Category: Evening Meal

Onion Bhaji

These were a real treat and went really well alongside the curry i made – they are really easy to make i think my top tip is just not to get stressed about them, i know that sounds stupid but trust me the less faffing with them the better they turn out and if they fall apart dont worry just reshape them they will still be perfectly ok.

You can either use a muffin tin to cook them in or shape them by hand and cook them i have do it both ways as you will see in the video – both ways work. 

These need to be cook slowly in the beginning then turn the heat up for the last ten minutes to get the tops crispy



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by julessmithie

Steak Pasty

Here is another one i can tick off my list! These were really good and will definitely be making them again, you can use any wrap you like and any tinned steak i used a weight watchers wrap as my HEb and the tinned steak was 4.5 syns which made each pasty 1.5 syns …….and totally worth it.


by julessmithie

Southern Style Chicken (KFC) Using Spicentice

As you will see i have not made this one since 2018 lol its so easy to miss some fantastic recipes when you get stuck in a rut and especially changing seasons from Winter into Summer. In this version i used cornflakes as i find they give a better crunch but you can use breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs or anything else you like.

Spice kits are available from https://www.spicentice.com/ use code JULES20 for 20% off any order (AFFILIATE)

Live Cooking video making a KFC Style Meal.

Now this was such a treat and well worth making and to be really honest it was super simple it looks like a lot of work has gone into the meal from the finished picture but trust me its all about cheating lol.

You can swap out the panko breadcrumbs for a slice of bread blitzed up if you wish and if following slimming world this can then be your HEb.  The gravy mix i used was from Home Bargains but you can buy it from B&M also. 

by julessmithie

Creamy Mashed Potato (using an Egg)

I have seen this many many times on the internet and and blogs and always wondered does it work??? will it be eggy?? and will it leave lumpy egg in my mash??? well i can confirm the answer to all these are NO.

This works so well and gives a really creamy mash i used 1 egg in my portion and if following slimming world this now keeps your mash syn free.


by julessmithie

Nacho’s (using wrap)

I loved this idea and it really worked well and i will be using it again as it was so easy to do. 

Use any flavours you like and any oil you like. I used Spicentice chipotle rub which was amazing i have used these spices for nearly 2 years now and they just never fail i absolutely love them if you want to give them a try you can use my discount code JULES20 which will get you 20% off your order. 

Go To Spicentice


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Hunters Chicken

I have wanted to make this for ages and finally got around to it but as always with me if there is an easy way to do it i will find it! So into the slow cooker it goes – you can easily cook this on the hob or in the oven if you wish. This is a classic family meal that i think works well in both the warmer and colder months.

If this is your first time making this recipe i would suggest you make the sauce up in a bowl and taste it you may need to adjust to it suit your taste this is true of all sauces. There is Sriracha in this (chilli sauce) if you are not a fan then leave it our, reduce the amount or add a pinch of mild chilli powder.

This will batch cook well and freeze well for those days when time is not your friend. You can also find this recipe in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS which is available on Amazon in paperback & Kindle press here  https://amzn.eu/d/bxDzxmn

The slow cooker i use is on my Amazon Shop press the link it will take you to my shop the look under kitchen gadgets https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook



by julessmithie

Spaghetti Pizza

Well who knew there was such a thing ha! its amazing the things i think about early hours of the morning.  This is basically reconstructed Spaghetti & Meatballs but what a fab way to fool those fussy eaters amongst us especially the kids!.

This is syn free using cheese as HEa and remember to syn any toppings that carry a value 

by julessmithie

Lamb Bhuna by the Twisted Curry Company

I was sent some sample packs by The Twisted Curry Company to try so decided to make the Bhuna one which is one of Graeme’s favourites.  These kits are designed to be cooked on the hob but me being me decided to cook mine in the slow cooker!! and to be honest it was such an easy dish to cook it worked perfectly.


There is a review of the Bhuna at the end of the video


This will batch cook well and freeze well.


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Pork Chops With A Creamy Mushroom Sauce

If you love an easy slow cooker recipe then this is the one! it literally takes 3 mins to prep and walk away, thats is if you dont soften down the onions before adding them to the slow cooker – i sliced mine very thinly so they would cook during the 4hrs in the slow cooker.

