Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Vegetables

Ingredients:
7 - 8 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
2 - 3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into pieces
1 - 2 onions, peeled and halved
1 piece corned beef
1/8 t pepper
1/2 c water
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T cornflour
2 T cold water

Method:
1. Place potatoes, carrots and onion into slow cooker.
2. Rinse corned beef and place in slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle pepper over ingredients.
4. Mix 1/2 c water with Worcestershire sauce, pour over beef and vegetables.
5. Cover and cook on low for 8 - 9 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender.
6. Remove beef and vegetables from slow cooker, cover to keep warm.
7. Pour juices from slow cooker into saucepan, heat to boiling.
8. Mix cornflour with cold water to form smooth paste, stir into juices.
9. Cook sauce, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened.
10. Serve sauce with beef and vegetables.

TIPS:
Try serving with your favourite green vegetable.
Use a combination of half potato and half kumara.

Simple Soy Glazed Chicken - Slow Cooker

INGREDIENTS:
2 T sweet chilli sauce
1 T sesame oil
1/4 c soy sauce
1 small or 1/2 large lemon, juice
3 T brown sugar
4 chicken quarters (or similar)
2 T cornflour
2 - 3 T sherry or cold water

METHOD:
1.  Measure sweet chilli sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar straight into slow cooker. Mix.
2.  Place chicken pieces into slow cooker making sure to coat well in the glaze.
3.  Cook on high for 4 hours. After about 2 hours, stir mixture to ensure chicken is well coated in glaze.
4.  At the end of cooking time, mix 2T cornflour with sherry or cold water to form a smooth paste. Add to slow cooker, stir and allow to thicken.

This is a quick, easy and tasty slow cooked chicken recipe. No browning required and very few dishes! We served with Balsalmic Roasted Vegetable Salad and Broccoli. A delicious dinner on the night the AB's brought home the cup!

Recently I have experimented with this recipe. Try adding 4 - 6 peeled and halved potatoes. Half an hour before serving, remove potatoes and place in roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil. Place potatoes in oven at 200°C for approximately 30 minutes.

Spaghetti with Leeks, Peas & Pesto

Add some veg to pasta and pesto for a cheap, healthy springtime dinner.


Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Vegetarian, low fat, healthy


Ingredients:
175 g spaghetti
140 g frozen peas
1 T olive oil
2 large trimmed leeks (about 250 g), thinly sliced
1 T basil pesto
freshly grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative) to serve, optional


Method:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions, adding the peas for the final 2 mins. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the leeks, then gently cook for about 5 mins until softened. Stir in the pesto and 3 tbsp of the pasta cooking water, then simmer for a few mins.
2. Drain the pasta and peas, then add to the frying pan, tossing everything together. Divide between 2 warm bowls and sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan, if using.

PER SERVING

447 kcalories, protein 18g, carbohydrate 75g, fat 10 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 9g, sugar 8g, salt 0.11 g

Chicken & Bacon Casserole - Slow cooker

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 chicken portions
2 rashers smoked bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, diced
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2-3 teaspoons dried mixed herbs

Method

1. Heat oil in large frying pan, brown chicken portions (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts). Once browned place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Add bacon, onion, garlic, carrot and celery to fry pan. Fry for about 4 minutes.
3. Sift flour into frying pan. Add tomato puree and dried mixed herbs. Gradually add chicken stock, stirring after each addition. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
4. Once the mixture is boiling add to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Try serving with potatoes and your favourite green vegetable.
Try adding other vegetables of your choice to the casserole mixture. I used about 1 cup of diced pumpkin.

Serves 4

Chicken Laksa

Serves: 4 - 6 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes or less

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons chicken laksa paste
500 ml chicken stock
2 x 400 ml cans coconut milk
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1 red capsicum, diced
2 x 50 g cans baby corn
100 g snow peas
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
2 T coriander leaves, finely chopped
steamed rice or noodles

Method:

1. Combine laksa paste, chicken stock and coconut milk in a pan. Bring to the boil.
2. Add the chicken, capsicum, corn and snow peas. Stir to combine.
3. Simmer for 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
4. Add lime juice and coriander, stir to combine.
5. Divide rice or noodles into bowls. 
6. Add laksa including juices into bowls. 

Note:
To make the dish hotter, add 1 extra tablespoon of laksa paste. To make the dish milder reduce the laksa paste by one tablespoon.
We made this recipe using green thai curry paste instead of laksa paste.
Half the quantities of ingredients for a meal for two.

Banana & apple slice

Ingredients:

125 g soft margarine
150 g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
275 g wholemeal self-raising flour
2 dessert apples, cored and grated
2 bananas, mashed
75 g sultanas
125 ml apple juice
2 tablespoons chopped cashew nuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven, 180 degrees C (350 degrees F, gas mark 4).
2. Grease and line an 18 x 28 cm shallow baking tin.
3. Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour with the second egg.
5. Fold in half the remaining flour with the apples, bananas and sultanas.
6. Fold in the remaining flour with the apple juice.
7. Turn the mixture into the tin and smooth the top with a palette knife. 
8. Transfer to oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
9. Turn the cake out on to a wire rack to cool, then sprinkle with the chopped cashew nuts.
10. Cut into slices to serve.

