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!

Black Bean and Corn Dip

Black Bean and Corn Dip
2 (15 oz) cans black beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 avocado, diced
1 small red pepper, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
6 green onions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Put the lime juice, oil, garlic, salt and cayenne in a small jar. Cover with lid an shake until well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, corn, avacado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, hot pepper and cilantro. Pour the lime dressing over the salad. Stir well to coat.
Eat with tortilla chips.

Open-Faced Enchilladas

This is a different take on a regular taco salad.

OPEN FACED ENCHILLADAS

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

1 pkt. enchillada seasoning

1 big can tomato juice*

1 can black beans (do not rinse or drain)*

cornstarch and water

Brown meat. Add seasoning and beans. Cook until warmed through. Pour in tomato juice and bring to a boil for about five minutes. Mix cornstarch with water and add to sauce until desired thickness. Serve on top of totilla chips with desired toppings. Serves a lot!

*I only use 1/2 - 3/4 of the canned juice. If I use the whole can then I make it with 2 cans of beans.

Tostada Pizza

This is something I make quite often in our home. It's cheap and easy. We eat a lot of beans around our house so I usually have all these ingredients on hand. As you can tell in the picture though, I am lacking the green onion. Still good! I will post my favorite pizza dough recipe later.

Tostada Pizza

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

3/4 lb ground beef or turkey

1 4-oz can diced green chili peppers, drained

2 Tbs taco seasoning

1 tsp chili powder

1 Tbs cornmeal

1 15-ounce can pinto beans with jalapeno peppers, rinsed and drained (Don't worry, it does not make it spicy to use the one with peppers)

1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/2 cup (4) thinly sliced green onions

Bottled taco sauce or salsa (optional)

Pizza dough (10 oz refrigerated can or homemade)

Brown meat in skillet and drain off any fat. Stir in 3/4 cup water, chili peppers, taco seasoning, and chili powder. Bring to a boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cornmeal. Pat pizza dough into rectangle on sheet and bake in 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.

In a bowl mash beans with a fork or potato masher; spread over partially cooked pizza dough within 1/2 inch of edges. Spoon meat mixture over beans. Bake, uncovered, 10 more minutes or until crust is just golden. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 1 to 2 minutes more or until cheese melts. Top with lettuce, tomato, and onions. Serve with sauce or salsa if desired.

Report Card: Sweet Pork Burritos...A+

The sweet pork recipe definitely deserved an A+ grade.  It was so good and so easy.  In fact, we loved it so much I prepared a second batch and took it to Shane's office to share for lunch.   Coupled with cilantro-lime rice and black beans in flour tortillas, it was awesome!  I prepared some pico de gallo, guacamole and some cilantro-ranch dressing (not pictured) to accompany the burritos.  We finished off the meal with tres leches cake topped with Danish Dessert, mmmmmmm.

Prior to preparing the pork I did a little comparing of similar recipes and decided to prepare it without the taco and fajita seasonings.  I am glad that I did.  I am not a huge fan of chili seasoning and both taco and fajita seasonings have it in them.  I decided to use Dr. Pepper for the cola in the recipe.  It worked out wonderfully!

CILANTRO-LIME RICE

1 cup uncooked rice

1 tsp. butter

2 cloves, garlic (minced)

1 tsp. lime juice

1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

1 cup water

1 tbsp. lime juice

2 tsp. sugar

3 tbsp. chopped cilantro

In a medium saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and cook on low for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.  While rice is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  When rice is done, remove from heat and pour mixture over rice while fluffing.

CILANTRO-RANCH DRESSING

1 package Ranch dressing mix

3 tomatillos, chopped

1 cup mayonaise

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup cilantro, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. green Tabasco sauce

juice from 1 lime

Blend all ingredients together.

BLACK BEANS

I prefer to cook my own beans, rather than using canned or bottled.  However, if you prefer to use canned it works just as well.  When I cook my own, I season them with garlic powder and onion salt.  Just season to taste with garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper.  I added 1/2 chopped cilantro to 3 cups of cooked black beans. 

PICO DE GALLO

6 Roma tomatoes, diced

2 Anaheim peppers, chopped

3 Jalapeno peppers, chopped (I removed the seeds, we wanted a milder salsa)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime

garlic salt to taste

salt and pepper to taste

I used Roma tomatoes because they tend to be less juicy than other types of tomatoes.  I wanted a less juicy pico de gallo than I typically make for my fresh salsa.  After dicing the tomatoes I drained the juice off of them before adding them to the bowl, then I added the rest of the ingredients.  The pico is almost better after sitting for awhile to allow the flavors to all blend together.  Remember to keep it in the fridge for freshness!