Healthy Eating Staples

Don't get me wrong, I love cooking, and will happily spend half the day over a stove or crock pot.

However, I also tend to be busy, between work, study, writing, and some vague approximiation of a social life. Sensory issues with certain flavours and textures do not help.

That tends to lead to just not having the energy to cook at the end of a long day, which leads to ordering take-out, which gets expensive in a hurry, and isn't always conducive to healthy eating.

Luckily, while my partner has a very limited number of things they can cook, they've mastered the art of secret vegetables and things that can be stored long term and prepared in minutes.

One of those things is Secret Vegetable Mince. It's

• an incredibly versatile staple chock-full of vegetables that even picky eaters will enjoy,
• easy to adapt to personal tastes and sensory issues,
• low/no allergen,
• time- and cost-effective
• can be used in a variety of simple dishes,
• and lasts for months in the freezer (assuming I don't eat it for a month straight...)

Ingredients

1kg of mince. (Any kind, but try to get extra lean, particularly for red meats)

1 packet of taco or burrito seasoning (mild, medium, hot or hellfire, to your preference)

1 tsp crushed garlic (this is a guide, use your own taste)

1 cup (250 mL) water

200g shredded or grated carrot

1 zucchini, roughly grated

1 capsicum, diced (I use yellow, but any colour will do)

200g diced onion (optional)

200g chopped mushroom (optional)

100g baby spinich (optional)

200g black or kidney beans (optional)

Any other vegetable you like and think you can get away with feeding to fussy kids, really.

The beauty of the vegetables in this dish is that they're all fairly mild, subtle flavours, and blend in under the taco seasoning. The zuccini in particular stops the meat from drying out too much.

I tend to make it without onions, mostly because I hate chopping them, and add the beans as a topping when I make 5-minute nachos, along with avocado and sour cream.

While I use baby spinich, that's a flavour preference. You can use rocket, kale, or any other salad leaf that you like. Same goes for mushrooms. I use white, because those are the ones most likely to come pre-chopped at the local supermarket, and they're a good size, but I've also made it with portobello mushrooms and mushroom medley.

Recipe

Add oil and garlic to the bottom of a large saucepan or wok

Brown the mince

Add the carrot, zucchini, capsicum and other vegetables

Mix through and lower heat to a simmer.

Add taco seasoning and 1 cup of water (250mL)

Stir through and leave to simmer until the liquid has reduced.

Once the taco mix has cooled, spoon into ziplock bags (about 1 ladle per bag) and freeze for up to 3 months

If you feel like there's still too much liquid, you can thicken it with cornflour or chickpea flour to make it more of a sauce.

To serve

My partner most commonly makes this for a burrito stack or 5 minute nachos, but I've also used it as a filling for Shepard's Pie, tacos, dumplings and pastries. Anything you'd use mince in, really.

So, I'll leave you with a few of the simpler recipies.

Burrito Stack.

Credit for this one actually goes to my Partner's mother, and I bless her daily for it.

You will need:

1 pack of tortillas

Shredded cheese

Secret Vegetable Mince

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200 Celcius/390 Fahrenheit. Place one tortilla on a lined baking tray. Layer mince and cheese, and top with another tortilla. Repeat until you run out. Top with more cheese and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Slice into quarters and serve.

Individual Pies

This is another easy meal when I don't want to cook from scratch, but want to at least look like I put some effort in.

You will need...

Ramikins, 1 per person

Mashed potato (instant or from scratch) OR puff pastry

Secret Vegetable Mince

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 Celcius/350 Fahrenheit. In the ramikin, put one serve of defrosted Secret Vegetable Mince (100g-200g). Top with mashed potato and a sprinkle of cheese for Shepard's Pie, or puff pastry for a pot pie. Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes and serve.

5-minute Nachos

This one is a favourite when I have a new Netflix season to binge or a looming deadline to meet. I've listed the toppings I use, but you can add or subtract to your preference. Technically, you only need the corn chips, mince and cheese.

You will need...

Corn chips or fried tortilla strips. In a pinch, a pack of doritos from your nearest store will do.

Secret Vegetable Mince

Shredded cheese

Snack pack of black beans and charred corn (optional)

Avocado or guacamole (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

Whatever other toppings you feel like.

Method

Line a microwave safe plate with baking paper (optional, but drastically reduces the amount of scrubbing you'll have to do later). Spread a handful of cornships over the plate and top with defrosted Secret Vegetable Mince and shredded cheese. Microwave for 1 minute (1000W) to melt the cheese. Add other toppings and serve hot.

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