Beef Tacos with Rainbow Vegetables

Playing with Your Food Has Never Been So Fun: Beef Tacos with Rainbow Vegetables

Let your kids choose their own adventure with this hands on taco recipe

Serves: 5
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes

Ingredients
500g lean beef mince
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium brown onion
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
400g can crushed tomatoes
10 jumbo taco shells
4 large iceberg lettuce leaves
1/4 purple cabbage
2 medium tomatoes
1 can of corn kernels
1 avocado
1 lime
1 bunch of coriander
1 1/2 cups grated tasty cheese

Method

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Season with cumin, coriander, and paprika and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince until browned. Finally, add crushed tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, heat taco shells following packet directions and prepare all the remaining fillings. Remember that kids love to try different colours, texture and flavours - so shred the lettuce and the cabbage. Cut the tomatoes into semi circles. Pop the corn into a bowl and allow them to spoon it into their tacos. Mash the avocado with lime and coriander stems. Tear the coriander leaves.
Serve family share style in the middle of the table and allow each family member to compile their own.

Tips: Kids love eating with their hands and they love being able to decide what they will eat for dinner. We serve our tacos family style, with all of the veggies in the middle, so that people can take their favourites (or at least give something new - say purple cabbage instead of iceberg lettuce - a try).
You could even try playing a game for creating the most colourful taco to get your kids in the healthy eating spirit!

Hidden Veggie Magic: Play A Game Of Hide-And-Seek To Get Your Kids Eating More Nutrients

The daily struggle to get kids to eat their veggies is something all parents can relate to and sympathise with. While kids are more than happy to eat non-nutritious snacks, it can be a real slog to convince them to eat their veggies! This doesn't have to be the case.

Mother of two and home-cook Shari Wakefield (known for her popular food blog Good Food Week) knows exactly how hard it can be getting kids to eat nutritious meals. To help other parents with this battle, she has teamed up with Australian Beef to create two delicious recipes that not only sneak the good stuff in but will also have kids coming back for seconds.

"We all know how fickle kids can be when it comes to eating the meals we cook for them. The versatility and great taste of beef make it the perfect 'partner in hidden-veggie crime'. Not only is it a bit of fun for me, dinner times are easier and I know my kids are getting all the vitamins and nutrients that their growing minds and bodies need," says Shari.

From Spanish beef in veggie-packed sauces to beef tacos where kids choose their own veggies, Shari's recipes are sure to have your kids eating more vegetables on a daily basis.

Happy kids and no dinnertime struggles, it's a win-win.

Shari's top 5 hacks for hiding veggies in kids' meals

1. Serve your meals 'family share-style' - placing all the choices in the middle of the table and allowing children to pick their veggies and make their plate themselves.
2. Grow some veggies - children are more interested in eating something that they have watched grow.

3. Get your kids in the kitchen - children are more likely to eat something that they have helped to prepare.
4. Add hidden veggies - veggie scraps can be turned into veggie stock to be added to sauces or grated down and simmered in tomato based sauces.
5. Introduce veggies at breakfast time - don't get stressed by feeding your children their veggies all at once. Try blending banana, mango, kiwi, kale and baby spinach in coconut water for a kid-friendly smoothie.