Nachos

Toasted Corn chips, bean mix, guacamole, pico de gallo & cashew cheese. YUM!! ๐Ÿ˜‹

Our favourite night of the week is Mexican night.

We ๐Ÿ’— it!!

You can make this with toasted corn chips, or you can wrap it up in a burrito or make tacos or however you like your Mexican.

We often do both nachos AND burritos, become so full we have to crawl to the sofa & complain we ate too much only to do it all over again the next week! ๐Ÿ™„

It’s that good!!

The following day we make the left over bean mix into toasted sandwiches for lunch and serve the cashew cheese as a dipping sauce. ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ˜‹

Mmmmm, Mexican night!

This recipe is vegan & all our carni friends have seconds and thirds & end up in a food coma just like us.

Ok, let’s get into it. You’re going to love it!

Bean Mix

Ingredients

1 large onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

4 or 5 mushrooms

1 red capsicum

Nacho/taco seasoning

1 tin tomatoes

1 tin black beans

1 tin lentils

1 tbspn spoon smoked paprika

1 tbspn corn flour

1 veggie stock cube

2 cups water

1 good squeeze fresh lime

2 or 3 blocks of frozen spinach (blocks the size of a mandarin)

1 cup of textured soy protein (Comes in a packet at the supermarket, usually in the health isle).

Salt & pepper to taste

Bean Mix

Method

Heat 2 tbspn olive oil in a pan and add diced onion, mushrooms, capsicum & finely grated garlic along with nacho seasoning.

When the onion mixture starts to brown, add the tinned tomatoes.

Reduce the mixture, it should start to go kind of gluggy, then add the cornflour and smoked paprika & cook for a minute or so ensuring it doesn’t stick.

Drain the beans & lentils, & add them to the pan along with the soy protein, then add the water and the stock cube & simmer the mixture slowly for 10 min or so.

(Hydrate the soy protein according to the instructions on the packet. Basically put 1 cup in a bowl and add boiling water, just enough to cover the dry mixture. Leave for a couple of minutes or when the mixture has absorbed the water).

Add the spinach blocks and a good squeeze of lime shortly before serving.

Add a little more water if it’s too rich or a little more nacho seasoning if you added too much water.

Guacamole

2 avacardos

Glug of olive oil

Pinch of salt

1 flat tspn of cumin

Squeeze of lime

Chopped coriander (Optional).

Method

In a bowl add chopped avocados, olive oil, salt, cumin and mash with a fork.

Add salt to taste.

Pico De Gallo

2 medium sized cucumbers

3 or 4 tomatoes

1/2 a red onion

1 tspn white sugar

Splash of white wine vinegar

Drizzle of olive oil

Good squeeze of fresh lime

Pinch of salt

Method

In a bowl, finely chop the cucumbers, tomatoes & red onion.

Add the sugar, white wine vinegar, olive oil, lime & salt.

Stir gently to mix.

Serve immediately.

Cashew Cheese

2 cups of raw cashews, no need to soak. (Roasted cashews work fine as well).

3 tbspn nutritional yeast (Available at the supermarket in the health food isle).

1/2 veggie stock cube

2 gloves of garlic, whole

salt to taste (3 or 4 good cracks from the grinder).

Plant milk of choice (We use soy).

Squeeze of lime

Method

Add ingredients to a stick blender or bullet blender.

Add soy milk until just covering the ingredients.

Blend well.

You can add the milk a little at a time, stopping just below the nuts and start blending, then slowly add a little more, and then a little more until you reach the desired consistency. It should be completely smooth, and just a little looser than hummus.

Cashew cheese is also great to take to BBQ’s as a dip. Will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Nacho Time!

Serve everything on the table while you toast the corn chips in the oven and warm wraps in the microwave and then put it all together any way you like.

We top with finely chopped spring onions & coriander. (We ran out of coriander today, boo!!).

Try not to eat too much! ๐Ÿ˜

Mila likes to make hers into a flower. ๐Ÿ˜

The Challenge: Home school for 1 year while not losing sanity or love for children and/or husband.
Contenders: Mila 8yrs, Lincoln 10 yrs, Me (Mum), Liam (Dad), Pepe (dog)
Home School Days: 200

This blog was inspired by the film Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep & Amy Adams.

Julie decides she will take her love of cooking to the next level by cooking every recipe in Julia Childs French cookbook, in one year! 500 & something fancy, technical recipes!! While working full time!

Julie writes a daily blog about her time in the kitchen for herself & other amateur cooks who may, or may not be, reading along. You gotta watch it (http://thehomeschoolyear.com/about/).  Or read it here. (http://thehomeschoolyear.com/book)

I loved that she wrote every day. I loved hearing about her small everyday frustrations, with the recipes & with life. It really inspired me to throw myself into something.

The timing was perfect as we have just decided to homeschool our children as a lifestyle choice and I thoughtโ€ฆCool! A daily blog will be perfect!

There must be other families out there wondering if there’s another way to live? Another way to do ‘family life’?

If you’re here, then hello & welcome aboard! Please feel free to sit back & watch it all unfold. Put the kettle on & check in with us each night to see what went down and how we all got over the line. I’m sure we’ll find our rhythm, right?

Are you a homeschool family? If you’re watching the wheels fall off this thing, I’m open to your emails or comments any time. I would love them! I am very friendly, & I could use the help.

Ok, come hell or high waterโ€ฆ.I’m in. A daily blog, for 12 months. I’ll be right, here.

Kindly, Lisa x

Can we be friends?!

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