Schwartz Slow Cookers – recipe mixes

Schwartz Slow Cookers Sausage & Bean Casserole
Schwartz Slow Cookers gave me an opportunity to use my slow cooker. Firstly we tried sausage and bean casserole. I used a combination of vegetarian and pork sausages to see if the flavour of the former could be improved by the slow cooking process. I followed the instructions on the packet to the letter. The dish required the addition of tomato puree and a tin of tomatoes. The sachet ingredients contained tomato powder too. Not surprisingly the taste of the finished product was very tomatoey! This was a bit overwhelming and if I were to use again I would leave out the tomato puree and add other vegetables, such as leeks. Through no fault of the Scharwtz product my slow cooker performed poorly, with the onions still crunchy after eight hours. The flavour of the vegetarian sausage didn't improve even after eight hours of stewing in a sauce!
Schwartz Slow Cookers Beef & Tomato Casserole
For the Beef & Tomato Casserole, I decided to use my slow cooker function on my gas oven. I prepared the casserole in ten minutes before going to work. The same tomato ingredients were added alongside two fresh red peppers. The finished casserole was very nice indeed. The strong tomato flavour sat better with the beef and red peppers. The slow cooking process left the beef very tender indeed and the vegetables were well cooked and soft.

It is important to note not to add any additional seasoning as the finished products were salty enough. The recipe mixes have no MSG added or artificial colourings. I would use the  Beef & Ttomato Casserole again, but would add other vegetables too.  Quick preparation time is one of the selling points of Schwartz Slow Cookers, but a few more minutes chopping some extra veg would not increase that by too much. I would consider adding potatoes too to make this a truly one pot meal ready when I came home from work.
Schwartz Slow Cookers Chicken in Red Wine
I used this for a family Sunday lunch – apart from the chicken you need to add button mushrooms and shallots. As this was for lunch time I used the "high" setting on the slow cooker which takes four hours. The chicken was beautifully tender and I served it with rice and green vegetables. This is a very convenient recipe mix to have in the cupboard as it turns an ordinary chikcen dish into something rather more special.

Schwartz Slow Cookers Beef & Tomato Casserole
As I don't eat red meat, I decided to try this recipe with chicken instead. I didn't have two red peppers so used a green one as well and prepared the meal in the monring to be ready for a friend coming to supper that evening. As I was out all day, this was an excellent option. The finished dish was tender and delicious.

Like Louise, I thought the tomato flavour was a little too much but my guest didn't think so! Also like Louise I would add potatoes to make it a "one pot meal". Overall I was impressed with the quality of the recipe mixes and would use them again.