Squash and Beans

I'd like to thank Nicole for emailing me today's post. My life has been eaten up with photo shoots, back to school meetings, piano lessons and everything else that a wife/mother-of-4/teacher/chef/etc. has to do. 


Sorry for the absence!


If you've read my past posts (say that 10 times fast) or know me, you know I'm a sucker for black beans, burritos and all kinds of squash. This recipe incorporates all things wonderful. No, I haven't made them yet, but I know Nicole, and I know Nicole's cooking, and it's got to be good. I'm making them this week, and I can't wait.

Seriously, tonight's dinner of baked ham, with homemade augratin potatoes just doesn't seem as good when my mouth is watering for this...


Butternut Squash & Black Bean Burritos (serves 3-4)

3-4 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 1-lb. butternut squash, diced into 1” cubes
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 c fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 c diced yellow or red onion
2 T olive oil, divided
1/2 t salt, divided
1/4 t sugar
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 t minced garlic
1/4 t ground cumin
1/8 t cayenne pepper (optional)
Salsa, sour cream and other burrito fixings of your choice

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl toss together the squash, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, sugar and ground black pepper until the squash is evenly coated. Spread onto a foil lined baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until the squash is tender and lightly browned. Set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Next, add the drained black beans and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently. Finally, add the roasted squash and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until everything is completely heated through.

To assemble your burritos, take a warm tortilla and fill with a generous amount of the black bean and squash filling. Add a nice handful of chopped spinach on top and roll together (the spinach will wilt slightly inside). Serve with salsa, avocado, cilantro or any burrito fixins that you like!

Breakfast Burritos

I have so not adjusted to the life of a Texan. Everything here starts an hour earlier, add that to the time change (yes, it's been almost a year and I swear it's still jet lag...it couldn't possibly be the children keeping me up at night...nah) and I just can't get a hot breakfast on the table during the week. I think it just allows my family to be that much more grateful on the weekends when they get breakfast, a whole breakfast! They like pancakes and waffles, my favorite is french toast, and we recently found a new dish that everyone likes too....breakfast burritos. I swear I'd made these before, but the family didn't rave like they did this time around, I guess their taste buds have matured in the last year.

This recipe is easy, it's a one pan sort of dish. The best thing about it is I made a lot of extra and kept it in the fridge. It's really easy to reheat in the microwave for a quick, on-the-go, week day breakfast. Hint, hint, that's bonus points for a hard-working mom!

Breakfast Burritos

6 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
4-6 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
olive oil
salt
1/2 green pepper, chopped
6 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
flour tortillas
salsa (or ketchup, for my kids)

In a large skillet heat olive oil, then add potatoes and onion and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with a little salt while potatoes are cooking. Add eggs and green pepper. I don't even scramble the eggs before adding to the pan, I just scramble once they are in the pan. Cook until eggs are done. Remove from heat and top with shredded cheese, cover pan and let sit until cheese is melted.
Heat tortillas in microwave until warm. I like to put my salsa into the tortilla first, then dish up potato/egg mixture. You can keep cheese separate and add at the time of dishing, if you prefer.