recipe no. 13: butternut squash portobello tacos

'tis the season for butternut squash everything! our grocery store does this amazing thing where they sell pre-diced butternut squash, so it makes it super easy for us to cook with. these tacos are vegan-friendly and super amazing. thanks to minimalistbaker.com for the recipe!

what you'll need:

• 3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash

• 1 tbsp grape seed oil

• 1 pinch each sea salt, ground cinnamon, chili powder, and cumin

• 5 large portobello mushrooms with stems removed and sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces

• 1 tbsp grape seed oil

• 1 15-oz can black beans (drained, warmed on the stovetop)

• 1 tbsp grape seed oil

• 1/4 cup diced white onion

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 tsp each cumin + chili powder

• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup

*here's where it gets a little tricky. the recipe calls for one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, but we can't find that at the grocery store. so i bought regular adobo sauce instead, and added ground chipotle pepper. we did 3 tsp of adobo sauce. if you can find the peppers in a can, just use one pepper and add one tsp of adobo sauce from the can.

what you'll do:

preheat the oven to 375 degrees. spray a baking pan and spread out your diced squash.

drizzle with oil and coat, then sprinkle the spices and toss to coat evenly.

bake for about 20 minutes, or until the squash has reached desired softness and crispiness.

while the squash is baking, heat the tbsp of oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. once hot, add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

turn heat to low and add tomato sauce, diced chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, water, cumin, chili powder, and coconut sugar. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes.

transfer sauce to a blender and blend well. taste and adjust seasonings as needed: more adobo sauce for spice, water to thin, or maple syrup for sweetness.

to prep the mushrooms, add one tbsp of grape seed oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and allow them to cook down, stirring occasionally to cook all slices. then add 1/4 cup of sauce to the mushrooms and stir.

by this time the squash should be done, and you can heat your tortillas and build your tacos!

we topped ours with diced red onion and cotija cheese.