Making a Meal of Performance

Good nutrition is an essential part of playing sport.  Finding the right balance between energy, nutrients and flavour can often be hard enough.  Knowing what that balance should be in relation to need makes it all the more difficult.

In this post I want to give you one of the meals that I like to prepare for Millsy 12 or more hours before he plays in a match or has a big training day, and I'll make a few suggestions that will allow it to be tweaked for variety or to suit particular tastes.

Burritos - not the most obvious choice.

The basic ingredients are:

• 500g of turkey mince - low cost, lean, and high in protein.  Chicken or beef mince are perfectly fine alternatives.
• 1 tin of refried beans or a three or four bean mix (if this is used then lightly mash the beans before use, this is a healthier but not quite as tasty option)
• 1 cup of uncooked rice, brown is preferred
• 1 onion, diced, medium or large, yellow or Spanish
• Tortillas - enough for two meals
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Mexican chilli powder - 1 to 2 teaspoons
• salt
• ground pepper (white will be best)

You may omit one of the meat, rice or beans without substantially detracting from the dish.

Optional ingredients

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes or several fresh tomatoes
• 1-3 green, yellow or red capsicum - a variety of colour is good
• 1 tin of sweet corn kernels or one cob of sweet corn
• Some more onion
• avocados (2 or more)
• limes (highly recommended!)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 packet of rocket, baby spinach, or rocket and baby spinach
• cumin seeds
• chillies (red, green, jalapeños)
• coriander (cilantro)
• cheese - cheddar, mozzarella or a combination, grated

A note on the optional ingredients: while these are optional, I would highly recommend most if not all of these be used as they are mainly used to make two accompaniments which server to lighten what is an otherwise heavy meal.

You will also need:

• a large volume frying pan or a heavy bottomed pot
• a rice cooker or small pot (if rice is used)
• a baking tin or dish

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Start by cooking the rice in a rice cooker (if you are using a time of tomatoes then use the juice from the tin as part of the liquid for cooking the rice in) or by the absorption method (simply, add 1.5x volume of water as rice to a pot and simmer covered until the water is absorbed).

Once the rice is started heat your frying pan or pot on a medium heat, add the oil, cumin, mince, onion and a clove of garlic.  Stir in a pinch of salt, ground pepper and the Mexican chilli powder.  Stir and break the mince up so that it is in small/fine pieces - this will help the texture.

Place the tortillas in a hot oven to warm - remove from the packaging and manufacturers wrapping and wrap with aluminium foil, or wait until after the rice and beans have been mixed to microwave as per the manufacturers instructions.

When the meat has cooked add in the rice and the beans to the frying pan, cover and remove from the heat. Wait several minutes for the residual heat to warm up the beans, remove the cover and gently mix the rice and beans in.  It's okay if the rice is not added until this point.  Frankly, at this point this will look like something to feed the dog.

One at a time, remove a warm tortilla, add several large spoonfuls of the mince, rice & beans mixture.  Add a small handful of cheese, and your rocket or spinach.  Wrap your tortilla and place seam down in a baking tin or dish.  If cheese was not used in the filling then some may be sprinkled on the top.  Place the baking tin in a pre-heated 180 - 200 degree oven for about ten to fifteen minutes.

While the burritos are in the oven the accompaniments can be made, or these can be made in advance.  Essentially, the optional ingredients can make a salsa and/or guacamole - there are so many variations of salsa in particular that the list of ingredients is rather secondary.

Guacamole

Take the flesh from the avocados, squeeze the juice from a lime, add a small pinch of salt and ground pepper (white), add a pinch of Mexican chilli powder or very finely diced fresh chillies to taste.  Mash the avocado and whip with a fork for a minute or two to add some lightness.

You may then mix in some very finely minced onion, tomato, garlic and coriander, but these are really not necessary, and besides, you might use those in a salsa.

Salsa

Dice your onion, capsicum and tomato into similar size small pieces.

Add coriander, fresh chillies, a pinch of salt and ground (white) pepper, all to taste
Add in sweet corn.

Add in the juice of the remaining lime.
Add a dash of a light vegetable oil (e.g. extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil).

Stir and allow to macerate.

Serving

The burritos are served on a plate and may be topped with the salsa and/or guacamole, or these may be served on the side.  A squeeze of fresh lime juice, some fresh coriander, or chopped chillies are a good finishing touch.

I would advise against using sour cream or a manufactured salsa (as these are of the cooked variety and therefore tend to be rich) as they add to the heaviness of the meal.

Leftovers
The guacamole can be spread on bread or toast, and the salsa can be put on top of toasted bread à la brushcetta.