatile dish that you can adapt to suit your family. I have also used the casserole to make a chicken pie and this is one of my favourite recipes especially during the colder months.
Topped with sliced potatoes Topped with mashed potato
Below is the full step by step video of how i cooked the meal and the serving options available the potatoes i used were from Cheshire farm their website is https://www.cheshirefarmchips.co.uk/
In this version I followed the recipe from above then topped it with light puff pastry the dish I use holds 3 portionsand takes approx 100g of pastry
There is only one way to describe this meal and that is WOW for such a simple recipe it really does pack a punch and makes a perfect Meat Free Monday Meal.
You will see I used Tigg’s Mustard and Pepper Sauce this can be found in Tesco in the salad chiller isle BUT dont think thats all you can use it for as you will see i used it to create the stroganoff sauce and it works a treat as the sauce has a sweetness to it that lifts the dish perfectly. After using the Tigg’s sauce last night it has given me so many more ideas of ways to use it so watch this space – i would definitely recommend picking a bottle up.
The start of a new feature for my website “Storecupboard Recipes” this is something i know im going to love as it will be utilising all those tins and packets stored away that we never use (well i know i dont lol)
Christmas is nearly here and we are all super busy and all trying to stay on the diet plan of choice so im hoping these short cut cooking hacks will help get a fab family meal onto the table in record time. For the pastry you can use any shape or size which if following a diet plan will reduce calories, syns or points.
I have created this pie using beef brisket in Gravy which can be found in the chilled Isle in Tesco and I have also used a tin of Tesco lean stewed steak in Gravy.
This pie is 3 portions I used a tin of Tesco Lean Stewed Steak Pastry weight for this pie dish is approx 100g I used Tesco Light Puff Pastry.
This is just a really fab way of adding a little bit of something different to a meal and it doesn’t take much effort to do it either. The sausages i used are Heck Chicken Italia you can use any you like but it works best with sausages that come in links.
This is a really easy recipe and makes a perfect quick meal when you are busy or you can build it into a weekend #fakeaway.
The key to getting the sauce sticky is to have patience once the chicken is fully cooked turn up the heat and start reducing the sauce, keep taking the pan off the heat and allowing the sauce to cool slightly as this will let the honey solidify. If the sauce is still too runny put it back on the heat and keep repeating this process until you get the consistency you want.
It takes very few ingredients to make the sauce which will work perfect with chicken, pork, or prawns.
These are some of the Korean BBQ Sauces i have used if you cannot get hold of the Heinze sauce you can use any of the below these are both in Tesco but I’m sure you will find them in other supermarkets. The one I’m currently using is Crucials Korean BBQ sauce which i picked up from Home Bargains
This is a brilliant recipe for using up all that leftover ham or gammon from Sunday dinner. It’s also great for using all those vegetables lurking in the fridge that aren’t looking their best.
The pie i made was 3 portions and used approx 100g of pastry to top it, however you could make individual pies and use a smaller amounts of pastry to reduce calories, syns or points.
I used Primula cheese but you can use any cream cheese you like or whichever one suits your diet best.
I have to say i am absolutely loving Meat Free Monday as its really challenging me to come up with new ideas and this one worked a treat perfect for the weekend when you fancy something naughty.
You will see in the video i have given an alternative to the Tesco meat free chicken i used as i think it was really high in syns but it did taste amazing and had a good texture to it, but use whichever chicken product you like.
This feature follows on from the one i did with a whole chicken but this time i used 1kg joint of unsmoked gammon costing £3.19. I buy unsmoked as i think the flavour of the smoked one can be too strong and sometimes too salty – you can always soak a gammon joint overnight in cold water before you use it if you are worried about it tasting salty.
I always cook my gammon in the slow cooker as it comes out so tender, this joint i cooked in diet orange with a couple of black peppercorns as i didn’t want to over flavour the meat as im using the leftovers in other meals therefore i needed to be careful with the flavours. The end result was a subtle flavour perfectly balance and wasn’t overpowering.
Once the gammon was cooked i cut off a chunk and shredded it with 2 forks and used that in our Sunday Dinner so this is meal 1. The other piece i left whole to use cubed or sliced.
