This recipe may look a bit daunting as it takes a while to cook; however, it’s actually very easy to prepare and, once in the oven, can basically be left to bubble away until it’s perfect. The smells coming out of the kitchen while it’s cooking are incredible.

This would be a great meal for a dinner party as everything can just be whacked in the middle of the table with lots of it prepared in advance. The calories below are just for the chilli as there is such a variety of accompaniments you could try. I like to serve it with the fresh salsa, a dollop of guacamole, light sour cream and a small portion of rice and that’s usually enough for me. Alternatively, for a few extra calories you could have it with a wrap (à laburrito) or with taco shells and a nice green salad. If you do add to the recipe, be sure to include the extra calories.

Mexican Beef Chilli

WW POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 8 = 8 points or 238 calories, 6.7g fat, 15.4g carbs. 26.8g protein

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x onions, finely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 red chillies, finely chopped
• 2 red/yellow peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 30 g fresh coriander, stalks removed and separated, everything chopped
• 2 tsp each smoked paprika, paprika, ground cumin,  ground coriander and chilli powder
•  1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp each cayenne pepper and chilli flakes
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes
•  2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 beef stock cube, crumbled
• 800g beef brisket, raw
• 1 x 400 g tin of cannellini (or kidney) beans in water
• 2 limes, quartered
• Low calorie cooking spray
• Salt and black pepper

For the salsa – 0 points per serving

• Large handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 pepper, deseeded and finely diced
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 400g tomatoes, mashed
• 1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 30g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• Juice of half a lime

For the guacamole – 3 points per serving

• 1 large tomato, finely chopped to a pulp
• 2 ripe avocados (300g flesh)
• Juice 1 large lime
• 15g fresh coriander,  stalks and leaves chopped, plus a few leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
• 1/2  small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 chilli, red or green, deseeded and finely chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan).
2. Spray a large ovenproof pan with low-calorie cooking spray. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, peppers and coriander stalks and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes
3. .Add all the spices and the bay leaves and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly and adding a splash or two of water to stop it sticking, if needed.
4. Next, add the tomatoes and two tins’ worth of water, the tomato purée and crumbled stock cube and bring to the boil.
5. Add the meat to the pan, cover with the liquid and then a lid (or foil if you don’t have a lid), and then transfer to the oven to cook for 4 hours, stirring halfway and adding a good splash of water to loosen, if needed.
6. Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, remove the pan from the oven. Take two forks and shred the meat apart in the pan.
7. Drain the cannellini beans and stir through the chilli, adding a little more water if the chilli looks a bit dry, and pop back into the oven for the final half hour.
8. To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients with some seasoning in a large bowl and voilà!
9. To make the guacamole, tip all the ingredients into a large bowl, add some seasoning and use a fork to roughly mash everything together. If not serving straight away, sit the avocado stones in the guacamole (this helps to stop it going brown), cover with cling film and chill until needed.
10. Remove the chilli from the oven, season if needed, and then stir through the coriander leaves. Serve with a slice of lime and the salsa and guacamole, if making.

Don’t forget you can find more delicious recipes like this one in my book ‘Slimming Kitchen Secrets’ – which is available to pre order now!