I am on an ongoing quest to find kid-friendly food that has some nutritional value, and that the whole family will enjoy. Every once in a while I hit on an unexpected winner. This time is was beef tacos. I think part of their charm for a kid is they can eat with their fingers and choose their own fillings, from a healthy selection of course.
The key for me is always plenty of vegetables in any main meal and with tacos this is really easy to do. We went all out to make a range of sides that would suit everyone’s tastes.
We had beef tacos served with guacamole, refried beans, sour cream, tomato salsa, lettuce, corn kernels, tomatoes, grated carrot, grated cheese and sliced black olives. And don’t forget the Tabasco sauce for those who like it hot.
To make the meat filling:
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g beef mince
400g tin diced tomatoes
400g tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup beef stock
¼ cup red wine (optional)
2 tbs tomato paste
3 tsp Mexican style chilli powder (this is a blend of paprika, chilli, cumin, oregano, pepper and garlic)
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft. Turn up the heat to medium-high and fry the beef mince until browned. Once the meat is cooked, add the tomatoes, kidney beans, stock, wine, tomato paste and chilli powder; stir and simmer until the sauce has reduced to the point where it is quite thick (a really wet sauce will make your taco shells go soggy).
To make the guacamole:
1 avocado
1 tbs lemon juice
½ clove garlic, crushed
¼ onion, finely grated
sprinkle of hot chilli powder
Scoop out the avocado flesh and mash lightly with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
What else you’ll need:
Taco shells—hard or soft depending on your preference
400g tin refried beans, heated through in a saucepan
200g sour cream
1 jar tomato salsa—mild, medium or hot depending on your taste
½ head of lettuce, shredded
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
250g tinned corn kernels, drained
cheese, grated
10 kalamata olives, sliced
Tabasco sauce
Arrange everything on platters or in bowls on the table so it’s easy for people to serve themselves.
It’s definitely a messy meal but everyone, young and old, enjoys it.