I know a lot of people are unsure of using pork chops because they can be dry, tasteless and chewy which is never good for an evening meal. However pork is a lean meat and relatively inexpensive so its a fantastic budget meat for a family.

Cooking pork chops in the slow cooker is a brilliant way of locking in flavour and moisture and because you are “poaching” them in a vegetable stock you are reducing the risk of them drying out.

The cream cheese i use is Primula but you can use any you like – i love cooking with Primula as it can handle high heat and doesn’t split which you need, because to get the sauce into a creamy consistency you need heat.



by julessmithie

Firecracker Chicken by Spicentice

Firstly let me just say this was AMAZING and if you decide to make it i know you will be as impressed as i was.

Its a really simple one to make and the spice/heat level can be easily adjusted by altering the garlic and ginger you add.  The packet serves 4 and batch cooks well and freezes well so a great one for a little weekend cook off, plus this will make a fantastic fakeway saving the syns on a takeway!

I have used Spicentice for over 2 years now and have never been disappointed with any of their products their customer service is fantastic if you want to try any of their products i also have a discount code JULES20 which will get you 20% off anything you order

https://www.spicentice.com/


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Now how easy was this???? well it was super easy!!! you can of course just chop everything and throw it into the slow cooker or you can soften down the onions and fry off the beef. I would however suggest you quickly flash fry the beef.

I used diced beef and trimmed off all visible fat you could used beef strips and reduce the cooking time. You will see i added fat free natural yogurt at the end you could also use creme fraiche. Top Tip!! Leave the Stroganoff to cool slightly before adding fat free yogurt or it will split… stir the Stroganoff rapidly to take out some of the heat this action will help cool it quicker.

This recipe appears in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS you can find it on my Amazon Shop under IDEAS LIST press the link then look under BOOKS section https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

My slow cooker is also on my Amazon Shop press the link look under ideas tab then select KITCHEN GADGETS https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

I love stew in the winter months they are so easy to prep and get ready and a fab way of using up all those veggies in the bottom of the fridge.

In this recipe i have used chicken thighs as its a much cheaper cut of meat and doesn’t dry out during cooking. If you want to use chicken breast leave the breast whole then once cooked dice or shred.

You can use chicken legs with the bone in but remove the skin cook the legs with the bone in then once cooked remove and take out the bone its so much easier to remove the bone once the chicken is cooked.

Lentils, add any lentils you like i used pearl barley as it works so well in a stew. Lentils swell during cooking so you may need to add a little more water depending on what vegetables you have used.

Any vegetables especially root vegetables will work in this recipe, butternut squash, swede/turnip, parsnips etc. Use whatever you have and can get hold of easily.

I was going to add dumplings to the slow cooker last 45 mins but ran out of time but they will work well with this stew.

Thickening the gravy can be done several ways probably the easiest way is to add Chicken Gravy Granules unfortunately I didn’t have any so used Xanthan Gum which is found in most supermarkets but only add small amounts at a time.

by julessmithie

Cheats BBQ Pulled Pork

I love pulled pork but removing all that fat off a joint is a real pain in the backside so i put my thinking cap on and came up with a way around it plus this simplifies the the meal and makes it a fab midweek family feast. 

As you will see i cooked mine in the slow cooker but you can cook this in the oven in a lidded casserole dish and it would work just the same. 

This will also batch cook and freeze well.

by julessmithie

Sticky Chicken

I think sticky chicken was the first Slimming World recipe i cooked and wowed Graeme with it is a fantastic recipe and really easy to cook. The only issue with this recipe and its not really a recipe issue its a person issue is you need to have patience to reduce the sauce. My top tip is get the chicken cook and they turn the heat up on the pan and bring the sauce to a rolling boil then keep taking the pan on and off the heat this will help the honey solidify and help you gauge how much further you need to reduce the sauce.

Its a great fakeaway recipe and will really help when you are fancying something tasty at the weekend.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Sliders

Looking for something a little bit different??? this is it! is was so tasty and so easy to make always a winner in my book!

I made this up as part of a batch cooking session as the recipe will serve 4 but it will also freeze well saves a job for another day!

