Low or no-sugar family meals

Australian Sarah Wilson, of ''I Quit Sugar in 8 Weeks'' fame, has returned this time with her take on easy, nutritious slow-cooker recipes.

When she quit sugar it got her cooking and she discovered a slow cooker was the easiest way to eat simply and sustainably.

''Enjoying food should be languid and mindful, not about blasting the daylights out of it.''

So after some badgering, she and her team produced this book, testing their nostalgic family meals - adjusted to fit the low or no-sugar philosophy - on a variety of slow cookers.

There are also plenty of tips and tricks, such as how to ''pimp my stew'' and advice on the best cuts of meat to use.

Another of her goals is to provide fuss-free recipes for less than $A3 ($NZ3.20) a serve, which she did including her barbecued pulled pork with cauliflower cream, Mum's steak and kidney stew and Thai green curry and squash.

Sarah says: ''There's no need to pre-brown. A lot of slow-cooker recipes suggest browning meat in a separate pan before placing in the slow cooker, in part to render the fat, allowing some of it to drain away.

"In most cases, I reckon it's a waste of time and pans. In the few cases where browning makes sense I tend to ensure we use the browning pan again later to make gravy etc.''

 

Chinese beef cheeks
Serves 6

Prep time 10 minutes (+ overnight)
Cook time 7 hours on low or 3½ hours on high

This dish is super rich and loaded with flavour. Serve it with rice or quinoa and plenty of steamed green veges to balance things out.

Ingredients

5-6 beef cheeks (approx.1.5kg), fat trimmed (it canbe quite thick) and cut each cheek into 2-3 evenly sized pieces
1 bunch shallots, finely chopped
4cm knob ginger, grated
5 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 bird's eye chilli, finely sliced
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp granulated stevia (optional)
⅓ cup Chinese rice wine
¼ cup soy sauce or tamari (preferably low salt)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (shiitake or brown)
1 cup store-bought beef stock
½ cup water
1 shallot, extra, finely sliced

 

Method

The night before

Combine all the ingredients except the mushrooms, stock, water and extra shallot in the slow-cooker insert. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning

Place the mushrooms on top and pour over the stock and water. Cook for 7 hours on low or 3 hours on high. Serve sprinkled with the extra sliced shallot.

Suggested sides: Steamed Asian greens (bok choy and pak choy work well) or steamed broccoli, cooked quinoa or jasmine rice.

 

Slow bro's (double-choc walnut brownies)

Makes 16

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 3 hours on lowor 2 hours on highoil or butter, for greasing

These brownies are a hit at work. You'll find the centre of the brownie is moist and gooey and the sides have a nice chocolatey crust.

Serve with some cream for ultimate indulgence.

Ingredients

1½ cups almond meal
½ cup raw cacao powder
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
125g butter, melted (or½ cup melted coconut oil)
⅓ cup rice malt syrup
3 eggs
½ cup walnuts
80g dark (85% cocoa) chocolate, chopped into chunks
cream, to serve

 

Method

Grease the inside of the slow-cooker insert and line with baking paper so that it reaches halfway up the sides.

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, raw cacao, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk the butter and rice malt syrup until well combined.

Add the eggs and continue to whisk until the mixture comes together.

Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir through the walnuts and chocolate chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared slow cooker. Cover and cook for 2½ hours on low or 1½ hours on high, until the exterior of the mixture is firm and the centre is no longer liquid.

Remove the lid and continue cooking on low for a further 30 minutes or until the centre cooks through. The centre will always be more moist than the perimeter of the brownie; don't burn the outside waiting for the centre to firm up.Switch off the slow cooker and leave the brownies to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Carefully remove from the slow cooker by grabbing the edges of the baking paper and gently lifting out. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

 

Important things to know

• Less is more: Don’t add as much water as conventional oven slow-cooked recipes indicate. When you’re using a slow cooker the liquid doesn’t reduce in the same way that it would on a stovetop. Generally 1 cup of liquid is enough for most recipes unless it contains a starch like rice or pasta.

 Lid on is best: Always cook the meal with the lid on, except in the case of baking, or cooking puddings, where you may need to remove the lid for a period of time.

• Keep your mitts off: Your slow cooker works best when undisturbed. You’ll need to add an additional 20 minutes on high each time you lift the lid. If you need to stir, do it in the last few hours.

 Don’t worry about cooking times: The times in this book are approximate. Timing is not critical to a dish’s success, but the longer a meal cooks the better the flavour and the more tender the meat will be.

• Some peace of mind: Even if you leave your slow cooker on for 12 hours the meat won’t burn, stick or dry up.

• Some foods don’t belong in a slow cooker: Avoid slow-cooking crisp green veges, noodles, Chinese vegetables and pasta. These ingredients are best served on the side.  Order matters: It’s generally best to put veges in first with meat on top unless specified.

• Frozen veges: Can be tossed straight in. No need to defrost.

• The Golden Rule: Most casseroles with meat and vegetables need about 8 hours on low.

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