My Top 5 Slow Cooker Recipes

It's no secret that I absolutely love my slow cooker it is hands down my favourite and most used kitchen appliance.

So today I thought I'd share with you my top 5 tried and tested slow cooker recipes for easy, tasty, slow cooked dinners.

Be sure to check out my Instagram and Facebook pages as I share a lot of recipes on there as well and have included links to more of my slow cooker recipes at the bottom of this post .... happy slow cooking!

Slow Cooked Chicken + Vegetable Curry

I have a Sunbeam Sear and Slow Cooker which means I can brown in it and then slow cook in it as well which is great as it means just one pot to wash up after dinner, it retains all those lovely flavours in the one pot and it makes it quicker and easier to prepare.

For these recipes if you have a normal slow cooker you can just brown in a pan and then add it to your slow cooker.

My Top 5 Slow Cooker Recipes

1.  An Old Favourite .... Slow Cooked Apricot Chicken

Apricot Chicken is a favourite dish from my childhood that I have adjusted with some added spices. Remember to always heat up spices before using them as this releases the flavour and brings them to life. 

RECIPE: Brown chicken thighs and chopped onion, celery and carrot. Add the spices - coriander, cumin and garam masala and heat until fragrant. Stir in a packet of french onion soup mix and a tin of apricots in juice and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove lid and cook on low until sauce thickens. I throw in some extra vegetables at the end like green beans and peas as these don't take long to cook. So tasty served over rice or couscous. 

Apricot Chicken

2.  When You're Feeling Fancy .... Slow Cooked Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore was the first dish I ever cooked for friends I think I was about 20 years old and they were over to watch a Big Brother finale on TV as I recall! I thought it was a very grown up dish as I got to cook with wine!!

RECIPE: Heat oil and brown chicken (thighs or drumsticks) and remove. Cook a chopped onion, celery, carrots and crushed garlic. Add the chicken back in with a jar of tomato passata, 1 cup of red wine, 1/2 a cup of chicken stock, mixed herbs, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Stir well, put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours. Add mushrooms and olives in last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve over creamy mashed potatoes and pour the remaining red wine into a glass and enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

3.  Easy As Slow Cooker Pulled Beef or Pork

I never knew how easy it was to do pulled beef or pork in the slow cooker and now that I do there's no stopping me! I make this dish quite often and serve with either hard tacos with salad, cheese, sour cream and salsa or with soft tortillas and a coleslaw.

RECIPE: Coat the beef or pork roast in a dry rub made from chilli powder, mixed herbs, salt and pepper (do this the night before if you can for extra flavour). Heat oil and brown the meat all over and then put in the slow cooker, lid on and cook on low for 6 hours. Just before serving remove the meat and shred with forks and then return shredded meat to slow cooker so it can soak up any juice in the pot and be delicious and tender. You can find my detailed recipe for Pulled Pork here.

Pulled beef tacos

Pulled pork tortillas

4.  Not Just A Sunday Roast ... Slow Cooker Turkey or Beef

Roasts are no longer just a Sunday treat we are now enjoying a roast and vegetables midweek because it's so easy to prepare. I am a fan of the chicken and turkey rolled roasts (like this turkey roast) as they're stuffed it keeps the meat tender. You must brown the meat well before slow cooking so it holds its shape - if you don't brown the meat it will fall apart and be more like shredded meat.

RECIPE: These roasts turkey (first photo) and beef (second photo) I cooked with the same method. Heated oil and browned it well all over and sat it on top of roughly chopped carrots, potatoes and onions. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours. I use some of the lovely cooking juices to make gravy and keep the rest of the juices to use as stock (it's a delicious stock to add to soup).

Rolled turkey roast with vegetables

Beef roast with vegetables

5.  Best Ever Pasta Sauce ... In the Slow Cooker

I can whip up a pretty quick pasta sauce on the stovetop but a pasta sauce slow cooked all day tastes amazing as it makes all the difference letting the tomatoes cook out for hours. 

RECIPE: Heat oil and cook crushed garlic, chopped chilli, finely chopped onion, carrot and celery. Add chopped chirozo or bacon for extra flavour and some Italian style sausages (skins removed and cut into bite size pieces) and brown. Add a cup of red wine, tin of tomatoes, jar of tomato pissata, mixed herbs and fennel seeds. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours. Add a handful of olives in the last 30 minutes. Cook pasta, drain and mix into your delicious tomato sauce and serve topped with cheese.

Sausage, Tomato + Olive Pasta

I have not given exact measurements for these recipes feel free to add a bit of this and a bit of that you can't really go wrong with one pot dinners like these. If you have any questions or want to know quantities please leave me a comment :)

What is your favourite slow cooker recipe?

