A healthy, quick and cheap meal, packed with veggies, perfect for the summer or to meal prep for work. You can add whatever you want to these ‘bowls’ and they are a good way to use up leftovers. I have used 2 types of beans, as a great source of protein for vegans- Black beans and refried beans but you can also use other protein like meat, if you are non- veg.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 2 packs of Mexican rice (To make this recipe quicker, I used Uncle Ben’s microwave Mexican rice)
• 2 tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges (use scissors to make this easier)
• 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped (4 cloves for each of the beans)
• 1 tin of black beans (I used Old El Paso found in the Mexican section of supermarkets)
• 1 tin of refried beans (again Old El Paso found in the Mexican section of supermarkets)
• Vegetables (I used sweetcorn fresh from the cob, lettuce, spring onions, red onion, tomatoes and avocado), all chopped up
• Sour cream or dairy free yoghurt for vegans
• Cheese (if non- vegan)
• Salsa, optional
• Lime wedges, to garnish

For the guacamole:

• 2 ripe avocados, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• A handful of tomatoes, finely chopped
• A handful of red onion, finely chopped
• A few pinches of granulated garlic (really enhances the taste), optional
• Garlic salt (optional) to season

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees C/ 350 F/ Gas mark 4.
2. To make the tortilla chips, lay the wedges onto a foiled baking tray and season with sea salt. 
3. Bake in the hot oven for about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them from 5 minutes as they are thin so can easily burn. Once crispy, take them out of the oven to cool.
4. To make the beans, simply heat up a little butter in a frying pan and add 4 chopped up garlic cloves. Cook for a few seconds. Then add the black beans and stir to heat up. Season.
5. Repeat with the refried beans.
6. To make the guacamole, use a pestle and mortar, if you have one. If not just mash with a fork in a large bowl. Put in a little olive oil and add the 2 garlic cloves. Mash up.
7. Then add both avocados and mash.
8. Stir in the tomatoes and red onions and season with garlic granules, garlic salt and pepper.
9. Cook the rice in the microwave and cook the sweetcorn on the cob in the microwave (if using), then cut it off the core. 
10. Ensemble all the ingredients. I start off by putting rice at the bottom, then laying all the vegetables and beans on top. Decorate with the tortilla chips and lime wedges.