In 2017, I plan to post at least one recipe a month here on Love Audrey. Having kicked things off with a colourful pasta dish in January, I’m sneaking this in a few days late. Tardiness aside, I’m enjoying the rhythm of cooking, styling, shooting and sharing more food on these pages.

When I asked my followers on Instagram what kind of recipes would be most useful, speedy mid-week meals won out. This dish definitely fits the bill. It’s tasty, quick and super simple to bring together. I mean, one of the steps involves opening a bag of crisps!

On its own, my Mexican Beans with Nachos makes a fairly light meal for four, so I often bulk it out with a crunchy salad or a side of corn-on-the-cob. The accompanying margarita is completely optional, but highly recommended.

You will need:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 celery sticks
• 3 carrots
• 1 red onion
• 1-2 tsp chipotle paste
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained and rinsed well
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 150g manchego cheese, grated
• 200g plain nachos

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Finely chop the celery, carrots and onion. Hidden veg goes down well in this house, so I like to blitz the first two in my magimix and chop the onion by hand.

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the vegetables for around 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the chipotle paste, paprika, beans, stock and tomato puree. Stir well, season and then simmer until the sauce has thickened. This should take 5-10 minutes.

4. Transfer the bean mixture to a large oven-proof platter or baking tray. Arrange the nachos around the edge, scatter with cheese and bake for 2-3 minutes.

5. Bring to the table and let everyone help themselves. Serve with smashed avocado, sour cream, coriander, lime and salsa. I think Jamie Oliver’s Mexican Salad would work perfectly alongside this dish too.

• Mexican food is always popular in our house. Are you a fan? What sort of recipe would you like me to share next?

Love Audrey xxx