Slow Cooking Summer…

I have to be honest, I’d never considered using a slow cooker in summer, however, following a meeting when quite a few members said they used them, it actually makes great sense. It’s too hot to be slaving over a hot oven, as well as the cost of switching it on! Focus on the now! It will be ready when you are and involves very little preparation time too! Win Win!!

Here are some simple recipes that you can try in your slow cooker, if you have any others that you regularly use and love, please share them in the comments. Also if you’re looking for even more ideas, why not head over to our Summer Sensation blog.

Pulled Pork



Serves 8
Cook on low for 8 hours (turning the meat after 4 hours)

4 lb joint of skinless pork shoulder
1 packet dried BBQ sauce mix

For marinade
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp mustard powder
2 crushed garlic cloves
3 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tsp light brown sugar
½ tsp dried thyme

Mix all of the above marinade ingredients and coat the pork shoulder, leave in the fridge to marinate.
Place the marinated pork in the slow cooker mix the dried BBQ sauce with 1/3 pt water and coat well.
Serve with your chosen accompaniments.

Hunters Chicken



Serves 4
Cook on Low for 6 hours

4 skinless chicken breasts
4 bacon medallions
½ onion chopped
2 crushed cloves garlic
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
½ lemon (juice only)
1 tbsp BBQ seasoning
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp granular sweetener

Wrap the chicken breast in the bacon (use a cocktail stick to hold) place in the slow cooker.
Make the BBQ sauce – Dry fry the onion and garlic until soft add the tinned tomato and puree and cook on high for 5 mins add all the other ingredients and simmer for 20 mins (either freeze or use)
Pour the mixture over the chicken.
If desired use a potato peeler and shave cheddar cheese to serve.
Serve with your chosen accompaniments

Gammon Joint




As big as you want
Serves as many as you want. delicious hot and cold

Cover the joint in water put in the slow cooker overnight
You could use diet coke instead of water.

BBQ Spare Ribs



Serves 4
Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours

2 racks of meaty pork spare ribs
1 tbsp smoked paprika
Good pinch of salt and pepper
1 finely chopped onion (or 1 tsp onion powder)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard
1 packet dried BBQ sauce mix (or use the BBQ sauce recipe for Hunters Chicken)

Mix all dry ingredients and rub into the ribs
Place in slow cooker and cover with BBQ sauce mix, reserve 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce mix to re-coat before grilling.
Finish the ribs on the grill/BBQ
Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Shawarma



Serves 4-6
3-4 hours in a slow cooker.
15 mins preparation.

6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon ground cumin.
1 tsp paprika.
½ tsp ground cinnamon.
½ tsp chilli flakes
juice of a lemon
1 tablespoon oil
pinch of salt and pepper.

Put the slow cooker on high and add the chicken. Cover with the lemon juice & oil. Add all the other ingredients and leave to cook.
Serve with raita or lemon yoghurt dip ( as raita but with lemon instead of mint), mini pitta, shredded lettuce, sliced peppers and tomato

Sticky Diet Coke Chicken



Serves 4-6
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours

6 boned and skinned chicken thighs or 4 large sliced chicken breasts
1 can diet coke
1 chopped red onion
mixture of peppers chopped
4 tbsp passata
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
generous pinch of salt and pepper
good shake of Worcester sauce
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp tomato puree

Fry the onion and chicken then add all the remaining ingredients and leave to cook. At the last minute stir in some sugar snap peas/mange tout and serve.

Smokey Shredded Beef



Serves 6
Cook for 8-10 hours on low

2-3 lbs beef brisket
1 tbsp thyme(fresh chopped or dried)
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 chopped onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1 packet dried BBQ sauce (Maggi/Schwartz )

Fry the onion and add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker and leave to cook. Delicious served with pittas/wraps or flatbread

So, there you go a few delicious low calorie slow cooker recipes to get you started, but if you fancy some more try typing “low calorie slow cooker recipes” into Google (or your preferred search engine) and have a look at all the ideas that will appear.

Or maybe you could invest in a new cookbook specifically for low calorie slow cooker recipes. One of our successful Diamond members Liz Dwyer (why not visit My Journey ….. Our Members Stories where you can read her story) recommends this particular one

And this is one of her favourites from the book “Chinese Chicken”, which she regularly makes during the warmer weather.

It’s better to go slow in the right direction, than fast in the wrong direction.

SIMON SINEK