Category: Recipes

Chocolate Chili???

I tried out a new recipe tonight for chili.  I’ve heard of people putting chocolate in chili but I wasn’t convinced.  Apparently it gives it a smoothness and velvetiness.  Overall, it was really nice and you couldn’t taste the chocolate.  Unfortunately, I over-cocked the cloves, which is something I don’t know how to reverse.  I will definitely make it again but I will half the amount of cloves.  As suggested, I served it with warmed tortillas and sour-cream.

Here is the recipe:  It comes from one of my favourite Slow Cooker Books – Ultimate Slow Cooker by Sara Lewis, which I strongly recommend.  I use it all the time.  This is in no way a sponsored post.

Enjoy!

Click on the image to enlarge

Slow Cooker Green Thai Chicken Curry

I know some people think they’re Retro but I love my slow cooker and I use it about 3 times a week.  I work in the afternoons so it’s perfect.  I lump everything in it in the morning and switch it on before I head out.  It saves me rushing around trying to cook in the midst of Madame’s bedtime routine.  My husband and I found that we were eating later and later so now as soon as she is in bed dinner is served.

I thought I would start compiling a few of my favourite recipes.  The lovely Dawn at the The Moiderer is also compiling a list and has some slow cooker tips so do pop over and check out some of the recipes.  She also has a Mclinky so you can add your own recipes as well.  I quite fancy trying the Creamy Pesto Chicken.

My only tip is always brown meat before you put it in even if the recipe doesn’t call for it.

Without further ado…here is my first recipe.

 

Slow Cooker Green Thai Chicken Curry

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Thai
Author: Mediocre Mum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Thai Green Chicken Curry
Ingredients
  • 455 g of diced chicken breast
  • One sachet of Sharwood’s Thai Green Curry Paste
  • 400 ml can of coconut milk
  • 250 ml chopped green beans
  • 250 ml chopped cauliflower
  • 1/2 a red pepper chopped
  • 2 teaspoons of sugar
Instructions
  1. Brown the chicken for a few minutes in a frying pan.  Then throw it all into the slow cooker mix well.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with basmati rice and naans for dipping.
  2. Enjoy!

Dee-licious Fish Pie

I don’t normally post recipes as I can’t cook but this one was delicious. The key is using SMOKED haddock. I would have used my own photo but it didn’t stick around long enough.

Photo Credit

Ingredients

2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of flour
1 pint of milk
1 lb of SMOKED haddock: Skinned and cubed
4 oz frozen peas
1 small can of sweet corn
2 eggs, hardboiled and chopped
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled, diced, and cooked
1 tsp of dried parsley
2 oz cheese, grated

Method

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the flour, make a roux, and stir for a minute or two. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until it thickens.
2. Add the fish, peas, sweet corn, eggs, and parsley, season with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Place in an ovenproof casserole dish
4. Mash the potatoes with a bit of butter and milk and spoon onto the fish mixture
5. Sprinkle over the cheese and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes at 180 degrees.
6. Serve with some baked beans or crusty bread

Extra tip: add ½ tsp of grated lemon rind and a tsp of toasted cumin seeds to filling sauce and if you don’t like sweetcorn you can use fried mushrooms.  Thanks @hizzary.

Tired of deciding what to cook for dinner?

I am! This is where the inspiration came from.  I tend to do my shopping on a Monday and find myself trolling recipe books on Sunday night or Monday morning before I head to Morrison’s (yes, we slum it) and not being a natural in the kitchen doesn’t help.

It won’t generate recipes or create a shopping list for you but it will eliminate the need to make any decisions.  Hooray!  One less thing to worry about!

Start by deleting my list.  Then add all your regular meals, the main ingredient (pork, chicken, fish, etc) and then click the Random Meal Generator button and it will suggest 5 meals.  It took me all of 5 minutes to add my meals.  You may also want to add the odd sneaky take-away or possibly a new meal idea so it forces you to try something new.  Don’t forget to save it to your machine so you can add to it and make changes.

Don’t worry, if you’re not a meat eater, just add your own main ingredients (soya, quorn, falafel, quiche or risotto) and it still works.  No idea how, but it does!

Click on the image:

If you get a message about macros..you will need to go into tools>macros>security…choose medium and then enable macros.

I really can’t take credit for this…yes, I did come up with the idea but lovely James (@syzygy), who has a strange attraction to excel, did all the hard work for me.  If you find it useful please do drop him a quick tweet to say thanks!

I hope I saved you 5 minutes!