Butternut Squash Black Bean Burritos

Butternut Squash Black Bean Burritos
Recipe Inspired by One Heatlhy Apple and Dinners for a Year and Beyond
Makes 4 Servings

1/2 pound ground turkey
1 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper and paprika to taste
1 4 oz. can green chiles
2 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup cooked butternut squash
1/2 can black beans
1 batch homemade enchilada sauce (add 1 can tomato paste; ¾ cup water; 1 ½ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp chili powder to  a small sauce pan over medium heat; whisk together for 1 minute; Add in 1 14 oz. can vegetable stock and ½ tsp kosher salt; Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes)
4 large tortillas
Cilantro to garnish (optional)

Brown turkey in a skillet with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika, and set to the side. Mix cooked turkey with chiles, shredded cheese, butternut squash and black beans in a bowl. Pour a layer of enchilada sauce at the bottom of your baking dish. Stuff each tortilla with 1/4 of the stuffing and roll up; repeat until finished. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Nutritional Information: 397 calories, 56 carbs, 9 fat grams and 25 protein grams.

Review: I find these amazing. Not going to lie – the sauce absolutely makes them. Typically I’m not a big fan of ground turkey, so to be able to ‘mask’ it in this soft tortilla and yummy sauce is wonderful! The beans went really well with the squah, and like always, the squash made this super filling. It reheated very well, and is a winner with us. Definitely make this your own – try other squash or veggies, try chicken or beef – it’s easy to mix this one up and make it your favorite. Just make the sauce and you’ll be fine!

Slowcooker Chicken, Chickpea & Potato Curry

Slowcooker Chicken, Chickpea & Potato Curry
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Makes 6 Servings

22 oz. chicken (frozen or raw)
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 can diced tomatoes (not drained)
4-5 red potatoes, quartered (24 oz.)
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup light coconut milk

Spray slowcooker with cooking spray. Add chicken. Heat oil in a pan over medium. Add garlic. Stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add carrots and onion; sauté 3-4 minutes. Add spices and tomatoes to the pan. Continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the spices become fragrant. Remove from heat and pour into slow cooker. Add potatoes, chickepeas, vegetable stock and a bay leaf. Set slow cooker on high for 3 hours. Add milk and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Nutritional Information: 409 calories, 51 carbs, 7 fat grams and 33 protein grams.

Review: So hearty! This is a great, filling recipe that reheats very well. I loved the use of potatoes - I don't use them enough! And the shredded chicken tasted wonderful. For more spice, simply add red pepper flakes - it had enough for me as is, but Austin added a bit to his!  For the carrots, I used pre-cut match sticks - less work! Everything else was pretty much ready to go - just add to the slowcooker and walk away. I also liked that it made 6 servings - and the nutritionals were right in line with my goals for meals.

Summer Vegetable Enchiladas

Summer Vegetable Enchiladas
Adapted from a Dinners for a Year and Beyond Recipe
Makes 6 Servings

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup flour
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 14 – ounce can vegetable stock, reduced sodium
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp canola oil
1 yellow or red bell pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
½ cup scallions, diced and divided
12 Mission small flour tortillas
2 oz. 75% reduced fat Cabot cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400. In a small saucepan, combine cumin, chili powder, flour, tomato paste and ¾ cup water. Whisk to combine and cook for 1 minute. Add in stock and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat a pan to medium high heat and add oil. Add bell pepper and zucchini and sauté for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl. Cool slightly. Add black beans, corn and half of the scallions and stir to combine. Spray a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Add enough sauce to cover the bottom (about ¼). Lay wax paper on the counter and top with 12 tortillas. Fill each with vegetable mixture. Then roll one at a time and place seam side down in baking dish. Pour remaining over the enchiladas, using the back of a spoon to spread, and top with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information (for 2 enchiladas): 396 calories, 67 carbs, 7 fat grams and 15 protein grams.

Review: Okay, so I’m going to make my own enchilada sauce from now on – AMAZING. Seriously. So flavorful and thick – it really made this dish. Especially combined with the flour tortillas. Normally I use corn tortillas for enchiladas, but the flour really made it thick, almost like a burrito, and the vegetables just popped. Talk about another meatless dish where I didn’t miss the meat at ALL. I didn’t even need any toppings like sour cream or salsa – perfect as is! This has now knocked off one of the lasagnas to be in the top two for meatless recipes – filling, flavorful and will be made again – very soon! Seriously, I don't even know that the pictures do it justice!

whole pan - YUM