Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

I finally made these black bean and butternut squash burritos! I am proud of myself for finally getting to it, especially on such a busy night. I have been a single parent all day with Miles in the Cities for a conference and I am leaving tomorrow for my scrapbooking weekend with girlfriends. My to do list is a mile long! But one less task exists now. Accomplish one very delicious dinner, check!

This recipe came from a blog I love to read. It is a vegan blog and although we are not vegans there are a ton of good recipes on her site. I have tried several and not been disappointed. You can click here for Angela's recipe and beautiful pictures of how she made this dish. I only changed the cheese.

You must start by roasting a butternut squash in the oven for 45 minutes. Peel it, dice it up, then cover with olive oil and salt and pepper. I am not usually a butternut squash fan. I like all kinds of other squash but for some reason this one hasn't been my favorite. It has redeemed itself tonight however.

While the squash is roasting, you can cook your brown rice. They will finish about the same time. Here is a tip for the rice. If you want fluffier rice then rinse in a fine mesh sieve like this one first. I just put the rice in and run it under the faucet for a bit stirring it around until the water runs clear.

Next you need to chop up some onion and red pepper. Here is another tip that my Mama taught me long ago for cutting up an onion.

Cut down into the onion about and inch or two in lines all the way across and then flip the onion around and cut down into it the other direction.

Then stand the onion up on its side and slice down. You will get very even and finely diced pieces. I get about 3 slices out of this and then I repeat the cutting process. It is very handy and much quicker then trying to dice them up all evenly. Plus, less tears!

Add that nicely chopped onion to a pan with some olive oil and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes or so. Then you will add 2 tsp. of ground cumin, some sea salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper. More if you like it but I was feeding kids!

Add the red pepper first and let it saute just a couple minutes. Then you can add one can of drained and rinsed black beans and the rice. Let it heat up a bit. Turn the heat to low if you are still waiting on your squash to finish.

I took about 1 1/2 cups of the squash right out of my dish and put it into my pan. I did not wait for it to cool down. I then mashed it up with a fork as I stirred it into the bean mixture. I did end up adding a bit more just because it looked like I needed to.

Sorry for the darkness of this picture but I wanted to make sure and show you that I did add the cheese and Angela was right. You do not want to skip this step. I used a blend of Italian cheeses. She used a vegan cheese called Daiya. I didn't have quite enough of this left so I added a bit more mozzarella and stirred it in.

I did my little steaming trick for the tortilla. I get it slightly wet with my hand and then put it in the microwave for 20 seconds between two paper towels. It really stays moist that way and makes it easier to roll up. You can see that I added some spinach, sliced avocado and a bit of light sour cream. You could skip the sour cream but I wouldn't skip the avocado! Yummy!

I couldn't even wait until I sat down to take a bite. Pathetic I know but I had already tasted the mix from the pan and I just knew it was going to be one stellar burrito!

I was right! If I wasn't so full I would be having another one. Thankfully there is enough left for me to have some for lunch tomorrow before I leave. It will keep me full until dinner time tomorrow night for sure!

Now before I give you the recipe I must say a couple things. First, this is a burrito I would serve to ANYONE! I mean picky men or children, people who hate healthy food or whose tastes buds are fried, or people with squash aversions, small group people, or just regular people too. Sometimes I make something and know that while we make like it other people will not. This is something EVERYONE should try! The squash doesn't really taste like squash in there. It adds so much flavor. I can't wait for Miles to get home and try it! So trust me and let me know if you do make it!

Recipe from Angela Liddon at http://ohsheglows.com/

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cubed, & roasted
• 1/2 cup uncooked short grain brown rice (yields: 1.5 cups cooked)
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• One 15-oz can black beans (about 1.5-2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup Daiya cheese (I used a blend of 5 Italian cheeses)
• 4 tortilla wraps (large or x-large)
• Toppings of choice: (avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream, spinach/lettuce, cilantro, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a large glass dish with tinfoil. Drizzle olive oil on squash and give a shake of salt and pepper. Coat with hands. Roast chopped butternut squash for 45 mins. or until tender.
2. Cook brown rice (for directions, see here)
3. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, onion, and minced garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Now add in salt and seasonings and stir well.
4.  Add chopped red pepper, black beans, and cooked rice and sauté for another 10 mins. on low.
5. When b’nut squash is tender remove from oven and cool slightly. Add 1.5 cups of the cooked butternut squash to the skillet and stir well. You can mash the squash with a fork if some pieces are too large. Add Daiya cheese and heat another couple minutes.
6. Add bean filling to tortilla along with desired toppings. Wrap and serve. Leftover filling can be reheated the next day for lunch in a wrap or as a salad topper.