Mexican Salad Bowls & Loaded Nachos

Ingredients

GF, VGN, VEG, Paleo Options

45-60 min

6

Spiced Lentil or Mince Mix

• 500g cooked du puy lentils (either canned or cooked yourself) or good quality beef mince
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbs smokey paprika
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tbs flaked sea salt
• 680g passata
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 bunch coriander stalks, finely chopped (keep the leaves to use in the salsa and guac)

For Nachos

• Corn chips (I like to buy organic corn chips to avoid GMO corn)

For Salad Bowls

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• Buckwheat groats
• Brown rice or your favourite grain

Guacamole

• 3 large ripe avocados
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• Pinch of chili flakes
• ½ coriander leaves, roughly chopped (left over from the spiced mix)
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbs olive oil

Fresh Tomato Salsa

• 8 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• ½ coriander leaves, roughly chopped (left over from the spiced mix)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• Pinch flaked sea salt

Chipotle Creme

• ½ cup cashews, soaked overnight and drained (if you don't want to use cashews you could also use ¾ cup natural greek yoghurt or ¾ cup aioli mixed)
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• ½ tsp flaked sea salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbs olive oil

Extra Toppings

• Corn on the cob, char grilled with the kernels sliced off
• Fresh rocket
• Natural yogurt or coconut yoghurt
• Beetroot sauerkraut 
• Sliced red chilies
• Sliced green chilies
• Fresh lime

Method

Spiced Lentil or Mince Mix

1. In a medium sized pot saute the onion, garlic, smokey paprika, cumin, cinnamon, chili flakes and chipotle powder in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is soft and the spices are beautifully aromatic. This will take a couple of minutes.
2. Add your lentils (or beef mince), and stir through. If you are using beef mince, turn up the heat and brown the meat a little.
3. Next, add the finely chopped coriander stalks and stir through.
4. Add the passata, hot water and flaked sea salt and stir until well combined. 
5. Allow the mixture to simmer for 30-45 minutes on low heat. 

Guacamole

1. Scoop the avocados into a medium sized mixing bowl and squash with a fork.
2. Stir through the red onion, lime juice and zest, chili flakes, coriander, sea salt and olive oil.
3. Top with extra chili flakes, a little drizzle of olive oil, any extra coriander leaves, some sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

1. Mix the finely chopped tomatoes, red onion, coriander, olive oil, and sea salt in a bowl and set aside.

Chipotle Creme

1. Add the drained cashews into a blender with ¼ cup water.
2. Then add the chipotle powder, lemon juice, sea salt and olive oil and blend until smooth.
3. If you’re using natural yoghurt or aioli instead of the cashews you shouldn't need to add the ¼ cup water, but If the mix is too thick after blending add a couple of tablespoons of water.

Charred Corn

1. To char the corn, either place the cobs onto a hot BBQ and grill on all sides until slightly charred, or place the cobs into a hot fry pan (with nothing in it) and cook the cobs on each side until slightly charred.
2. Remove the cobs from the heat and slice off the kernels. 

To Assemble

1. Loaded Nachos: Place a couple of handfuls of corn chips onto a serving plate. Scoop over some of the spice lentil (or mince mix), fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, charred corn, a drizzle of the chipotle creme and a dollop of coconut or natural yoghurt. Drizzle with a little olive oil, a squeeze of lime, some freshly sliced chili and extra coriander leaves.
2. Mexican Salad Bowls: Add a scoop or two of quinoa (or grain of your choice) and a handful of rocket into a serving bowl. Scoop over some of the spice lentil (or mince mix), fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, charred corn, a drizzle of the chipotle creme and a dollop of coconut or natural yoghurt. Drizzle with a little olive oil, a squeeze of lime, some freshly sliced chili and extra coriander leaves. Enjoy!

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