The post Tasty Autumnal Slow Cooker Meals first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>Campfire Stew
What could be more cosy than sitting around a campfire, warming up your hands in the autumn and even winter seasons? Not much, we say.
But if you don’t fancy camping out, you could recreate that comfortingly, fuzzy feeling by cooking up something equally warming – this campfire stew. Made with gammon and plenty of veg, this stew, says BBC Good Food, is full of goodness, delivering four of your five-a-day. It can also be cooked in a slow cooker, says the site – winner, winner, campfire dinner!
Sausage Casserole
Containing parsnips, onions and a dollop or two of Branston Pickle (yes, really!), this warming and hearty sausage casserole is a real hit at this time of year. My Appliances’ content writer, Lauren, loves it. She says it’s a failsafe, family recipe in autumn and winter. “It always goes down a treat, regardless of who I serve it to.” While it’s filling enough on its own, Lauren adds, “sometimes I serve it with wedges, baked potatoes or homemade mash – it always hits the spot when you’re craving something hearty.”
You could swap meat-based sausages for vegetarian ones, too, if you follow a plant-friendly lifestyle. Find the recipe on the Good Housekeeping site and see if you too will love it as much as Lauren.
Slow Cooker Irish Stew
Fancy something different for tea tonight? How about this slow cooked Irish stew? Recipes like this one are ideal for batch cooking as well; simply make a big pot, wait for it to cool and add it to your freezer in individual portions, ready to take out and reheat when required.
Ingredients include lamb neck fillets, Chantenay carrots, Charlotte potatoes, leeks, and more – the perfect autumnal recipe for those cosy nights in.
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
A slow-cooked chicken? Yes please.
The Foodie Crush website has the recipe and we think it’ll be the perfect alternative to your standard roast chicken dinner. The recipe features paprika, carrots, potatoes, garlic, parsley, and more – and, of course, you can switch up some of its harder-to-find ingredients (see the full list via the link above) with a few of your own favourite substitutes. Think about trying this recipe this weekend and see what the whole family thinks.
Sweet Potato and Pesto Slow Cooker Bread
We love cooking bread in the slow cooker and we think you will too. This sweet potato and pesto variety can be eaten as a snack, smothered in plenty of butter, or it can be enjoyed as a delicious accompaniment to your main meal. You could even dip it in soup to liven up your usual leek and potato or carrot and coriander – the possibilities are endless.
Until next time…
You might also like:
Comforting Pasta Dishes for Autumn
Easy, Post-School Evening Meals
The post Tasty Autumnal Slow Cooker Meals first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>The post Comforting Pasta Dishes for Autumn first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>There are so many pasta dishes to choose from, each one deliciously tempting in its own way. We’ve selected some of our top pasta dishes for you to dig into this autumn, featuring seasonal ingredient favourites like pumpkin, squash, mushrooms and more.
Read on…
Cauliflower Cheese and Greens Pasta Bake
Cauliflower cheese is a classic comfort food for a reason. Not only is it smothered in moreish cheese, but it’s wholesome and filling and counts toward your five-a-day.
This cauliflower cheese and greens pasta bake takes regular cauliflower cheese (pictured above) and adds wholewheat pasta to the mix for even more tasty and nutritious goodness. This recipe also features two types of cheese, as well as cauliflower leaves to give the dish some extra colour.
It’s all baked in the oven for 10 minutes or so until it’s golden and bubbling. Enjoy!
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Pumpkins can be enjoyed this season in far more than just lattes and pies. When puréed, their texture becomes creamy, which is perfect for combining with cheese and making a pasta sauce base.
Do give this creamy pumpkin pasta recipe a try. You’ll mix blended pumpkin with tomato purée, milk and mascarpone to create a delightfully silky sauce, then pour it over short pasta of your choice. Season it all with parmesan, and you’re ready to dig in.
Porcini Risotto
Autumn is the season of the porcini mushroom, whose distinctive earthy flavour has given it a prized spot in Italian cuisine. One such Italian dish is porcini risotto, a cosy meal often made and enjoyed in the autumn.
Try your hand at making your own porcini mushroom risotto. This recipe can be made in just under an hour, which includes the time needed to soak the porcini mushrooms. You’ll also be cooking the risotto rice with the water used to soak the mushrooms, as it’s packed with rich umami flavour.
