If I had to eat one cuisine for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican. The fresh combo of flavours, the spice, the excess of avocado - it's the best.
And it turns out; eating it with your family is pretty good for your mental health.
- Recipe: Garlic and wine-glazed roast lamb with mint pesto
- Recipe: Banana peel sticky upside-down cake
Recent research conducted by the University of Oxford has found that communal eating increases social bonding and, in turn, feelings of wellbeing, happiness, and satisfaction.
Mexican food-kit makers Old El Paso did their own research, finding that while nearly two-thirds of Kiwis sit and eat an evening meal as a family every night, 49 percent admit they regularly prefer the company of the television during mealtimes. Of those interviewed, 14 percent also admitted to being on their mobile phone regularly during dinner.
So it's time to get you to eat as a family again -and we've got just the Mexican recipe for you to do it - plus it's a taste sensation. Get all the ingredients on the table, get your hands involved, and get talking again!
Ingredients:
Pork Meatballs
- 500 g pork mince
- Old El Paso Stand 'n Stuff Soft Taco Kit
- 1 medium-sized coarsely grated zucchini
- Large handful coriander, washed and chopped
- 1 medium sized finely chopped onion
- 1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
- 400 g can crushed tomatoes
Cucumber and Fennel Salad
- 50 g mixed lettuce
- Handful coriander, washed and chopped (extra)
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced
- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 50 g crumbled feta
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Recipe:
- For the meatballs: Place pork, taco spice mix, zucchini and coriander in a bowl and mix until well combined. Take slightly heaped tablespoons of mixture and roll into 24 meatballs. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add half the meatballs and brown. Remove from pan and brown remaining meatballs. Set aside.
- In the same pan, heat a little more oil and cook onion and capsicum, over a medium heat until onion is soft. Add tomatoes to pan and simmer, occasionally stirring, for 5 minutes to a form a sauce. Return meatballs to pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked.
- For warm Tortillas: Remove tortillas from the pack and divide into 2 stacks. Microwave: on HIGH/1100 watts/100percent power for 20 seconds. Oven: wrap in foil & heat in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius (160 degrees celsius fan forced) for 7 minutes.
- For the Cucumber and Fennel Salad: Combine mixed lettuce, extra coriander, cucumber, fennel and feta. Toss with lime juice and olive oil.
Build away!