Check out my other slow cooker recipes:

Best Ever Bolognese Sauce in Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Sausage Stroganoff
Slow Cooked Old Fashioned Curried Sausages
Slow Cooked Chinese Chicken Hot Pot
Slow Cooked Beef in Orange and Soy Sauce
Sear and Slow Cooker Recipes


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Recipe: Slow Cooker Asian Beef, Veggies + Rice

I love cooking with Asian flavors but usually I make a quick stir fry so I thought I'd make a stir fry style dinner in my slow cooker, that way I can set it in the morning and forget about it until dinner time.

This Asian Beef turned out so good, really tasty sauce, melt in the mouth tender meat, and with veggies added in the last few minutes and tasty garnishes, served on rice it is a simple and healthy mid week meal.

Slow Cooker Asian Beef, Veggies + Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large brown onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

500g chuck steak, thickly sliced

1/2 cup soy sauce (I use the salt reduced one)

1 cup beef stock

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 tbs ginger, finely grated

1/2 tsp Chinese five spice

1/2 tsp white pepper

To serve

1 cup frozen peas

Bok choy, stalks sliced (you can use any Asian green vegetable)

3 spring onions, sliced

1/2 cup cashews, lightly toasted

Fresh coriander leaves

Sesame seeds

Cooked rice

Method

Note: I have a sear a slow cooker which I fry/brown in first - you can use a frypan first and then transfer everything to the slow cooker (always brown the meat first to seal in the flavour and so it holds its shape and doesn't fall apart while slow cooking).

1.  Heat oil and brown meat on both sides, remove and set aside.

2.  Heat oil and fry onion and garlic for a few minutes.

3.  Add beef back into slow cooker.

4.  Add soy sauce, beef stock, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, Chinese five spice and white pepper. Give it a good stir.

5. Put lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

6. When you're ready to eat add the bok choy and peas to slow cooker and cook on low for 10-15 minutes with the lid on. Once the veggies are cooked through it's ready to serve.

To serve add cooked rice to bowl, top with Asian beef and veggies being sure to ladle lots of the lovely sauce over the rice, garnish with spring onions, cashews, coriander and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. 

Enjoy!

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Recipe: Fish Poached In Coconut Sauce

I have made this fish dish poached in coconut milk and spices a few times now and it is the perfect way to cook fish. Poaching is a quicker method than a traditional curry but you still get a delicious flavour without the fish drying out.

This is a perfect mid week dinner it's quick to make, with just a few ingredients and is super tasty - the coconut sauce will have everyone begging for seconds guaranteed!

Fish Poached In Coconut Sauce

Serves: 4
Original recipe source: Taste (this is my tried and tested and amended version of the recipe) 

Ingredients
1 tin coconut cream
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp sambal oelek (chilli paste)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 brown onion, finely chopped
4 x fillets of firm fish, cut into small chunks

To serve
Spring onions
Fresh coriander
Steamed Rice
Vegetables (I add mixed vegetables green beans, peas, cauliflower and broccoli)

Method

1. In a large pan heat oil and fry garlic and onion for a few minutes. Next add sambal oelek and cook for a few minutes.

2. Add to pan a tin of coconut cream, finely grated lemon zest and juice, fish sauce and brown sugar and turn up heat to bring to the boil, stirring often.  

3. Reduce heat to low and put the lid on and cook for about 20 minutes so flavours come together. 

4. Add fish and simmer gently, put the lid on and cook for about 10 minutes until fish is cooked through.

5. Meanwhile, cook steamed rice and vegetables (I add my vegetables to my rice cooker half way through and they cook perfectly).

When ready to serve spoon the rice into a bowl, top with vegetables, the fish and sauce and don't be shy about ladling on some extra spoonfuls of the delicious sauce, top with spring onions and fresh coriander.  Enjoy!

What's your favourite way to cook fish?


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Recipe: Chicken + Vegetable Laksa

I made this Chicken and Vegetable Laksa for dinner the other night and it was a winner - it was quick and easy and delicious so it's been added to my menu plan rotation as a tasty mid week dinner. 

With the added vegetables it's a hearty and filling meal in one and you can always add more spice and chilli if you want to warm up your belly on a cold night in!

Chicken + Vegetable Laksa

Serves 4

Ingredients

Peanut oil

Half a bbq chicken, shredded

2-3 tbs of laksa paste (or more if you like it hot!)

