Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans

A nice variation on spaghetti squash, sent to me by my college roommate.  The recipe comes from the Whole Foods website.

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 t olive or corn oil
1/2 c red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chili, minced
1/2 c red pepper, chopped
1 c black beans, rinsed and drained well
1/2 c sweet corn, frozen or fresh
1 t chili powder
1/3 c cilantro, minced
1 T lime juice
1/4 c feta cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Roast squash in a 375degrees F oven for 50 minutes, cut side down, until tender or cut squash in half and place in a microwave dish with 1/2 inch of water, lightly covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes on high until tender. Set aside to cool. When cool, scoop flesh from squash halves (leaving the shell intact for stuffing, if you wish).
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan and sauté red onion, jalapeño chili and red pepper for 2minutes. Add beans, corn and chili powder; sauté 1 minute longer. Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice and salt, cook 1minute until heated through.
3. Serve with feta cheese.

Without the addition of the feta cheese, I felt the recipe was a little bland.  You definitely don't need added salt with the cheese, a little pepper is nice though.  The original recipe called for the jalapeño to be seeded, but you get more a kick leaving them in.  You could also add some hot sauce or cayenne chili powder to kick it up a little more.  Overall, a good variation on spaghetti squash.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Seriously heavenly.  I will be making these again and again!  A great Pinterest find from Real Simple Magazine.

1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 t chili powder
1 large onion, chopped
3 T canola oil
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
2 t dried oregano
1/2 lb cheddar, grated
8 6-inch flour tortillas
2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
2 c frozen corn

1. Preheat oven to 450degrees F.
2. In a blender, puree the tomatoes, chili powder, half the onion, 1 T of the oil, salt and pepper until smooth.
3. Heat 1 T of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion and half the garlic and cook until softened, 2 - 3minutes. Add the black beans, sweet potato, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender, 4 - 6minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool. Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar.
4. Spread 1 cup of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking dish.
5. Roll up the bean mixture in the tortillas (about 1/2 cup each) and place the rolls seam-side down in the dish. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and 1 cup of cheddar. Bake on the top rack of oven until the cheddar is brown and bubbly, 10 - 15minutes.
6. Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining T of oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and the scallion whites and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1minute. Add the corn and salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender, 3 - 5minutes more.
7. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the scallion greens and serve with the corn.

Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe is a Pinterest find.  The original recipe is from Mike Free Mom.

2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 6oz can tomato paste

32oz vegetable stock

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 T chili powder

1 T cumin

1 t oregano

1 T olive oil

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

1 c dry quinoa

salt and pepper, to taste

avocado and cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add onions, and cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 10minutes).
2. Add the garlic, and cook for about 2minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the beans, stock, and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5minutes, then add the quinoa.
4. Continue cooking for about 15 – 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until quinoa and potatoes are cooked and the chili has thickened. Add a bit of water if the chili becomes too thick for your liking.
5. Serve with avocado and chopped cilantro.

I have to admit, I intended this make this recipe as a way to use up some sweet potatoes we had, and had purchased a butternut squash at the store for another recipe.  Well, when I was making this, I completely misread the directions and used a butternut squash peeled and cut into bite sized chunks instead of the sweet potato.  Oops?  It was very good, but the cooking time was longer and I did have to add water on top of the vegetable broth.  Next time I was cook as per the directions; everything else about this was quite tasty!

Black Bean "Chili" with Winter Squash

It’s winter squash season! I found a recipe for “black bean chili with winter squash” on vegetariantimes.com (link) and created my own variation. It’s more of a stew with everything than chili, although you can add some kick to make it spicy like chili.

3-4 medium potatoes
1 medium acorn or butternut squash
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 16oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 32oz. can diced tomatoes
1 16oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
1 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

1. Peel and dice potatoes. Boil until easily pierced with a knife, drain and set aside.
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place in a microwave-safe container with 1/4 inch of water. Cover and microwave until tender, allowing 2 to 3 minutes per squash half. Remove squash and let cool, then peel and cut into chunks.
3. In a large pan, cook onion and garlic approximately 5 minutes over medium heat. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cooked potatoes and squash chunks. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

I’ve made this once with acorn squash and once with butternut. Both are fantastic, but acorn is definitely more time consuming peeling since it’s such a weird shape. Just something to think about.