Last month was Mexican Independence Day and to celebrate it Discovery kindly sent me a hamper of Mexican ingredients and the challenge to create some food using it.

I love a good challenge and I also love Mexican food so I was more than happy to give this a try. I decided to start of with something easy and make Chilli Con Carne. I used this packet of Discovery Chilli Con Carne Seasoning Mix.

This is the recipe I used.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• About 10 mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove
• 500 g minced beef
• 1 tin baked beans
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 packet Discovery Chilli Carne Seasoning Mix

Method

1.  Add some oil to a pan and add the chopped onion, mushrooms and garlic. Cook though
2. Add the mince until browned
3. Stir in the Discovery Chilli Con Carne mix. If that is not available then 1 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp of cumin will work as well.
4. When the mince is browned add the tin of tomatoes and baked beans and simmer until the mince is cooked though, about 20 minutes.

I served with rice and a dash of Discovery Green Jalapeno Relish.

The chilli was very tasty and not overpoweringly spicy. It had a pleasant kick to it without making your eyes water. You can use kidney beans instead of baked beans if you want to be a bit more authentic but then you should add a dash of tomato puree as well.  Definitely a quick and easy dinner. I shall be trying something more adventurous soon.