Slow Cooker Chilli

For this easy recipe you just need a few ingredients and a slow cooker. I substituted kidney beans and cannoli beans for baked beans to make it more ‘fussy family’ friendly. I also used Quorn mince rather than beef mince as we’re trying to have less meat in our diet. With this dish it’s so easy to adjust the recipe to your own preferences. 

Ingredients:

Spices:

• 1/2 Tablespoon Chilli Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Oregano 
• 3/4 teaspoon Basil

Freash Veg:

• 1 Onion (Diced)
• 1 red Pepper (Diced)
• 1 green Pepper (Diced)
• 3 cloves of Garlic (minced/finely chopped)

Other ingredients:

• 1 tin of Beans
• 1 tin/box of Passata
• 500g Beef/Quorn Mince

Method:

1. Mix together all ingredients in the slow cooker. (If using Quorn, cook 1 hour before finished cooking time- and then add to Slow Cooker) 
2. Cook on low for 6-8hours, or high for 3-4hours. 
3. Stir, serve and enjoy.

Serving suggestion. 

Serve with Rice or Jacket Potato and cheese. 

Slow Cooker Gammon

This is a super easy recipe that requires next to no prep and makes an amazing dinner for all! Not only this, but because it’s slow cooked it’s not chewy and therefore perfect for toddlers and those unable to mash and chew their food properly. 

Icelands large Gammon only £6.50

Normally I go to Aldi and buy a small Gammon for around £3-4. However, recently I went to Iceland and brought this large Gammon weighing 1.6kg for £6.50 and decided to cook half today in the slow cooker- and freeze the other half for use another day. 

How to cook a delicious Gammon? The few easy steps are listed below! 

Ingredients: (serves 6 with sides)

• Gammon (750g)
• Apple juice (300ml)

Method:

1. Remove Gammon from packaging and place in slow cooker. 
2. Add about 300ml of apple juice. 
3. Turn slow cooker on for 8 hours low, or 4 hours high. 
4. When the time is up, take the gammon out and rest for 5 minutes. 
5. Carve and serve! (Be careful as the meat may start to fall apart as you move it)

In the picture above I have carved it into portions for me and my 2 year old son, as well as a container for making quiche tomorrow and another pile of leftovers for my partner tomorrow. 

I’ve seen some suggestions about slow cooking Gammon with a can of coke, Pepsi or even Fanta. If you’re feeling creative then feel free to give it a go- it’s a huge hit in America from what I’ve heard. I’ve tried cooking it with Coke but unfortunately it tasted a tad too sweet and I didn’t like the idea of the added sugar in my two year olds diet (though obviously apple juice contains sugars too). 

This is by far the best Gammon I’ve ever cooked. It wasn’t too salty or too sweet and it had an amazing flavour from the apple juice. I served it with an egg and homemade wedges. 

To view my Homemade wedges recipe, click Here.

New Potato Wedges

This recipe is amazing because it’s so simple and a perfect side to loads of meals! 

Crispy Wedges

Today I made potato wedges with new potatoes and it was such a success I know I’ll be doing it a lot more! They had a crispy outside and a fluffy inside and the perfect amount of seasoning to bring you great flavour. 

See below on how to make some for yourself! 

Ingredients: (Serves 3)

• 8 New Potatoes
• A glug of olive oil (don’t have to measue just pour enough to cost the potatoes)
• Salt
• Pepper

Optional

• Paprika
• Mixed Herbs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 6. 
2. Slice the New Potatoes into quarters lengthways. 
3. Place the New Potatoes into a pan of water- bring to boil and then leave for 10 minutes to par-boil them. 
4. Drain Potatoes in a colander and leave for 5 minutes to dry. 
5. Place Potatoes in a large bowl and add enough Olive oil to coat them all. Then add salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Optional– add a teaspoon of mixed herbs and a teaspoon of paprika. 
7. Mix until Potatoes are coated evenly. 
8. Place single layer on a baking tray and place into the centre of a pre-heated oven for around 35 minutes. 
9. You’ll know when they’re done as they’ll start to look crispy. You can check by using a knife and poking into the centre of a chip- if the centre is soft- they’re ready. 
10. Serve. 

This goes well with many dishes. Tonight I paired it with slow cooked Gammon and an egg. 

To view my slow cooked Gammon recipe- click here.

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken Curry

Ingredients for SC Butter Chicken Curry

This easy curry was a huge success in our household yesterday at dinner time. With a blend of spices and ingredients we tend to have in our household, it makes for a cheap dish also! We served with rice and naan bread. 

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

• 600g boneless chicken (Diced)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced/chopped finely/grated)
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 3 Tablespoons of Tomato Purée
• 1 Tin (400g) of Chopped Tomatoes
• 100g unsalted butter
• 1/2 Cup Double cream
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Cornflour

Spices:

• 2 Tablespoons Paprika (preferably Smoked)
• 1/2 Tablespoon Chilli Powder
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoon Corriander Powder 
• 1/2 Tablespoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Ginger

Method:

1. (Optional) Melt 25g butter in a frying pan and fry onion until soft. 
2. Add Onion, Chicken, Tinned Tomatoes, Garlic, Tomato Purée and spices to the slow cooker. 
3. Stir. 
4. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3. 
5. Add the Cream, Lemon juice, Butter, Corn Flour and Honey. 
6. Stir. 
7. Cook on low for 5 minutes. 
8. Serve! 

Original recipe by Twisted. To view click Here. 

My recipe is rather different in terms of ingredients as I tried to use what I already had in the house- rather then buying new things.

The only negative comment I received about this dish was that it was a little sour due to the lemon- so if this is something you or your family doesn’t like- feel free to use less, or none at all. 

Serving suggestions- rice and naan or jacket potato.