PREP: 20 mins
SLOW COOKER: 6hrs (low) 3 hrs (med) OR 1½ hrs (high)

This is a great EASY tasty sauce for pasta that also works well in lasagne as well. Make a double batch and you've pretty much made two meals. This is a recipe that has evolved over the years, I haven't found anyone who doesn't like it, and it packs a pretty good vege hit.

INGREDIENTS:
500 grams Lean minced Beef
1 Onion, chopped
4 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon Garlic, crushed
1 tin Tomato Soup (generic is fine)
2 sticks Celery, chopped
1 cup Pumpkin, chopped
1 cup Carrot, chopped
Plus any other vegetable you like. Photograph has added spinach leaves.
1 teaspoon Italian Herbs
1 cup dry White Wine
1 tablespoon Chicken Stock powder

1. Brown the mince.
- Heat a frying pan and add the mince and onion. Chop the mince up with a spatula until it is all cooked. OR
- Break the mince up in a microwave safe container. Add the chopped onion. Cover and cook. Break up the mince with a fork every minute or so. When brown, drain off any fat.

2. Add mince to the slow cooker then add all the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

3. Cook on low for approx 6 hours, 3 hours on medium or 1½ hours on high.

Serve with spaghetti, any shaped pasta or make into a lasagne.

PREP: 10mins COOK: 1 hour
SLOW COOKER: 8hrs (low) 4hrs (med) OR 2hrs (high)

INGREDIENTS
500grams Steak, chopped
4 rashers Bacon, chopped
1 can Minestrone Soup (or tomato based)
1 small can Chickpeas
½ small Sweet Potato, peeled & chopped
1 teaspoon Beef/Chicken Powdered Stock
1 teaspoon Mixed Herbs
Salt and Pepper
½ cup Water

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and stir. Cook for 8 hours on low, 4 hours on medium or 2 hours on high.

OR Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place all ingredients in a baking dish and stir. Cook in the oven for 1 hour.

PREP: 5 mins COOK: 40mins
SLOW COOKER: 6hrs (low) 3 hrs (med) OR 1½ hrs (high)

INGREDIENTS:
Cream of Chicken Soup
(or any flavoured soup that takes your fancy)
500g Chicken Breasts
Herbs
Add ½ cup Water (if using a slow cooker)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish. Poor soup over the chicken. Add half a teaspoon of herbs and mix. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

OR Place all ingredients in slow cooker and simmer for 6 hours on low, 3 hours on medium OR 1½ hours on high.

PREP: 5 mins COOK: 40mins
SLOW COOKER: 6hrs (low) 3 hrs (med) OR 1½ hrs (high)

INGREDIENTS:
Chunky soup (this one uses Heinz Very Vegetable & Lentils)
500g Chicken Breasts, chopped chunky
Herbs
Add ½ cup Water (if using a slow cooker)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish. Poor soup over the chicken. Add half a teaspoon of herbs and mix. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

OR Place all ingredients in slow cooker and simmer for 6 hours on low, 3 hours on medium OR 1½ hours on high.

PREP: 10 mins COOK: 1½ hours
SLOW COOKER: 10 hours (low) OR 4 hours (high)

Serves 5. This recipe is very easy to make and is full of flavour.

INGREDIENTS:
400grams Chicken
4 medium Potatoes
2 medium Carrots
1 Onion, chopped
100ml Sour Cream
1 packet French Onion Soup
1 tin Cream of Chicken Soup (or Cream of Celery Soup)
½ cup Water

Preheat oven to 180°C. Peel and chop potatoes, carrots and onion. Cube the raw chicken. Mix all ingredients together in an oven proof casserole dish or in a slow cooker. Bake for 1½ hours in the oven, or 10 hours (on low) or 4 hours (on high) in a slow cooker.

Serve with green vegetables, rice or toast.

PREP: 5 mins COOK: 45 mins
SLOW COOKER: 6hrs (low) 3hrs (med) OR 2hrs (high)

INGREDIENTS:
Lamb chump chops (any lamb cut will do)
2 tablespoons Apricot Jam
1 can Cream of Celery soup


Preheat oven to 180°C. Place Lamb in an oven dish. Cover lamb with Apricot Jam and then pour Soup over the top. Try not to mix the soup in.

Cover and bake for 45 mins in oven or if you want to be super organised I do mine in a slowcooker for 5 hours on low.

NOTE: Basically you can use any lamb chop but I find that the less bone the better.

PREP: 5 mins COOKING: 8 hours

INGREDIENTS
Your choice of roast meat
Potatoes

In a slow cooker spray some oil on the base of bowl. Place peeled potatoes then your roast meat on top. Cover and set the temperature to low and let it cook. The meat is always beautiful and tender and the potatoes soak up the juices. I even sometimes put the meat in frozen!

