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Chilli Quest

Claire Wright

Effort:
Complexity:
Cost:

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 45-50 mins

Ingredients:

Chilli:

1 tbsp oil

200g beef or pork mince, or veggie alternative

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

100g butternut squash, diced (frozen pre-diced is fine)

1 red pepper, diced

150ml water

1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

400g tomatoes, chopped (or 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes)

100g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen (optional))

1 400g tin kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 x veg stock cube

Cauliflower Vegetable Rice:

1 mug rice (ideally basmati, but you can use others and just check package instructions for how long it takes to cook)

2 mugs water

1 tsp turmeric powder

½ head cauliflower, grated

1 red pepper, diced

100g peas (frozen is fine)

Veg Portions / Serving: 4

Share:

The vegetables have been spotted in the deep dark jungles of Central and South America.

These fiendish vegetables have disguised themselves inside favourite chilli dishes such as tacos, fajita, and nachos.

Your mission is to find them, eat them to defeat them and then let out our victory cheer…

HASTA LA VISTA VEGGIES!

Find out more about Eat Them To Defeat Them at eatthemtodefeatthem.com

Method:

Here’s our recommended recipe, or you can simply adapt your own recipe – just keep the veg chunky and serve with a reminder to the children to Eat Them to Defeat Them and say “Hasta la vista veggies!”

 

Heat a large frying pan or saucepan over medium heat and add the oil, then fry the mince, onion, carrot, squash, and red pepper until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 mins. If using veggie mince, add to the pan at the next step.

Add the tomato puree, garlic, tomatoes, sweetcorn if using, kidney beans, chilli powder, water and veg stock cube to the pan (and veggie mince, if using), reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 20 – 25 mins to allow the chilli to cook out and thicken.

Whilst the chilli is cooking, place the rice, water and turmeric in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 12-15 mins, or until the rice is almost completely cooked through. Stir in the grated cauliflower, diced red pepper, and peas. Cover the pan and continue to cook until the rice softens, and the vegetables are cooked through (add a little extra splash of water and give a few more mins if the rice or veg aren’t soft enough). Serve with the chilli.

Engaging Kids

Engaging Kids

Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating.

Kids in the kitchen

Kids in the kitchen

Have the kids help you measure and weigh ingredients, fill the mug for the rice with rice and water, and stirring things together (show them how to safely stir over the heat and keep a close eye on them). For more tips on cooking with kids check out Kids in the Kitchen on Simply Veg.

Activities

Activities

While getting kids to interact with veggies for real and using their senses to explore them is best, encouraging hands off activities like arts & crafts, puzzles & games or at-home science experiments can be a great start, particularly for those who are fussier eaters or struggle with anything too sensory. Use these veg-themed activities as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. We have loads of crafty downloads here, puzzles here, and quirky science with veg here.

Sensory

Sensory

Once you feel your child is ready to engage a little more, you can show them how to explore the veg you have on hand with their senses, coming up with playful silly descriptions of how a veg smells, feels, looks, sounds and perhaps even tastes. Find ideas, videos and some simple sensory education session ideas to get you started here.

Serving

Serving

The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it! Giving children a sense of ownership in the meal can make a big difference to their feelings going into it and the pride they take in it. You know your child best, but if you aren’t sure where to start, we have some fun and simple ideas for easy roles you can give them in the serving process over here.

Claire Wright

Editor: After leaving Exeter University with a degree in English Literature, Claire worked in various fields ranging from youth work and charities to publishing, before starting up a food-focused website when her first child was born. After being asked to project manage the publication of Veg Power's Crowdfunder book, Claire came on board as a fully-fledged team member in 2018 to take on the role of Communications Manager, then Editor, looking after Veg Power's website, content, recipes and social media platforms.

addsomeveg.com/

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