Alternatives:
Try 2 grated pears instead of apples. Add a handful of chocolate pieces.


Makes: 20 slices
Prep time: 20 - 25 minutes
Cooking time: 45 - 50 minutes

Note: the slices freeze well. Pack them into a rigid, freezer container, cover and freeze. They will keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove as many as required and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.

Carrot cupcakes

For the cupcakes

• 130 g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 215 g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 175 ml vegetable oil, or any other neutral oil
• 65 g walnuts, chopped, plus extra to decorate
• 165 g carrots, grated (approximately 2 medium-large carrots)

For the icing

• 170 g thick cream cheese
• 65 g butter
• 125 g icing sugar
• 1/2 lemon, finely grated zest only
• 3/4 tbsp soured cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

For the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a cupcake pan or muffin tin with paper cases. 

2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ½ tsp salt and set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until thick and creamy. Slowly add the oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Fold in the dry ingredients, and once combined gently stir in the nuts and carrots. 

4. Divide the batter evenly among the paper cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of one cupcake comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool. 

5. For the icing: in a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and soft. Stir in the lemon zest, soured cream and vanilla extract. 

6. Pile the frosting into a piping bag and pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate with the extra chopped walnuts before serving. 

Makes 12 cupcakes

Peanut Butter Satay Stirfry

Satay sauce ingredients:

1/2 a small brown onion

1 small fresh red chilli pepper

1 garlic clove or 1 tsp crushed garlic (from a jar)

½ cup water

¼ cup (70g) of smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon each of peanut oil

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon Juice

½ teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

Stirfry ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 300g lean frying beef, sliced into strips
• 2 cups of selected vegetables (e.g. broccoli, peppers, carrots, mushrooms) cut into bite-sized pieces

Method:

1. Peel and finely chop half an onion.
2. Trim, rinse and finely chop the red chili pepper then crush the garlic clove.
3. Add the peanut oil into a mid-sized saucepan or wok and heat over a medium heat.
4. With your peanut oil ready to go it is time to add the finely diced onion. Continue cooking the diced onion until it becomes soft and golden (roughly 5 minutes) remembering to stir all the time.
5. Gradually stir in the crushed garlic and the finely diced red chili. Continue cooking until the mixture becomes aromatic (around 1 minute).
6. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, water, lemon juice, Balsalmic vinegar and brown sugar into the mix. Stir well to combine.
7. Add olive oil to wok/saucepan. Fry beef until lightly browned, stirring all the time.
8. Add vegetables and sauce to wok/saucepan. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes to heat vegetables and retain crunchiness. If you prefer softer vegetables stir-fry for 6 to 7 minutes.

Other serving suggestions:

You can use the same recipe to make a satay dipping sauce. Follow the method to step 5. Then

remove from heat and add the peanut butter into the mix. Stir well to combine. Once ready reheat the mixture over a low heat. Stir in the water, lemon juice, Balsamic vinegar and sugar. With all of the ingredients now in the saucepan continue cooking until the sauce thickens (3 minutes or so). Don’t forget to stir.

Alternatively you might like to try using the satay sauce as a marinade for satay sticks. Follow the same method as for dipping sauce. Try skewers with beef, chicken, pork, lamb or vegetables.

Makes 3/4c of sauce.

Delicious Fried Rice

Ingredients
1/3 cup peanut oil
4 large free-range eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon peanut oil, extra
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 medium-sized brown onion, finely diced
1/2 cup roughly chopped rindless bacon rashers or Chinese sausage
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons Shao Hsing wine
5 cups cooked medium-grain white rice
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 cup finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
3 teaspoons Maggi seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/2 large red chilli, finely sliced on the diagonal

Method

1. Heat oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly.
2. Pour beaten eggs into wok and cook for about 1 minute, lightly scrambling them and rotating the wok to ensure even cooking. When almost cooked through, carefully remove omelette from wok with a fish slice and drain on kitchen paper. Set aside.
3. Wipe out wok with kitchen paper, add extra oil and stir-fry ginger and garlic for 1 minute, or until very aromatic.
4. Add onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender.
5. Add bacon and stir-fry for a further minute, or until lightly browned.
6. Stir in sugar and wine, then stir-fry for 30 seconds.
7. Finally, add rice, reserved omelette, oyster sauce, spring onions, Maggi seasoning and sesame oil.
8. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until rice is heated through.
9. Roughly chop omelette into smaller pieces as you stir.
10. Divide rice between individual bowls and garnish with extra spring onions.
11. Combine soy sauce and chilli in a small bowl and serve on the side.

The first time Mark and I made this we used groundnut oil (instead of Peanut), didn't use the wine, didn't have Oyster sauce or sesame oil. Even with just soy sauce it made a yummy dinner. We threw in some frozen peas, carrots and peppers. An easy recipe to adapt depending on what you have handy.