I’m on a mission to eliminate packet mixes and packet foods from my pantry.  Completely.  And it’s going well.  But people say…how do you have Mexican?  Well it’s easy and it tastes better, is better for you and actually uses real ingredients.  Seriously have you read the back of a burrito kit? You can make this homemade Mexican fiesta with very little extra effort and with ingredients you’ve probably already got.  It’s also fun for the kids as they can get involved with mixing the tortillas and rolling them out which in itself makes the whole venture worthwhile because the kids are entertained.

I’m going to walk you through four little recipes that will get you away from packet mix tortillas, taco mince and salsa for life.  You can ditch the guacamole in a jar too!  You don’t need anything crazy weird and you won’t need any amazing new tools. So…I’m giving you a challenge make your next mexican meal without a packet mix.  I dare you!   Then pop over to facebook and instagram and tag me in your spectacular photos.  I’m really looking forward to seeing what Mexican looks like for you without the packets.

So, apart from the recipes I’m giving you here, to complete your mexican feast you will need: sour cream, lettuce of some description, grated cheese.

This taco mince recipe makes enough for two nights of Mexican, or one lot for 4 adults plus a couple of kiddies.  Ideal if you’re having people around.

Now.  The reason I put that in the slowcooker?  It can keep cooking while you do the rest of the stuff (it doesn’t take two hours to do the other stuff, don’t panic!).

Taco mince

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 26 minutes

DIY Taco mince! Quick and easy- or do it in the slow cooker!

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Ingredients

• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp oregano (dried)
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp cumin (ground)
• juice of two limes
• zest of one lime
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 small brown onion, finely diced/grated
• 1 kg beef mince
• 3 tbsps olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large frypan.
2. Add the onion and garlic and sautee until soft.
3. Add the spices and lime zest. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
4. Add the beef mince and brown.
5. Add the lime juice and stir through.
6. Put in the slow cooker for 2 hours on low. Or continue to cook on the stove for 40 minutes stirring frequently with the lid on.
   

Next: grate the cheese, chop your lettuce.  Prep your salsa, using this recipe here: salsa. We also added corn last week and it made it really yummy!

Holy moly, what about the guacamole? Double the ingredients if you are serving 4+ so that you don’t run out.

Guacamole

Yield: 0

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 6 minutes

What's mexican without guacamole? Make your own in no time at all!

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Ingredients

• juice of one lime
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tsps olive oil

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients together, smushing and mixing with a fork.

And finally the thing that brings it all together.  The tortillas.  Don’t make the same mistake as me and cook these like they are flatbreads.  You want light colouring on them, not dark brown.  They need to remain soft and pliable. This makes 32 tortillas.  Why?  Because if you’re having a lot of people around you’ll need a lot of tortillas.  And if you’re not?  Freeze the tortillas to have with the leftover taco mince!  The kids had great fun rolling tortillas as well, so make sure you save some for them to do.

Tortillas

Yield: 32 tortillas

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 26 minutes

Make your own tortillas! They taste amazing and are so much fun to make

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Ingredients

• 6 cups bread flour
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups body temp water
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Using the dough hook on your mixer add the dry ingredients together.
2. With the mixer running on low speed add the oil and water. Turn to medium.
3. Mix until it forms a ball then mix on low for 1 minute more.
4. Divide the dough into 32 even pieces.
5. Roll each piece into a ball.
6. Flatten and rest under a damp teatowel for 15 minutes.
7. Roll the tortillas as flat as you can, just before cooking.
8. Heat a frying pan over medium/high heat.
9. Cook for 1 minute on one side then flip and cook for one minute.
10. You want them to have light golden dots, not dark brown.
11. Cool in a stack. Either serve immediately or freeze.

Enjoy!  Make sure you tell me about your variations on this theme!  What do you include in your Mexican fiesta?