Red onion, sliced

2 cups of chicken stock

1 can of coconut milk

1 tbs palm sugar, grated

1 tbs fish sauce

2 tbs lime juice

200g dried vermicelli rice noodles 

Cup of mixed vegetables (I used green beans and chopped cauliflower, broccoli and carrot)

2 cups of bean sprouts

1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add laksa paste and cook stirring for a few minutes until fragrant. Add onion and cook for a few minutes. Stir in stock and bring to the boil.

2. Cook noodles in boiling water, drain, rinse and keep warm.

3. Add to the stock mixture the coconut milk, chicken and vegetables. Stir in sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until mixture is heated through (do not let boil) and the vegetables are cooked.

4. When ready to serve divide the cooked noodles amongst soup bowls, ladle the soup over the noodles, top with a generous amount of bean sprouts, spring onions and fresh coriander.

I can't get enough of soup during winter and it's nice to find a spicy variation to traditional soup recipes.

What's your favourite belly warming soup?

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Next Project Plan: Building A Deck

When we first moved into our beloved Jarrah Jungle we had a vision of building a deck and patio area off the back of the house that you could access via the kitchen and dining area so it will be like an extension of the house and give us more room when entertaining.

In preparation for the deck and as part of our kitchen renovation we knocked out a window and turned it into a doorway and installed french doors leading off the dining area.

These lovely doors have stayed locked and out of use for over 2 years as we await the next project of building the deck. Sadly up until now the doors lead to nowhere but a steep drop meters below so they are not used at all. But that is soon about to change!

The reason the deck is the last project we are tackling is because we had to wait for the subdivision of the backyard and the new boundary lines to be pegged out and retaining walls and fences to be installed because the deck will be built within the new fence boundary.

Our Local Council requires plans be submitted for the retaining wall, fence, deck and patio for building approval. We are no strangers to getting building permits through Council as we had to go through the same process when we built our garage extension and then again when we built our front limestone courtyard.

We are using a local company Germano Designs who were recommended to us and we have arranged an onsite meeting with them to go over our design ideas so they can draw up the plans and have them certified ready to submit to Council.

Isn't this the most perfect space for a deck to be built!

If there's one thing I've realised when it comes to renovating it's the planning stage that takes the longest time but as soon you know what you want and have all the boxes ticked to do it - the work itself doesn't take that long at all.

I have a feeling in just a few months, perfectly timed for the cold winter season to be over and when the warmer outside weather is here, that I may be sitting back on my shiny new deck enjoy a glass of wine and admiring our long term dreams becoming a reality!

It's funny the deck was one of the first projects we wanted to tackle with our renovations and 7 years on it is the very last project we are doing!

What are your long term home renovating dreams and goals?

 

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Book Review: Supercharged Green Juice and Smoothie Diet By Christine Bailey

This is a book review of Supercharged Green Juice and Smoothie Diet by Christine Bailey that was published by Nourish Books in December 2015.

Christine Bailey is based in London, England and is a nutritionist, speaker, chef, food and health consultant and author with over 18 years experience. Christine is the author of numerous health and recipe books and this is her latest publication.

I have recently purchased a new blender to make breakfast juice and smoothies in a bid to get healthy and was on the lookout for a recipe book when I came across this new release from renowned author Christine Bailey.

What I really like about this book and what sets it apart from others is it includes in every recipe a superfood to add to your drink to make it even better for you - from acai berry powder to seeds and herbs, there is a superfood for everyone and everything!

There is an index at the front with all the superfoods so you can go through and see what you might like to stock up on at the supermarket or health food stores. I found this especially useful to get my head around what type of superfood would work for me and my health needs.

At the back of the book the recipes are listed by the health benefits you want - from losing weight to boosting the immune system. Again, this is a really handy index I referred to when I was feeling especially flat on a Monday morning and needed an energy boost and pick me up or for a detox juice before a big night out!

I have been very hands on with this book and made a few recipes from it with plenty more that are flagged that I want to try. The recipes are mostly for green drinks made with green fruits or vegetables but there are a few non-green drinks made with beetroot, carrot, etc.

I love the images of each recipe they are vibrant and look so refreshing that no matter how tired I am it encourages me to chop, blend and whip up a drink concoction!

I recommend this book to any green drink fans, or first time juicer and smoothie makers, the easy to follow recipes and superfood information will have you feeling healthy in no time.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Supercharged Green Juice and Smoothie Diet can be purchased from the author here and Nourish Books

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given a hardcopy of this book published by Nourish Books to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[1st image via Christine Bailey, 2nd and 3rd images my own] 

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Recipe: Muesli + Banana Muffins

The other weekend I made a batch of these Muesli and Banana Muffins and they went down so well I made another lot this weekend just gone.