MEAL 1 – SUNDAY DINNER – PULLED GAMMON
MEAL 2 – HOMEMADE FLATBREAD PIZZA
This is my flatbread recipe sized up to create a pizza base and if you are a pizza lover but dont like the calories then this is for you!
I used 60g of flour and approx 2.5 heaped tablespoons of fat free Greek yogurt made up the dough cooked it in a scorching hot frying pan – once cooked add the toppings. The ham used on the pizza leftover from Sunday dinner so i still haven’t used the piece of gammon that was left whole. Here is the link to the flatbread method i used https://julesthelazycook.co.uk/2019/07/11/flatbreads/
Top the cooked flatbread base with tomato puree and Italian Herbs. The herbs i use are from https://www.spicentice.com/use discount code JULES20 for 20% off any order (affiliate)Add Shredded ham and anything else you like i added peppers & spring onions – basically anything i could find in the fridge.Top with cheese of your choice then place under grill to melt the cheese and soften the vegetables
Another successful vegetarian meal i have wanted to try Tofu for ages but i will admit was totally scared of how to use it as there are so many varying reports about it being difficult to work with and tasteless.
If you are going to try this recipe here are a couple of top tips – buy Firm or Extra Firm tofu as this has less liquid in it, also you must “press” the tofu this is to get as much liquid out as possible which then firms it up and makes it easier to handle. Pressing it basically means placing it under weights to get the liquid out – i used tins of soup to weight down a dish this works really well.
Also once the tofu is pressed it allows it to take on flavour and in this recipe it really took on the full flavour of the sauce.
This is the first recipe I’ve created for a vegetarian meal and i have to say it was absolutely delicious. Moving forward im hoping to cook a meat free meal every Monday without always using meat substitutes such as quorn i want to be able to use all the other fantastic ingredients that i love such as beans and pulses.
With this recipe you can add your favourite sausages but if they are meat based then you need to add them at the beginning of the cooking, the one thing i noticed with vegetarian sausages if that they dont have the “firmness” of a meat based sausage. However the vegetarian sausages i used in the recipe were really good and i would definitely buy them again.
NOTE Once cooked taste the sauce if its too “tomatoey” sorry bad word but you get what i mean then add a couple of splashes of Worcester Sauce or the Vegetarian equivalent you could even add a dash of brown sauce basically you need to add some sugar / sweetness to calm the acidity of the tomatoes down.
Ohhhh yes this is the real deal and totally worth every calorie, syn or points whichever diet you are following.
You can easily reduce the amount of pastry you need by using a smaller pie dish or individual casserole dishes or even just pop a pastry heart on top, when i plated up the pie served 3 portions.
I used Tesco light puff pastry from the chilled section it worked just as well as other branded products and a fraction of the cost, leftover pastry was placed in the freezer for another day.
This recipe is designed to use up leftover chicken from Sunday dinner and to use any vegetables in the fridge that are looking a little sad – the recipe below is just a guide the bottom line is use whatever you have that needs using up.
You can find this recipe in my Cookbook My Fakeaway & Evening Meals which is available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle press here https://amzn.eu/d/8iJRPY1
Im a huge fan of Spicentice and was really excited to try out the new Vegan range they have created however, as i have said in the video for me personally moving to a vegan diet is just not for me but i have huge amounts of respect for anyone who makes changes to their lifestyle and diet.
The kit is supposed to be shepherds pie but after a vote on my Facebook page the finished meal as you will see is Vegetarian Sausage Pie and i have to say it was the right decision the end meal was delicious.
Moving forward im going to try and create 1 Vegetarian recipe per week and have 1 meat free day per week so these kits will really help me on this new venture.
This is one of my favourite Spicentice meals it makes a fantastic weekend meal and it never disappoints! I don’t actually follow the cooking instructions on the back of the card 🙈 as I just find it easier doing this way but do whichever way is easiest for you.
I’m making 2 portions and the kits make 4 so I will save half and use it another day.
This is truly a fantastic weekend meal and can be served with so many different side dishes you could add egg fried rice, noodles, spring rolls it really does make a great basis for a Chinese banquet meal.
I always use a bag of stir fry with this meal to bulk it out I cook this separately with a splash of Soy Sauce.
If you decide to try any of the Spicentice kits you can use my discount code Jules20 for 20% off any order (AFFILIATE) https://bit.ly/2VYUZLG
I will admit these are 1) gorgeous 2) highly addictive lol 🙈 This is the 3rd or 4th time i have made these now and they are perfect for a weekend and i think the kids will love them.
