Posts

Showing posts from May, 2016

Slow Cooked Pork in Apple Cider

Image
As you know, I love my slow cooker. Ahem, my two slow cookers... and I use them very regularly. One thing I haven't really tried to cook in them is pulled pork. Pulled pork is everywhere! It came out of nowhere and now you see pulled pork sandwiches in shops, pulled pork on restaurant menus, ready to eat pulled pork in supermarkets and so on. I have eaten pulled pork and enjoyed it, so it was about time I made some! Pork and apple are a classic combination, so it seemed a good place to start. I used to make a pork and cider casserole quite often (note to self- must resurrect that recipe this winter!), so that seemed that a good flavour combination to go with. I used the eating apples that I had to hand, to add more apple flavour to the cider. They were Gala apples, and if you prefer things quite sweet, then go with that. I prefer the more "appley" flavour of a slightly more tart variety. If that's you, then go for Pink Lady or Granny Smith. As far as the Cider itself

Mango and Coconut Loaf Cake with Lime Drizzle

Image
Mango and Coconut Loaf Cake with Lime Drizzle- a moist, yellow loaf cake made with leftover ripe mango and desiccated coconut and then drizzled with lime juice. We have been buying a lot more fruit lately, partly because it's summer, and there's so much more to choose from, and also as part of my husband's Slimming World diet. The trouble with having so much lovely fresh fruit around, is that you have to keep on top of what needs eating and by when. I'm a pro with whizzing up something with bananas on the turn (Look here if you need ideas for banana recipes- Banana Recipes ), but mango? kiwi? Not so much. So when I noticed that a mango had gone a bit wrinkly, I wasn't sure what to do with it. Mango makes me think tropical, so I immediately thought coconut. I wondered if I just mashed the mango, whether it would work in the same way as banana in a cake, and it did! The cake is a gorgeous deep yellow when you slice through it. It has a lovely texture too. I thought

Sweet, Smoked Paprika Chicken

Image
Do you go through phases of being totally uninspired by what to make for dinner? I do every now and again, and last week was one of those times. I was stood in front of the meat cabinet in the supermarket for ages just staring- beef, pork, bacon, chicken, turkey... I briefly turned round and looked at the fish, and then back to the meat. No ideas and I didn't fancy anything we usually make. In desperation I bought chicken breasts, thinking- there's always something you can do with chicken breasts! At home I then stood staring into the cupboard, hoping for inspiration, an unopened bottle of smoked paprika caught my eye. My Dad loves smoked paprika, but I haven't really ever used it. The idea of BBQ flavours seemed a good one, so I thought honey would work as the sweet to match the smoky flavour of the paprika. It's definitely one of my favourite chicken marinades, of those I have made recently. I really want to try it with slow cooked chicken as I just have a feeling tha

Harissa Cous Cous

Image
A recipe for Giant Cous Cous was one of the first I published here. I still cook with it regularly, especially in the summer. It's great for lunches. This spicy recipe is one I made for my husband when he started Slimming World. He was finding it hard to be inspired at lunchtime, when he was so used to having sandwiches. I tend to cook extra at dinnertime so there's leftovers for lunch, but on this occasion, there wasn't! It's delicious hot, but it's fine to have cold the next day too. He had it just as it is, but you could add some grilled salmon or left over cooked chicken to make it a bit more substantial. If you prefer it even spicier, then add a teaspoon of chilli powder as well. To make this Slimming World friendly and syn free, use powdered harissa and spray oil.

Slow-Cooker BBQ Beef

Image
Slow Cooker BBQ Beef- chunks of beef slow cooked in a BBQ spice mixture and then shredded. Perfect for when you want BBQ flavours with minimum effort. Delicious in soft rolls with home-made coleslaw and chips. Jump to Recipe I love BBQ. It's the first sign that summer is peeking round the corner, when you smell everyone's BBQs firing up. The problem is, that with my small garden, it's not an easy feat. The best solution I have found is to use my slow cooker to make BBQ Beef and BBQ Chicken. All the BBQ flavours, no matter what the weather! A good BBQ sauce has heat and a rich sweetness balanced with a touch of acidity. I like to add smoked paprika to my spice mix to get some of that smoky flavour you would normally get from a traditional BBQ. By slow cooking the beef in the home-made BBQ sauce, it really absorbs all the flavours. Once it's been cooked to the 'fall apart' stage, it can be shredded so every piece is coated in that sweet sauce. Delicious. I highly

Beef Mince Hot Pot

Image
Beef Mince Hot Pot- a twist on the traditional hot pot, very easy to make for a filling family meal. Low fat beef mince, carrots and peas topped by sliced potato. Syn-free on Slimming World. Jump to recipe Last week, I was in a real hurry to get out the door on one of the days, so I wouldn't miss my bus to work, so I didn't have time to think about what we would have for dinner. I just grabbed a pack of mince from the freezer to defrost and raced off. On the way home, I was trying hard to be inspired by something to make that was a bit different from the usual mince rcipe. So, not chilli ( chilli recipe ), not cottage pie, not lasagne or bolognese ( bolognese recipe ). I decided on a twist on the traditional hotpot. So, instead of chunks of lamb or beef, I used mince. I left the skin on the potatoes, because why not, and it turned out very well. My husband wolfed it down- there were leftovers for lunch and I would make it again! It would also freeze well, if you wanted to make