Slow-cooker winter recipes – Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Benefits of slow cooking

Colder months mean two things: dreading getting out of bed on a winter’s morning and delicious hot food to warm the colder nights. To help you get through an Australian winter, we’ve got together our favourite breakfast, lunch and dinner slow-cooker recipes.

Some of the advantages of using a slow cooker include:

• Preparation requires much less effort – simply put it in and walk away
• More servings per batch – you can make meals for the whole week in one go

Most electrical retailers or home appliance stores will stock electric slow cookers.

Breakfast - Banana, macadamia and apple oatmeal

Preparation time: 5 – 10 minutes

Cook time: Overnight or 8hrs

Ingredients:

• Bananas
• Macadamia
• steel cut oats
• Milk (of your choice)
• Water

Ratio of ingredients: 1 banana/1 cup of steel cut oats/2 cups milk/2cups water, and macadamias for your favourite level of crunch!

Instructions:

Step 1 - Mash your banana

Step 2 - Pour all the ingredients into your slow-cooker and mix thoroughly

Step 3 - Leave it on low overnight or for 8 hours

Step 4 - Serve with slices of fresh banana and apple

Step 5 - Add some cinnamon

Lunch – Spicy bean chilli

Preparation time: 5 – 15 mins

Cook time: Morning till lunch (4hrs on high) or overnight (8hrs on low)

Ingredients:

• Minced meat (check the ingredients are just meat)
• Canned tomatoes
• Beans (such a variety to choose from – kidney beans, black-eyed peas, navy beans)
• Corn
• Capsicum
• Brown onion
• White onion
• Garlic
• Chilli powder/flakes/chillies/paprika
• Peppers
• Olive oil

Ratios: 500g mincemeat/1 x 800g tin tomatoes/1 x 800g tin of beans/2 x large capsicum

Note: If you think your ratio might leave your chilli a little dry, you can avoid draining the beans, or add in your desired amount of tomato sauce (not the sugary stuff, actual tomatoes made into a sauce).

Instructions

Step 1 - Mince your onions and garlic, and cook in a pan with a little olive oil on a low heat until golden brown

Step 2 - Finely dice your capsicum

Step 3 - Pour all your ingredients into the slow-cooker and mix thoroughly

Step 4 - Leave on high for 4hrs or on low for 8hrs

Dinner – Turmeric and pepper lamb on kumara rice

Prep time: 5 -10 mins

Cook time: 8 - 10 hrs

Ingredients:

• Lamb (leg or shoulder)
• Turmeric
• Pepper
• Kumara (sweet potato)
• Brown rice
• Olive oil
• Water

Ratio of ingredients: In this recipe, our focus is on water level. You’ll want your brown rice and kumara to be under water and your lamb partially sitting in the water. This will take a little experimentation depending on the size of your slow-cooker and the cut of lamb you use.

Instructions:

Step 1 - Dice the kumara

Step 2 - Spread olive oil, and generous amounts of turmeric and pepper over the lamb

Step 3 - First place the rice into the slow cooker, then the kumara, then cover with water

Step 4 - Gently mix

Step 5 - Place lamb into the slow cooker

Step 6 - Leave for 8 – 10 hours (the aroma should be driving you crazy by that point)

It’s a hearty winter meal that will keep you warm and comforted for hours afterwards.

Stay warm, and bon appetit!

All information contained in this article is intended for general information purposes only. The information provided should not be relied upon as medical advice and does not supersede or replace a consultation with a suitably qualified healthcare professional.