Butternut Squash and Sage Macaroni Cheese
Macaroni cheese is another classic comfort food, one that’s simple but can still be modified and elevated to your heart’s desire. It’s also an easy, vegetarian friendly meal you can serve up to the little ones.
This macaroni cheese recipe adds a healthy twist with its use of seasonal butternut squash, which, just like pumpkin, adds a creaminess to the dish. This macaroni cheese is also flavoured with a touch of sage, the ultimate autumn herb.
Creamy Mushroom, Sprout and Chestnut Pasta Bake
We’re ending this list with another delicious and comforting pasta bake dish, one that’s also generous with the mushrooms and wonderful to dig into during the cooler days.
Creamy, nutty and bursting with texture and flavour, this mushroom, sprout and chestnut pasta bake is warming and filling. The recipe calls for both chestnuts and chestnut mushrooms, as well as brussels sprouts, parmesan and mozzarella and herbs like thyme and freshly ground nutmeg.
Will you be trying any of these recipes? Let us know by commenting on this blog post (below).
Until next time…
The post Comforting Pasta Dishes for Autumn first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>The post Easy, Post-School Evening Meals first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>So you don’t have to; we’ve gone ahead and selected our favourite post-school meals to make for your children in a snap. Read on…
Pasta with Salmon and Peas
Salmon and peas? Yes please! Mix them in with fun-shaped pasta like fusilli or even tagliatelle (pictured), which requires practically little to no effort to prepare, and you’ve got yourself a wholesome, balanced meal you can make in just under 20 minutes.
This pasta with salmon and peas recipe is great for ensuring your kids make progress toward getting their five-a-day in. It’s also filled with all the nutrient-rich goodness of salmon, perfect for restoring your children’s energy after a long day at school.
Fish Pie
This fish pie recipe is a great option to feed very young children, with portions that you can freeze in ramekins to heat up throughout the week. This recipe is sure to be a hit with the rest of your family too.
Packed with veg, cheese and creamy potatoes, this is a warming dish that will quickly satisfy hungry tums. This recipe even uses fish pie mix so you don’t have to make it from scratch. That’s one less thing to worry about when it comes to your dinner prep!
Spaghetti Bolognese
Another easy breezy pasta dish, this family-friendly spaghetti bolognese recipe can be prepared in under an hour, with most of the cook time devoted to ensuring the beef mince cooks sufficiently into that comforting meat sauce kids will enjoy.
This spaghetti bolognese recipe has the perfect blend of onion, garlic, herbs, mushrooms and tomato beef sauce. Even the pickiest eaters will find themselves reaching for seconds.
Chicken and Veg Bowl
This chicken and veg bowl recipe is so easy to put together, extremely filling and as healthy as it is colourful. You can even get your children involved in putting together this dish by having them help with grating the carrots, slicing the red peppers or even just washing the veg for you.
The vegetables featured in this recipe includes edamame beans or peas, sweetcorn, carrots, red peppers, an avocado and a lemon. It’s all served over brown basmati rice with sliced chicken breasts and hoisin sauce for a rainbow dish that ensures your kids get their five-a-day.
Toad-in-the-Hole
Classic toad-in-the-hole is easy to make (and in no time at all) and great for the little ones with simpler palates. It’s also extremely filling and budget-friendly, which gives it even more brownie points in our book.
This toad-in-the-hole recipe uses just a simple batter that’s flavoured with thyme. Pork sausages are fried in sunflower oil until deliciously golden brown, then added to the batter and cooked in the oven for 30 minutes for that perfect crispy, puffy goodness.
Will you be giving any of these recipes a try this week or next?
Until next time…
The post Easy, Post-School Evening Meals first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>The post Simple One-Pot Dinner Ideas first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>That’s where one-pot meals come in. Using just a single piece of cookware, you can create a tasty dinner while also cutting back on the washing up.
Interested? Then here are five easy one-pot dinner ideas for you to try…
Chilli Macaroni Cheese
No matter how old you are, a warm bowl of macaroni cheese is never not comforting. Similarly, we can’t think of a cosier, warming dish than chilli. So why not combine the two?
That’s exactly what this recipe does. Spicy, flavoursome chilli combines with creamy macaroni cheese for an indulgent midweek meal that only requires a single pot to make. Better yet, you can freeze portions of this chilli macaroni cheese to enjoy throughout the week.