PREP: 30mins COOK: 1 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS
500g beef chuck Steak, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
1 Carrot, sliced
1 teaspoon crushed Garlic
1 teaspoon chopped Parsley (or Herbs)
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
½ teaspoon French Mustard
½ cup dry Red Wine
½ cup Beef Stock

SCONES FOR TOPPING
1 cup Self Raising Flour
20 grams Butter
1 tablespoon chopped Parsley (or Herbs)
1/3 cup Milk
1 Egg, lightly beaten or extra Milk

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Heat oil in frying pan and add Beef, cook until brown. Put beef into an oven proof dish with a lid. Put Onions, Carrots and Garlic in frying pan and cook until onions are soft then add to oven proof dish. Stir in Parsley, Tomato Paste, Mustard, Wine and Beef Stock. Cover and bake, covered for 1 ¼ hours.

SCONE TOPPING
Increase temperature on the oven to 180 degrees.
Sift Flour into bowl and rub in Butter with the tips of your fingers. Stir in Parsley and enough Milk to make a soft dough. Sprinkle some flour on a bench and knead the dough until it is smooth. Roll dough until it is 2cm thick and use a scone cutter or cut 5cm circles.

Place scones onto the top of casserole and brush with Egg or Milk. Bake in oven for a further 15 minutes.

PREP: 20mins COOK: 1 ½ hours
SLOW COOKER: 8hrs (low) 4hrs (med) OR 2hrs (high)

INGREDIENTS
1kg Beef Chuck Steak, chopped
Flour
1 Onion, chopped
2 Bacon Rashers, chopped
1 Beef Stock cube
2 cups Water
½ Sweet Potato, chopped
200grams Potatoes
1 tablespoons chopped Thyme
2 teaspoons Tomato Paste

Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat oil frying pan and add Onion and Bacon. Cook until onion is soft then removed from dish. Meanwhile, cover Beef in Flour and shake off excess. Add a little more oil to frying pan and add Beef and cooked until brown.

Place beef, bacon and onion in an oven dish with a lid. Stir in crumbled Beef Stock Cube and Water. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and add Sweet Potato, Potatoes and Thyme. Bake for 1 hour. Stir in Tomato Paste before serving.

PREP: 10mins COOK: 50 minutes
Slow Cooker: 6hrs (low) 3hrs (med) OR 2hrs (high)

INGREDIENTS:
500grams Chuck Steak, cubed
(can also use chicken pieces, chicken breasts, lamb or lamb chops)
400gram can Tomatoes
1 tablespoon of Masterfoods Moroccan Seasoning
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 Onion, sliced
2 cloves Garlic, sliced
¾ cup Stock (any sort is fine, except fish)
Grated zest from ¼ of a Lemon
1 teaspoon Sugar
½ cup CousCous

Place all ingredients (except CoucCous) in a slow cooker and stir. Cook for 6 hours on low, 3 hours on medium or 2 hours on high.

OR Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place all ingredients (except CoucCous) in a baking dish and stir. Cook in the oven for approximately 50 minutes.

Add CousCous and cook for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with toasted turkish bread.

NOTE: You can also leave out the couscous and just serve it over rice.

INGREDIENTS:
Corned Beef/Silverside
2 tablspoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 sprigs Fresh Mint (or one tablespoon Mint Sauce)
1 or 2 Onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 or 3 Carrots, chopped chunky

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker or deep oven dish. Fill with water until meat is just covered. Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 to 12 hours. Medium for 6 to 8 hours. Or High for 3 to 4 hours. OR in oven on 180°C for 1½ hours.

NOTE: If you wish you can omit the onions and add potatoes for a ready-made meal when you get home.

Mustard Cheese Sauce

PREP & COOKING: 5 mins

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon Flour
1 tablespoon Butter or Margarine
1 cup Milk
2 teaspoons Wholegrain Mustard (or 1 teaspoon normal mustard)
½ cup Grated Cheese

Melt Butter or Margarine in small saucepan. Take off heat and add Flour and mix until smooth. Return to heat until it starts bubbling then remove from heat. Add Milk gradually mixing it in. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens (do not boil).

Add Cheese and Mustard and stir until cheese melts.

PREP: 10mins I SLOW COOKER: 10hrs (low) OR 4-5hrs (high)

INGREDIENTS
Corned Beef/Silverside
10 Cloves
½ cup Brown Sugar
4 Bay Leaves
2 tablespoons Vinegar (Malt/Brown Vinegar is best)

Push Cloves into and around the Corned Beef. (Use a sharp knife to cut slits into the meat to help slide them in.) Place Corned Beef in slow cooker and cover with warm water. Add remaining ingredients and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Remove cloves before slicing up to serve.