Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Last Friday, I posted a picture of these enchiladas on Instagram and people went nuts. Ok, maybe not nuts. BUT this picture did get 55 likes which is like way more than I ever get. Plus 9 people commented on it. Watch out folks. I’m gonna be an Instagram star!

I get it though. These enchiladas are fabulous and they are really easy to make. When I posted these pictures, one of the things that I said was that I loved that I could make them ahead of time and then just throw them in the oven at dinner time. Meals like that make me happy.

Little side story about why I went with the butternut squash filling. A few weeks ago, Adam went on an Alaskan fishing trip. It was a boys trip with his stepdad and other boys in the family and they spent two days out on a boat in Homer, Alaska fishing for halibut, rockfish, and salmon. They all caught a ridiculous amount of fish and Adam came home with about 35 pounds of frozen fish. Now, I have a VERY tiny freezer and it is well stocked. So when he came back with all that fish I had no idea how it was going to fit.

It turns out, my husband can Macgyver about 20 lbs of fish into an already full freezer. When I opened my freezer, I was met with a wall of frozen fish. Literally. Just one wall of fish. So in order to create a little space, I started going through the freezer to see what I could use up. I found some cubed frozen butternut squash from last fall and decided it was time to put it to good use.

Long story short: Alaska + fishing + tiny freezer = delicious enchiladas.

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

6 to 8 corn tortillas
2 to 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
3/4 cup water
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp roasted garlic or 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Place the cubed squash into a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes and then flip and roast for 10 more minutes.
While the squash is roasting, make the enchilada sauce. Place the fire roasted tomatoes and 3/4 cup water into a blender. Pulse a few times and then add in lime, garlic, and rest of the seasonings. Blend everything until you have a smooth sauce.
Once the squash is done put it back into the large bowl, add in the drained and rinsed beans, and mash things up a bit. You want a few chunks left in the filling. Stir in the fresh cilantro.
Get a 9 x 13 casserole dish and pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Warm the corn tortillas a little so they are pliable and then fill with 1/4 cup of the filling. Roll the tortillas and place into the casserole dish, seam side done. Complete until the filling is gone and dish is full.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the tortillas and then cover with aluminum foil. At this point, you can keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. When you’re ready to cook them, preheat oven to 350 and cook for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and take off the aluminum foil. Let the enchiladas cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Top with more fresh cilantro if you want.

Ok, it might look like there are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps but I promise you this meal is not complicated. You can also make substitutions to fit your dietary needs. You can use sweet potatoes or pumpkin instead of the squash or you can use shredded chicken, pork, or beef if you want to have meat. You can top it with cheese if you want and serve it with sour cream, guacamole, or cashew sour cream. These also make phenomenal leftovers and once they are cooled completely, freeze really well. So go make some enchiladas and love life!

What is your favorite make-ahead meal?

P.S. Did you know you can follow all my healthy cooking adventures on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook? I know. Life is good again 🙂

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

August 28, 2015August 28, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I am the queen of roasted things. It’s pretty much my answer to everything. Broccoli? Roast it. Zucchini? Roast it. Almonds/cashews/hazelnuts? Roast it. Sweet potatoes. Roast it. Annoying relatives that randomly drop in for the weekend without calling? Roast it.

Ok, maybe not the last one but still. Whenever I have food that can be roasted, I’m gonna roast it. So I was shocked that I had never roasted peppers before. It’s not like it’s a hard process. It couldn’t be simpler. I just never looked at a pepper and felt the need to roast it. Well, that time is over because roasted peppers are delicious. They add a wonderfully smoky flavor to whatever you use them for and smoky is always good.

I put this sauce over gluten free linguine and it was fantastic. You could use this over zoodles, in lasagna, over vegetables (roasted of course), or you know just eat it straight out of the pot. I won’t judge.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce- slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker’s Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

2 large red bell peppers
1/2 cup caramelized onions (or regular onion), diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the peppers on the sheet. Roast the peppers for 20 minutes and then flip them over and roast for another 20 minutes. The pepper should have a little char on it once it’s done.
Remove the peppers from the oven and place a glass bowl over them to allow the steam to loosen the skins. Let them sit for about 15 minutes.
While the peppers are steaming, heat a little oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a blender.
Take the peppers out from under the bowl and remove the skins. The skins should slip off pretty easily. You can leave a little bit of the char on for a more intense smoky flavor.
Add the peppers, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper to the blender. Pulse a few times to break everything up and then add in 1/2 cup of the coconut milk. Blend until smooth. If the sauce is still really thick add in more coconut milk, up to 1 cup.
Pour the sauce into a saucepan and heat through, about 5 minutes. Serve over pasta, vegetables, or even rice.

At first glance, it looks like there are a lot of complicated steps but you’re really just roasting peppers and then blending everything together. You could even roast the peppers ahead of time and then when you’re ready for dinner you can just throw everything into the blender and you have dinner in no time! You can also roast the peppers in a few different ways, I just like the oven because it doesn’t take a lot of effort.

Anyone have any fun weekend plans besides making this awesome and simple dinner? I’m looking forward to spending some time with Adam since we haven’t been able to do that for over two weeks! Have a great weekend everyone!