If you're after a muffin recipe that's tasty and healthy for you too then these are perfect. They are a little heavy as they have muesli in them but that means they are a filling snack and will get you through from morning tea until lunchtime!

Muesli + Banana Muffins

Source: Masterfoods, Inspiring Tastes Cookbook

Makes 12

2 cups self raising flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

2 cups muesli (not toasted, I used muesli with dried fruit)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 bananas, mashed

125g butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbs honey

1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lightly grease muffin pan or use muffin papers.

2. Combine the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, muesli and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

3. In another bowl mix together the banana, butter, eggs, honey and milk.

4. Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.

5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

6. Leave to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.

These are delicious fresh from the oven or pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds before serving so they are warm. 

You can cut them in half and spread some butter on for an extra nice treat!

What's your favourite muffin combination?

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A New Blender For Healthy Smoothies + Juices

One of my new year resolutions this year is to improve my health by eating more fruit and vegetables and to cut back on processed foods and sugar wherever possible.

I know what you're thinking another fad diet .... But this is not a diet it's more a lifestyle choice and it's a couple of months in now and Mr P and I are still sticking to it which is a good sign!

The turning point for me was when I watched That Sugar Movie an Australian movie about all the hidden and processed sugar in food - I always thought I was being healthy going for the 'low fat' options when in fact these have less fat but more sugar in them than standard food.

The only way to avoid hidden sugar is to make food and drinks from scratch wherever possible. The best place for us to start was to not buy any more packaged drinks (breakfast drinks like Up and Go and fruit juices) and make our own fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies.

The quickest and easiest way to make our own drinks is with a blender.

There are heaps of different blenders on the market and after a bit of research we found a large 2 Ltr Blender Kitchen Chef Mix Master which we purchased online with delivery for under $100 which is a good investment as it wasn't as expensive as a lot of blenders on the market.

The smaller blenders like Nutribullet only make 1 cup so it would take twice as long to make 2 breakfast smoothies for the both of us so the large 2 Ltr blender works really well for us.

I have discovered the vegetable smoothies can taste a little bitter and need sweetening up.

Fruit is great for sweetness and flavour but I need to be careful not to have too much because of the sugar content. Lots of people suggested sweetening the smoothies by adding coconut water which I must try. I also bought a vanilla flavoured protein powder which adds a bit of sweet flavour and also helps me feel full for longer.

I found a few smoothie recipes to try online with mostly green vegetables and a little bit of fruit.

This green veggie smoothie was packed full of goodness made with - kale, spinach, celery, apple, pear, banana, mint, water and ice. Some days I like it a bit more sweet and add a dried date.

I admit I love the milky smoothies for a bit of a treat they are really tasty.

This banana smoothie had lots of goodness in it made with - banana, pear, avocado, flaxseeds, cashews, almonds, milk and ice.

It is still early days but so far the breakfast smoothies are working really well for us.

Compared to having no breakfast to now having this boost of good food every morning has already improved how I feel.

This one has: Carrot, orange, watermelon, lemon, flaxseeds, protein powder, water and ice.

Every second weekend I wash, chop and bag up two weeks worth of smoothies, label them with the ingredients and put them into zip lock bags and into the freezer ready to go. Every weekend I chop up lots of fruit to last the week and put it into plastic containers in the fridge so it's easy to add a handful here and there.

Preparing the ingredients in advance has been a big help for early morning work days so it only takes a few minutes to grab a bag from the freezer, put it into the blender and add water or milk, seeds, protein powder or whatever extras we feel like having that day.

There are so many combinations you can make as well it's quite an adventure coming up with different combinations.

The worse combination I've had so far is when Mr P didn't eat his salad for dinner so blended it up for our breakfast smoothie the next day ... Spinach, lettuce, cucumber, capsicum, tomato, red onion, carrot, corn and a boiled egg .... I was not impressed when I found out about the egg in my smoothie it just wasn't the same as having eggs for breakfast in a traditional way!

This one has: Frozen raspberries, watermelon, orange, coconut, cinnamon and ice.

Other than the salad and egg incident I am loving my homemade breakfast smoothies and juices!

My favourite combinations are the fruity ones with watermelon, orange and frozen berries.

What's your favourite smoothie combination ?

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Recipe: Scallopini Veal Cutlets

Earlier this week I wrote a book review of Fremantle's Family Cookbook by Peter Vinci

Well I can't do a cookbook review without cooking from it right!

So I picked this delicious main course recipe for Scallopini (Veal Cutlets) with a creamy mushroom sauce that is too tasty not to share with you all. 

