VERSATILE VEGGIES, BEANS & BEEF

I initially made this meal for State of Origin night a few years ago and I've made it several times since. My mother makes a similar recipe for me often when I come to hers for lunch, except that she uses more vegetables and the vegetables & mince become a delicious sauce for corn chips. You could also eat it plain as it is very filling or spooned on top of a small bed of brown rice. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil 
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed 
• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 1 medium sweet potato, roughly grated
• 2 medium zucchinis, roughly grated
• 1 large carrot, roughly grated
• 2 large tomatoes (400g), diced 
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free Worcester sauce 
• 1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, rinsed & drained 
• Optional - a few tablespoons of roughly chopped basil, plus extra to garnish 

COOKING 

1. Heat a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat and add oil, swirling to coat the pan. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until soft. Add mince and cook for 5 minutes or until the beef has browned, mashing up any lumps of meat that may appear. 

2. Add sweet potato, zucchini and carrot and stir to combine with the cooked mince for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, Worcester sauce and 2 cups (500ml) of water and stir well for another minute. Raise the heat to high, covering the pan and bringing it to the boil. When boiled, reduce to a simmer and cover for around 10-12 minutes or until almost no liquid remains. At this point add the red kidney beans, basil (if using) and a generous pinch of ground black pepper and stir into the beef. Continue to cook until the beans are warm. Remove from heat and serve warm, with corn chips, brown rice or on its own. 

Serves / 4 without rice or corn chips/ 6 with accompaniments 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x Emily