Squash & Black Bean Wraps with Chile-Lime Sauce

Fall means apples (which are the BEST), but fall also means squash, which is pretty good too. Especially because squash are flavorful and good sources of vitamins and minerals (especially vitamins A & C, potassium, and manganese). So I took inspiration from this recipe and made it my own, roasting chunks of butternut squash with cumin and olive oil, then tossing them in a zesty chili-lime sauce with black beans, and wrapping it all up for an easy, delicious and nutritious meal.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes (~2 lbs)

1 1/2 cups black beans, cooked (1 14 oz can, drained & rinsed)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 recipe chili-lime sauce (see below)

6 large whole wheat tortillas

fresh cilantro or arugula, for garnish

Chile-Lime Sauce:

1/3 cup lime juice

1 small serrano chile, seeded and finely diced

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

pinch salt

1/4 cup low fat plain greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Spread squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin and salt, then toss to coat.

2. Roast squash in a 400 degree F oven until tender and slightly browned (35-40 min), flipping pieces about halfway through.

3. Meanwhile, combine ingredients for chili-lime sauce, except for yogurt, in a blender. Puree, then heat in a small saucepan just until boiling. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, stir chili-lime mixture into yogurt.

4. Combine squash in a bowl with black beans. Drizzle chili-lime sauce over all, and toss to coat. Scoop mixture into tortillas, then top with cilantro or arugula.

Serves 6

Note: these wraps can be enjoyed warm or cold! I made up the mixture, then stored it in an airtight container in the fridge, and have been scooping out some to make up a fresh wrap each day for my lunch.

Slow Cooker Market Vegetarian Chili

OK, so it's early September, it's 80 degrees out, and probably the last thing on your mind is curling up with a hot bowl of chili. However, both cross-country (important to me) and American football (important to other people) started their seasons this past weekend, so I take that as justification for thinking about autumn. What's more, there's all sorts of delicious produce in season right now (tomatoes and peppers galore) that's just asking to be mixed up into a delicious chili. I took a mixture of heirloom and juicy red tomatoes, a rainbow of peppers (bell peppers, poblanos, and hot peppers), fresh corn, and a hearty mixture of beans for a filling, flavorful, and delicious vegan chili. The best part is that once you've peeled and chopped your veggies, you can throw everything in the slow cooker and forget about it until you're ready to devour.

I don't have a cornbread recipe to go with this post, but chili and cornbread are two things that should definitely go together, so I highly recommend whipping up your favorite version of cornbread (I really like this cornmeal, by the way, which is GMO-free, economically priced, and locally produced in Indiana - and you can get it naturally blue!).

Also, if you want to take advantage of the abundance of produce in your garden or local farmer's market but can't bring yourself to eat a bowl of chili in the late summer heat, this chili freezes well in airtight containers, so it'll be waiting for you on that first nippy day in late fall.

Ingredients

1 cup dry black beans (or 14 oz can)

1 cup dry pinto beans (or 14 oz can)

1 cup dry great northern beans (or 14 oz can)

3-4 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped (I used the tomatoes shown & supplemented with a 28 oz can of organic diced tomatoes)

2 green/purple bell peppers, diced

4 poblano peppers, diced

2 small jalepeno peppers, diced (or more if you like your chili hot!)

3-4 ears of corn (~2 cups kernels)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2-1 tsp dried chipotle pepper

salt, to taste

Directions

1. If using dry beans: rinse beans, then mix together, cover with water, and allow to soak in a 6 quart slow cooker at room temperature overnight (no heat!). First thing in the morning, turn on the slow cooker to high, and allow beans to cook for ~1 hour. Pour off water before adding other ingredients.

2. If using canned beans, add them now. Stir in chopped tomatoes, peppers, corn, and garlic. Add in a little tomato sauce if there doesn't seem to be enough liquid (I added ~1/2 cup). Cook chili on high (~3 hours) or low (~6 hours), or until beans are tender.

3. At end of cooking, add in cumin and chipotle pepper, and salt, if using (since I used canned tomatoes and like to keep the sodium low, I didn't add any additional salt). Allow to cook on low for another 10-20 min, and adjust seasonings to taste.

Southwestern Quinoa

I may be a bit late to the game, as I only discovered quinoa in the last several months, but I am a wholehearted convert. The stuff is wonderful - plus, it's one of the few plant-based protein sources that is a complete protein, and it's a good source of fiber to boot! It's like rice, but better, and it's another one of those versatile bases that serves as a canvas for culinary creativity. I came up with this combo recently, and I think it's my favorite. Add in a touch of chipotle powder and cumin, plus some roasted corn, peppers, and tomatoes, and extra fiber and protein from black beans, and you've got the makings of a fast, tasty, and healthy dish. This is great as a side dish with some cilantro and lime as a garnish, but I found that it's equally delicious piled on top of a freshly baked corn tostada (as illustrated below; I sprinkled a little cheese on it, but without that, it's 100% vegan). I suspect it'd also be good wrapped in a burrito with extra beans.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups corn, freshly shucked or frozen (thawed)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (otherwise it'll have a bitter taste!)

1 14 oz can low-sodium vegetable stock, or ~2 cups

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

2 medium sweet bell peppers, rinsed & roughly chopped

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, rinsed
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed

fresh cilantro, for garnish

lime wedge, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add corn, and cook, with stirring, until corn starts to brown (about 10 min).

2. Add quinoa, and stir until quinoa starts to pop (about 2 min).

3. Pour in vegetable stock, then stir in garlic, chipotle powder, and cumin. Allow mixture to come to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until quinoa becomes tender (you'll see little "curlies" come off the quinoa when it's done - after about 15 min).

4. Meanwhile, drizzle a small baking pan (9x9") with olive oil, then add peppers and tomatoes and stir to coat. Roast in oven (or toaster oven, which is what I did) at 425 degrees F, stirring every 5 min or so, until vegetables start to brown (about 20 min).

5. Once quinoa is tender, stir in roasted vegetables and black beans, and stir on medium low heat for a couple of minutes, until beans have warmed.

6. Serve warm, topped with cilantro and spritzed with some lime juice as a garnish. 

Serves 4-6