This would make a fab weekend family meal or #fakeaway it really was good we really enjoyed it Graeme even had seconds!

  If your sauce does end up slightly too watery take the lid off the slow cooker and let it cook for a little longer or take the sauce out and pop it in a pan to reduce it down that way. I have to say i didn’t need to do any of that.

Another top tip is taste i tasted my sauce at the beginning before cooking and decided to add a couple of more splashes of Worcestershire sauce, however after cooking it was still a little tart so i added a teaspoon of BBQ sauce to to take out the sharpness. All tomato based recipes vary so much and its down to the ripeness of the tomatoes used even in passata, its usually one of the reasons small children are not always keen of tomato based dishes, the easy way around this is always add sugars….hence the brown/BBQ sauce in this recipe – you can always add more sweetener but sometimes i feel sweetener can also leave a funny artificial taste to the sauce.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Love a beef stew especially now the weather is getting colder and this one is fab! its no fuss and so easy to make and by using the slow cooker you can buy the cheapest of cuts of beef. I browned off my beef first as you will see in the video but as always the choice is yours. 

My top tip for cooking a fab beef stew is give yourself plenty of time and wherever possible always cook it on low, if the beef is tough and chewy its not cooked keep cooking until it nearly falls apart.

I added pearl barley to mine but you can use red lentils if you want they will disappear during the cooking but will still thicken the gravy – they do exactly the same job as pearl barley but if you have kids then this maybe an easier option!

Lets talk about the Jam i added yep i appreciate that sounds mad but it really does work and you need to adjust it to your taste i would suggest you add 1 teaspoon then taste again before serving and add another one if you like. If your stew has that “too beefy” taste or a “tinnie metalic” taste the jam will counteract that and the sweetness from the sugars will take that taste away. 

The biggest mistake people make when cooking a stew in the slow cooker is they add way too much water trust me it doesn’t need it.

This recipe appears in my Cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS its on my Amazon shop look under COOKBOOKS

The slow cooker i use can go on the hob under the grill and in the oven again its one my Amazon shop press the below link and look under KITCHEN GADGETS

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

by julessmithie

Yorkshire Puddings (Slimming Friendly)

Healthy Yorkshire Puddings? absolutely! these really do work and i use this recipe frequently. A fab addition to Sunday Lunch and super easy to make.

In this recipe i made a batch of 12, let them cool then I froze them. However, if there are only 2 of you like Graeme and I just half the ingredients to make 6.

I’m the older version of this recipe it asks for 40ml water but today I didn’t need the water as it depends on the size of the eggs you use.

My top tip is to add all the ingredients to a jug mix well and leave the batter to sit for a minimum of 20mins then if needed add small amounts of water.

Another top tip is to test the heat of the oil before adding the batter as this will really help the puddings rise, drop a small amount of batter into the tray and if it sizzles then it’s OK if it doesn’t put it back into the oven.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Sausage & Onion Casserole

I have wanted to make this for ages and ive now finally got around to it!! Old School sausage and gravy casserole super easy to make but soooooooo tasty!

Use any sausages you like and add any flavours you like

If you want the gravy really thick you may need to add a touch of flour or corn flour – i didnt have to do this as the onions thickened the gravy for me

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh

I love a good curry and this is a good curry plus its super simple and if your looking for something tasty through the week this is it! Its not too spicy but if you want to add more spice feel free!

You can use Lamb or Chicken the choice is yours (you don’t need to brown the chicken) Use Greek Yogurt or Natural Yogurt to stir in before serving – use as much or as little to get the desired taste, but before adding it let the curry cool slightly or you run the risk of it splitting.

As you will see i use my slow cooker inner pot to soften down the onions and brown the lamb this is because my slow cooker can go on the hob if you have the ceramic type pot then you will need to use a frying pan to do this. 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

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

by julessmithie

Butterbean Mash

Ok i admit this sounds mad but if your wanting to reduce your carbs or following slimming world SP days and missing your mash then give this a go you wont regret it!

I used a tin of butterbeans and a tin of chickpeas but you can use whatever you want and add any flavours spices or herbs you like

Just a note:- add the used stock a little at a time until you get the mash to the consistency you want

by julessmithie