Chicken, Kale & Mushroom Pot Pie
Great for sharing, a warm, savoury pot pie is perhaps the tastiest and most comforting one-pot meal you’ll try. Add in some veg and protein and you’ve got yourself a substantial and satisfying dinner for the whole family.
This chicken, kale and mushroom pot pie recipe ticks all the boxes above. Despite its appearance, it’s incredibly simple to make, addicting and sure to become your go-to one-pot recipe.
Creamy Lemon and Spinach Ravioli
Pasta is another dish that’s perfect for making in a single pot. Toss in all your desired ingredients along with the noodles, and your dinner’s already ready, no extra prep required.
This creamy lemon and spinach ravioli is as easy and simple to make as that, as you just need store-bought ravioli, vegetable stock, frozen veg, cheese and a zested and juiced lemon.
This is a dish suitable for vegetarians, but even non-vegetarians will enjoy this creamy and nutritious one-pot meal.
Tomato Orzo
If you have a surplus of tomatoes you’re looking to use up, or if you want to work toward achieving your five-a-day, then give this tomato orzo recipe a go. It consists of orzo pasta, a wholesome tomato-based sauce and a garnish of fresh parsley and parmesan.
In addition to being packed with veg, this one-pot pasta dish is low in both calories and fat, making it a nutritional option to add to the dinner table.
Prawn and Noodle Stir-Fry
Because they can be made in a single wok or pan, stir-fries are the ultimate one-pot dish. And because they’re so easy to make and can be customised to your heart’s desire, we’re certain they’ll become your favourite one-pot dish to make. This prawn and noodle stir-fry combines silky egg noodles, crispy pak choi and savoury king prawns for a delicious Asian-inspired meal you can rustle up in minutes. It’s also got enough of a Sriracha kick for the chilli aficionado while still being mild enough for everyone
Until next time…
The post Simple One-Pot Dinner Ideas first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>The post Back to School Lunch Box Ideas first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
]]>From pastas and salads to sandwiches and even desserts, here are a few tasty yet healthy school lunch ideas that will energise your kids throughout their day.
Pasta Salad
Starchy foods help to fill your kids’ bellies up while also lending them energy to focus on their lessons and keep up with their peers at playtime. Mix in some protein so they stay full longer, and you’ve got a nourishing, balanced meal on your hands.
Pasta salad has plenty of carbs and can also be customised to add your choice of proteins, be it ham, prawn, eggs or cheese. You can also add in plenty of mixed cooked veg so your kids can get their five-a-day with ease.
Houmous Snack Pack
Support your child’s growing bones with a diet packed with protein and calcium. Snacks like yoghurt, cheese and houmous help achieve this goal, and are great for padding out a lunch box.
Try out this easy hummus snack pack recipe, which includes homemade houmous that you can whip up using liquid from a can of chickpeas. Serve it alongside vegetable crudités, and you’ve got a healthy, colourful vegan snack to please any child.
Cheesy Quesadilla with Rainbow Salad
This isn’t your typical sandwich recipe. These cheesy Mexican quesadillas are sure to be a hit, especially with picky eaters. They consist of just three ingredients: a large white tortilla, grated cheddar and a spring onion. Of course, you can add or take away their own favourite/not so favourite ingredients.
The bulk of this recipe is the bean salad, bursting with a colourful array of wholesome veggies like yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes and carrots. The star of the show, though, is the protein-rich three-bean salad, which consists of kidney beans, green beans and garbanzo beans.
Super-Salad Wraps
What do you get when you combine a sandwich with a salad? Why, a salad wrap, of course. It’s the perfect meal to pack into a lunch box, as you don’t need to devote extra space to pack a separate salad.
Vegetarian wraps needn’t be boring for your kids either. Add in plenty of crunchy veg like lettuce and cucumbers for texture, as well as cheddar and houmous for flavour, and you have yourself a super-salad wrap that’s as super-tasty as it is healthy. Do give it a try!
Fruity Skewers with Yoghurt Dip
If you want to help your child get their five-a-day while also satisfying their sweet tooth, fruits are the way to go. And if your little one is fussy about eating their fruit, then sticking it onto a skewer can make it fun for them. You can even get your kid involved in making their fruit skewers, from choosing their desired fruits to helping chop them up (with your supervision, of course). You can also make a sweet yoghurt dip for the skewers using just plain yoghurt, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
Will you be trying any of these recipes out for school lunch boxes?
Until next time…
The post Back to School Lunch Box Ideas first appeared on MyAppliances Blog.
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