DIY Wednesday: Ginger Paste

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 / ktbuchs87

This DIY post might be as simple as my homemade tortilla chips. I’m the type of cook who likes to use things like actual cloves of garlic when I’m making stuff. I know you can buy a jar of diced garlic at the store and it saves a lot of time and effort because you can just throw in the amount you need and move on.

I have nothing against jars of garlic, I just like peeling and chopping garlic myself. The one thing I do not like peeling and chopping myself?

Ginger.

Peeling it is a hassle. If you chop it the wrong way you get these weird hair looking things in it. It’s just a chore for me. I really love using fresh ginger though and I’m always tempted to buy those tubes of ginger paste at the store just to avoid the trouble. The one thing that stops me though is the price. Those tubes are like $3.00 and sometimes they have things other than just ginger in them. So I skip the tube and begrudgingly prepare my ginger myself.

Not anymore! Today I am going to show you how easy it is to make your own ginger paste and start adding it to everything you make. The best part? You only need two things and a blender. Awesome right?!

Ginger Paste

1 large knob of fresh ginger, about 2 cups roughly chopped
1/3 cup water

Peel the ginger. I use a vegetable peeler to do this because it’s easier than a knife. Try to get as much of the peel off as you can. If you can’t reach some places peel it a little after you chop it.
Chop the ginger into bite-size chunks and add to your blender. Pour in the water. Blend the ginger and water until it is in paste form and no big chunks remain.
Store the paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

That’s it! It is so simple and now I don’t have to go through the peeling and chopping every time I want to use fresh ginger. Just once and then I have a whole jar to use! You can also make a huge batch and freeze some of it so it is always on hand. Add this paste to marinades, sauces, stir fry, dips, or even add it to hot water for some ginger tea. So many uses!

Make sure that you are never without fresh ginger and have a jar of ginger paste always on hand.

Friday Recipe Round-Up

August 21, 2015August 20, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Yay Friday! This week has been a doozy for me. A ton of projects were suddenly due all at once and I have been working to get all of those done. On top of that, this weekend is my sister’s bachelorette party so I have been getting things ready for that! Seriously, how is it possible that my baby sister is getting married?! We were literally just playing with our Barbies and Polly Pockets. Like yesterday. For reals.

Anyway! Because it’s been a crazy week in the Dawson house I don’t have a new recipe for you today BUT do not start sobbing yet! I do have a round-up of all the delicious recipes I have found on all the blogs I follow.

I will have new stuff for you next week, but in the meantime enjoy these recipes as well as all the ones I have over on my recipe page!

Key Lime Pistachio Truffles from The Clean Dish

I am really having a thing with key lime lately. It is the perfect summer treat and there are so many ways to make it. These truffles look amazing!

Grain-Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Predominantly Paleo

About this time of year, we’re pretty much drowning in zucchini. It’s delicious but the same old zucchini bread can get a little tiresome. I love this chocolate twist!

Avocado Lemon Basil Pesto from Kathy Hester

Along with key lime, I have been having a love affair with pesto this summer. My fridge has not been without a jar of the stuff for more than 2 hours. The lemon basil in this is amazing, but if you can’t find any regular basil still makes a tasty pesto!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Magic Shell from The Lemon Bowl

Be prepared for me to cover everything in this delectable concoction. If you’re smart you should do the same.

Have an awesome weekend and make one of these glorious dishes!

DIY Wednesday: Simple Salsa

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Ok, so Monday and Tuesday this week I was wracking my brain trying to think of a DIY post for you guys. I could not come up with one single thing. I was starting to worry that I was out of ideas and trying to scramble for something to post today. I even went as far as to ask Adam for some help.

Luckily, he pulled through like a champ. Actually his friend, Eric, came through like a champ but Adam was the middle man so we’ll give him a little credit. I asked Adam and he asked Eric if there was something that he usually bought at the store that he wanted to make at home to save money or make healthier. He came back with salsa.

Salsa! So simple yet I had completely overlooked it! I even thought I already had a recipe up on my blog but quickly found out I didn’t. So thank you ET for saving the day!

I haven’t bought salsa in a very long time because it is so easy to whip up your own. Plus my mother in law makes a mean salsa and always makes sure we have a jar or two. This is the very simple salsa I make whenever we have a Mexican feast, which is like every other weekend. What can I say? I like tacos!

This salsa isn’t fancy or have any exotic ingredients, it is something you can make quickly when you are in a pinch for salsa. It tastes awesome and because it is so simple you can always have some on hand. If you want to make it fancy you can add extra things like corn or black beans. You can control how spicy or mild it is as well as the consistency. Pretty much this salsa can be everything you want and nothing you don’t. Let’s make some salsa!

Simple Salsa

one 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes or 3-4 fresh tomatoes
2/3 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped and seeds removed (you can leave the seeds in for a spicier salsa. You can also omit completely)
juice and zest of one lime
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 to 2 tsp salt
small handful of cilantro (more if you really like cilantro like me)

Roughly chop tomatoes and onion and add everything but the cilantro into a blender.
Blend until you reach your desired consistency. I like it fairly chopped but blend less for a more chunky salsa.
Taste and adjust any seasonings. Add in the cilantro and pulse a few times to mix it in.
Serve with homemade tortilla chips and enjoy!