Remember Remember the 5th of November with Very Lazy

Before we know it, Bonfire Night will be upon us which means sparklers, fireworks and most importantly food!  Deliciously warming meals with an extra special kick of Very Lazy flavour are just what's needed on those chilly November nights to get your Bonfire Night off with a bang!

Very Lazy has put together some warming and hearty dishes to cook for the whole family and keep them happy while they enjoy the fireworks.  Try the classic Chilli Con Carne, which is sure to be a crowd pleaser or even a Roast Butternut Squash, guaranteed to keep the hungry bellies at bay on a cool autumn evening.

*Very Lazy Chilli Con Carne*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A deliciously simple evening meal.   Serve with rice.  

500g of minced beef (about 1 1/4 pound)

400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained (1 14-oz tin)

400g tin of kidney beans, drained (1 14-oz tin)

1 red pepper, trimmed and diced

1 jar of Very Lazy Chilli Con Carne Cooking Concentrate  

Heat a bit of oil in a large pan.  Fry the beef in this until browned, stirring frequently.  Stir in the jar of chilli con carne cooking concentrate and cook for two minutes.   Add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.   Serve over hot rice.


Note - You can add some Very Lazy Red Chillies for extra heat if you dare!

Tomato, cumin and chilli cooking concentrate. Simply add beef mince, tomatoes and kidney beans follow the recipe on the pack and you'll have a delicious home-cooked meal with minimum effort.  Available at Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisons.

*Roasted Butternut Squash filled with Ginger, Cranberry and Almond Couscous*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A delicious, quite lazy mid-week dinner.   

2 butternut squash, approximately 1 kg each, halved and seeds removed (each about 2.2 pounds)

3 TBS olive oil

2 TBS Very Lazy Ginger, divided

200ml of vegetable stock (scant cup or 13 1/2 TBS)

115g of couscous (8 TBS)

50g of dried cranberries or other dried fruit (1/3 cup)

100g whle blanched almonds, toasted (generous half cup)
handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

salt and black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. 

Put the four butternut squash halves in a roasting tin.  Cut criss cross marks into the flesh of each and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle over 1 TBS of Very Lazy Ginger and roast for 1 hour until
just tender.   

Put the vegetable stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Stir in the couscous, cranberries and the remaining Very Lazy Ginger.  Remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes.  Scoop out the flesh from each half of the cooked squash, leaving a 1/3 inch border and without breaking the skin.  Gently stir the butternut squash flesh into the couscous along with the almonds and the parsley. Taste the couscous mixture and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper.  Pile back into the squash shells and serve immediately.  

Serve as a Quite Lazy dinner, also suitable for vegetarians. 

Forget peeling and grating, save time in the kitchen with Very Lazy Ginger. Once opened store in the fridge.  Available at Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco. 

For further recipe ideas please visit www.verylazy.com