Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

Today I wanted to kick off a new Friday series. I’m calling this one Tonight & Take 2. I get questions about how I have all the ingredients for everything I make or how I come up with what I make.
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The reason I have an ingredient on hand is because:
a) I live to avoid grocery shopping so leftovers are planned to a T
b) using-what-I-have is my middle name
c) cooking for 2 of us means a whole package/container/item needs creativity so we aren’t eating the same thing day in and day out.

I just don’t usually share how I plan to use the other half. I might use part of the whole for a recipe but now you’re going to see how that happens. I also might make something and space out the blog posts so you think each posted item was spaced out. Aren’t you excited?!

Here are my meal planning tips here and here. Now, back to using an ingredient to make 2 totally different dishes.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

½ roasted butternut squash
1 cup black beans
8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese or pepper jack
1 tbs liquid smoke (optional)
1 tbs salsa
8 wheat tortillas

Directions:

Fill each tortilla with squash, black beans, and cheese.
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Roll up and top with enchilada sauce.
Bake covered for 20 minutes at 350-degrees.
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These were flavorful and I loooved the smoke flavor with the squash. The beans make it filling and balanced. Does this have you thinking about another leftover that would be good in here? Throw it in! Go crazy!

Now, these enchiladas were take 2 on a roasted butternut squash. Round one was a fall pizza with butternut squash, gouda, and bacon.
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Bacon, Butternut Squash and Gouda Pizza

I had an idea for a fall inspired pizza once I saw a good lookin’ pizza on Flying On Jess Fuel. Her pizza had bacon, gouda, apples, and caramelized onions. How delicious does that sound?! I also saw an awesome one on We Are Not Marta with pumpkin crust topped with prosciutto and brussels sprouts. I had a few fall flavors I thought would be good and it seemed like it’d be an ideal use for some butternut squash I had roasted. Bing, bam, boom.
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Ingredients:

pizza dough
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ cup shredded mozzarella
½ roasted butternut squash
1 cup sliced gouda
4 strips of thick cut bacon

Directions:

Preheat the oven (and pizza stone if using one) to 400-degrees.
While oven is heating, fry bacon until almost cooked (it keeps cooking when on top the pizza).
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Pre-bake the pizza dough for about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle mozzarella, thyme, and nutmeg on top after removing from the oven.
Spread the mashed butternut squash onto the dough.
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Top with sliced gouda.
fall_pizza_cheese_590_390Finish with bacon.
Bake 20-30 minutes until melted and crisp.
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I liked it. I think the gouda is nicely nutty and the quash layer provides a great moisture layer. I liked the crisp bacon in contrast to the soft squash.
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It was good. This fall pizza was a nice combo of flavors I’m glad I didn’t go bananas topping it with everything I thought might go. Sometimes I go pizza-topping-overboard. I can’t help it!

Psssst: get ready! I have a new series launching later this week. Stay tuned!

Banana Streusel Muffins

Baking isn’t my forte, but muffins are a good choice for me. Then it can be breakfast and I don’t have cakes and cookies taunting me.
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I got 5 bananas for $0.38 in the discount produce and they screamed banana bread. Between the 5 I cut off some browned spots and had about a total of 3-4 bananas. Pretty good deal!

Banana Streusel Muffins

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup cinnamon or butterscotch chips
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp whole wheat flour
2 tsp oatmeal
1 tsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 12-muffin tin with cupcake papers.
Whisk 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl.
Mash bananas with a potato masher.
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Mix together mashed bananas, 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, egg, white sugar, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Gently fold banana mixture and cinnamon chips into dry ingredients just until moistened; do not overmix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
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Mix brown sugar with 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour and oatmeal in a bowl, stirring until combined; mash 1 tablespoon unsalted butter into the mixture with a fork until streusel topping resembles crumbs.
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Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake muffins in the preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs, about 20 minutes.
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They came out great, but the batter tasted a bit off. What? You think I didn’t lick a spatula? It tasted salty. I was disheartened. I was fearful! I don’t bake often but it didn’t seem right. I baked it anyway. I figured it already was too late so I may as well bake and see what happens.
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They were great when I baked them! I think I may have used a ½ cup of salted butter, instead of unsalted. It turned out A-OK.

What I Ate: Asian Inspired Meatballs

What I Ate is a Friday series that is so easy (but delicious!) that it doesn’t really require a recipe! Check out the category (to your right) to see other super easy ideas.

Did you cook your tuckus off for Thanksgiving and now it is time to adapt to the winter season? These Asian inspired meatballs are super easy and work with any pre-made meatballs.

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Ingredients:

12 turkey meatballs (3 meatballs per person)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp honey

Directions:

Defrost meatballs (or make your own!)
Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and honey over medium-low heat.
Stir well, then add meatballs.
Cook for about 10 minutes then turn to low so it can thicken.

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Serve over rice and top with some green onions.  They have a nice sweet/salty flavor. The brown sugar and honey help thicken it up and poof! You’re done and clean up is pretty minimal.

Bolognese

Let’s continue on with the very non-thanksgiving-y foods, shall we? I messed around with a bolognese-like sauce. It isn’t truly a bolognese but I’m not Italian, so I figure I can get away with it. I cooked my meat sauce very low and slow and it was thick and delicious. It seems close enough, right? Even if I didn’t serve it with a wide flat noodle?
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I made a lot and froze leftovers. I’m thinking I came up with about 8 servings-ish.

Ingredients:

¾ pound ground sausage
½ pound ground turkey
1 onion, diced
1 tbs garlic, diced
1 (6oz) can of tomato paste
1 cup kitchen ready, peeled canned tomatoes
⅓ cup red wine
½ cup water (if needed)
1 tbs italian seasoning
1 tbs salt
1 tsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Brown the sausage over medium heat and drain.
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Brown the ground turkey over medium heat.
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Cook the onions until translucent.
In a large stockpot or dutch oven, over medium-low heat, stir the onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, wine, and spices.
Add the 2 meats and stir occasionally.
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Cook over medium low heat covered for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.
Add some water if it is too thick for your liking and sprinkle in the parmesan.
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Serve over pasta or in your favorite lasagna.
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I loved it. I think it had just the right amount of texture and a good ratio of meat-to-tomato. I of course used pork and turkey, but any 2 ground meats would do. I thought it was a good use of some leftover ground turkey hanging out in my freezer. Since I’m cooking for 2, I end up with leftovers that really needs to be cooked into something (like lasagna or tacos, etc) since it isn’t fresh anymore.