Now I know sometimes veal can be hard to find or not to everyone's taste so you could use pork for this recipe as well. 

Scallopini (Veal Cutlets)

Fremantle's Family Cookbook
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 Veal scallopini (2 per person)
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp chives, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 sage leaves
2 tbsp marsala
2 tbsp white wine
2 tbsp water or chicken stock
1/4 cup cream  (optional, but makes the sauce extra creamy)
Olive oil

Method

1.  Season the veal with salt and pepper and lightly coat with plain flour. Heat up a fry pan with olive oil.

2. In a saucepan add the olive oil, butter, garlic, shallot, mustard, sage, mushrooms, marsala, white wine and water/chicken stock. Saute until the mushrooms are brown. When the sauce is about to come to the boil, add the cream, tarragon and chives.

3. Add veal to the hot pan and cook for 3 minutes or until golden.

4. Serve veal with generous spoonfuls of the creamy mushroom sauce on top.

Enjoy with a side of potatoes and tomatoes roasted with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper
..... and a bottle of wine!

This is the kind of dish you can make for a dinner party for guests or a special meal at home, it's simple with just a few ingredients, but you will wow them with the delicious and rich flavours.

What's your favourite dinner party dish?

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Recipe: Salmon + Vegetable Pasta Bake

I'm sure we all have those days when we get home after a long day out and realise there is nothing in the fridge for dinner ..... so it's going to be a dinner with whatever I can find in the pantry/freezer kind of night!

This Salmon and Vegetable Pasta Bake is my go to dinner when I'm in that situation as I always have these staple ingredients in my pantry and freezer. 

Salmon and Vegetable Pasta Bake
Serves 4

300g dried pasta, penne or bowties
Brown onion, finely chopped
Celery, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 cups frozen pea, corn, carrot mix (or other frozen vegetables)
2 tbs plain flour
3 cups milk, warmed
2 tbs butter
415g can red salmon
Juice from half a lemon
2 cups tasty cheese, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Cracked pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180 fan forced and you will need a large oven proof baking dish.

2. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water, drain and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a large pot and add onion and celery, cook stirring for a few minutes until softened. 

4. Add flour and cook stirring until bubbling. Gradually add the warm milk, stirring with a whisk to remove any lumps. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes until thickened. 

5. Add to the white sauce the tin salmon and break up any lumps. Stir in the cooked pasta, frozen veggie mix, half the cheese, lemon juice, parsley, lots of cracked pepper and mix well.

6. Spoon into baking dish and top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until cheese melts and top is golden.

Serve a hearty bowl of this pasta bake with some soft crusty bread .... enjoy!

This dinner will be on the table in less than an hour, tastes great and makes enough for leftover lunches for the next day!

What's your go to pantry/freezer staples recipe?

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A Newlyweds Christmas ... Merry Kissmas!

I change my Christmas decorating theme every year depending on what's happening in the Jarrah Jungle home and so far over the years I've had .....

2009 - Our first Christmas

2010 - Christmas when renovation 

2011 - Christmas tree blue and silver

2012 - Christmas tree with pink, purple, blue and silver

Plus a Christmas vignette and Merry Mantle

2013 - Christmas tree with pink, purple, blue and silver

2014 - Decorating with a bright and happy vibe

In 2015 I'm going with a newlyweds theme because it's Mr P and I's first Christmas 

as husband and wife. Plus my word for 2015 is "LOVE" so it's the perfect theme!

Every year Mr P mentions that our Christmas tree is far too big for the house and every year I gush about how much I love it and it's not going anywhere!

This year the Christmas Tree is decorated with blues, purples, pinks and silver.

I've decorated with special decor from the engagement and wedding including my DIYed wedding bouquet

I'm not afraid to use lots of bright colours around the house as you can see even my wall art has had the festive treatment this year!

My gallery wall of art has had a bit of a change up with the addition of my custom Jarrah Jungle art from Minted.

Special ornaments from our honeymoon travels across the USA take pride of place here too.

My DIY painted birdcage has made an appearance again with baubles and birds.

I've created a couple of vignettes in the dining room and living room too.

My kitchen is looking bright and festive with it's Christmas shelfie and the dining room table is laid with Christmas cheer!

And I couldn't forget to decorate outside, now that I've added some pots and plants to the front path it's looking much more inviting by the front door.

I love seeing the Christmas tree and all the decorations up in the house it makes me excited for the Summer holidays and festivities ahead.

Now I need to finish shopping and wrap some presents to put under the tree!

How are you decorating for Christmas this year?

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