You will see in the video I used my small slow cooker but the recipe is for a slow cooker of 3.5ltr which will make 4 potions
I used baking potatoes in this batch and they worked perfectly I have also used salad / new potatoes which whilst they work because they are small they allow the filling to drop between the gaps during cooking.
Feel free to add any other flavours to this garlic and a dash of Paprika would work lovely in this recipe.
I saw a recipe similar to this on a vegan facebook page but the list of ingredients was a mile long and some of them weren’t very “diet” friendly – so i decided to try and make it with less ingredients and less calories and it worked so well. It definitely ticked all the boxes what a fab recipe it turned out to be and so easy to make very quick to cook but so tasty and one i know you will love. A perfect fakeaway recipe for those following Slimming World or Calorie Counting to keep you on track over the weekend. My top tip is to have a little patience to reduce the sauce because the sauce has honey in you need to keep taking the pan on and off the heat to allow the honey to solidify this way you can gauge how much sauce has reduced.
One of the most asked questions i get is how do you cook your chips/ wedges??? over the years i have tried many many methods and they are ok but i find most of the methods have led to a very dry chip which to be honest isnt great. This is the method i have used for many years now and it gives a crunch to the outside but a soft fluffy inner – which is just how i like my chips. The pre soaking removes some of the starch which helps to chips to cook quicker and it also means you dont have to soak them in oil it really does help reduce the amount you use. I have also used every potato under the sun and again they all work so no need to spend a fortune on what other people think are the best potatoes use whichever ones you like.
I have tried and tested this recipe several times now and it works perfectly more importantly no water logged fajitas!! For the chicken stick to thigh or breast and if using breast leave it whole until its cooked it will stop it drying out.
Use whichever fajita seasoning you like and add any vegetables you like the key is not to add any liquid and cook on low, i think this setting is best to ensure the onions are cooked or you can run the risk of having crunchy onions. I know you can easily cook fajitas in a pan on the hob but this recipe really comes from when the kids were little they loved fajitas on a Saturday night but after a long day out coming home then having to start cooking just seemed like such a chore plus they were always starving 😂😂
I use the basic fajita recipe to make many different types of meals below are just 2 one of fajita boats which are the Old El Paso Stand and Stuff Boats or i make a pasta bake which is the video below.
The base recipe for slow cooker fajitas appears in my cookbook My Slow Cooker Meals which is available on Amazon in Paperback & Kindle  https://amzn.eu/d/bxDzxmn
Well after nearly 2 years 😂😂 I have finally made the video that you all wanted and hopefully the one that answers all your questions 👌 These are really simple to make and once you get the technique right you will be making them all the time. You can make these as big or as small as you like it really depends on if you are following a diet plan and if so remember to calculate the flour and baking powder used.
I have made these using 30g, 35g and 50g of flour all with 2 Tablespoons of Fat Free Yogurt the trick is only add more yogurt if you are absolutely sure the dough won’t keep pulling away cleanly from the sides of the bowl and the I would only add small amounts at a time. If the dough is too wet you will end up using lots more flour to roll it to stop it sticking to the worktops and rolling pin.
Below is the 1 minute quick video for flatbread which i made in 2017 it has the ingredient list and step by step method, however the live video above goes into the how to in more detail
I love this recipe but have not made it for ages and its such a shame as it really does help when you hit the weekend and want a takeaway but don’t want to undo all your hard work. However you need to think ahead as the chicken needs marinating in a sauce and the longer you leave it the better it will taste. This is a really simple recipe once you get the basics under your belt and that really means taking time with the sauce which takes time to reduce and thicken so have patience. Or you could cheat and add 1 teaspoon of cornflour with cold water and add that to the sauce and it will thicken quickly.
The other top tip is not the crush the cornflakes to dust leave some big bits and smaller bits as this really helps the cornflakes stick to the chicken or you can use breadcrumbs if you wish.
Lemons can be really sharp and tart so member to taste them as this will really determine how the lemon sauce tastes – once the sauce is reduced taste and adjust as needed. I would suggest if its too tart add more honey or small amounts of lemon curd until you get the sweetness you like.
Jules The Lazy Cook 