Butternut Squash Taco Bowls

It’s Monday, Meatless Monday, which I’m thinking maybe should now be Meatless Mexican Monday. Thank you for joining Deborah and me as I hope it’s another fabulous Meatless Monday packed with lots of inspiration. As I’ve mentioned before, umm like last Monday, I like Mexican food! This is the recipe I really wanted to share with you last Monday for Meatless Monday.

Recently while at a local farmer’s market, we went to 3 that day, we decided to stop at a food truck that was there since it was past lunch and the girls were hungry. They also had some garlic fries that smelled so good. Of course the girls and hubby wanted the garlic fries and we got an order to share. S love the ketchup, her and my husband are pretty much the only ones that eat ketchup as A and I aren’t big fans but I have to say it was some good homemade ketchup. Which we also had to make at home and S tried to recreate the ketchup. I saw some other things on the menu that had me drooling, beet burger sliders and some squash tacos. Both of which could be made into a bowl option with quinoa. As much as I wanted to try both I wasn’t that hungry so I passed. I later got back home and still had them on my mind. Later that week I decided to try to create them at home. I had no idea what they tasted like but I knew some of what was in them, what was on the menu, but I’m sure not everything. I wasn’t setting out to create those exact tacos but what they were like in my mind when I read the menu that got my mouth watering. Inspiration is all around us weather it be from a photo, a menu, or something you tried. You know that one thing you had on vacation that you wished you could have again when you get back home. I know I’m not the only one with this “problem” and I’m sure it’s a regular occurrence if you’re a “foodie” like me.

So all I knew is was “Flavorful Roasted Butternut Squash topped with coconut creamed corn, cilantro- lime salsa, crispy roasted chickpeas, on a bed of red quinoa”. I also heard someone say something about coffee roasted but wasn’t sure if they were talking about the tacos and well I had a seasoning in my cupboard staring at me when I went to make it so I had to pull that out. Oh and you have to add green and guacamole. Well I looked after making, and realizing I forgot to add the chickpeas, on Instagram to see how mine stacked up because it tasted ahh-mazing! Well I was off. It was a bed of greens, topped with quinoa, mashed butternut squash, a very creamy thick yellow what I assume was creamed corn but without the texture, sprinkled with crunchy coated chickpeas (maybe those were roasted with spice and coffee?). I bet their version tastes amazing but I have to say that wouldn’t have been what I was expecting when I ordered it. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I’m a little happy I decided to take the inspiration and make what I had imagined. If I had ordered it and weather I liked it or not I probably would have created this dish. Why well because had I liked it I would have tried to recreate what they made. Had I not liked it I probably wouldn’t have been excited or inspired to create this version which will be on REPEAT this fall! How do I know? Well because I made it again 4 days later, because I had to! Yes had to because I had to try it with the chickpeas! My family isn’t a huge fan of chickpeas, crazy I know and they just made it known, so they’d prefer it without. I’m sure we’ll switch it up, probably making it with other squashes or sweet potatoes and switching up the grains.

Butternut Squash Taco Bowls

Makes 4 servings

24oz (6cups) butternut squash chunks

3tsp Trader Joe’s BBQ Rub and Seasoning with Coffee & Garlic*

1c quinoa (Trader Joe’s Organic Tricolored Quinoa)

6oz arugula

3c frozen sweet corn

1/2c canned coconut milk (So Delicious Original Culinary Coconut Milk)

1-2 TBSP coconut oil

1 clove garlic, grated

2 avocados

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 lime

1 tsp sea salt

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, large stems removed

sea salt and pepper to taste

*You can also use a mixture of ground coffee, granulated garlic, onion flakes, coconut palm sugar, and sea salt.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with coconut oil or olive oil spray. Spread butternut squash cubes on prepared baking sheet, spray with coconut or olive oil spray and sprinkle with BBQ seasoning. Roast squash for 20-30 minutes turning half way through. In the meantime cook quinoa per package instructions. While quinoa and squash are cooking heat coconut oil in a hot skillet over medium heat. Grate in garlic and stir. Than add in corn and cook for 8 -10 minutes stirring occasionally until cooked and some of the corn is roasted. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk. Take half of the mixture and blend in a food processor, until broken but not smooth, pulse a few times. Take blended mixture and put back into the pan with the whole corn mixture and stir together. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Prepare the cilantro avocado topping, in a food processor blend avocados, apple cider vinegar, and juice of lime, garlic, and cilantro until smooth and blended. Prepare bowls starting with arugula and topping with butternut squash, quinoa, creamed corn, and cilantro avocado sauce.

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I’m also linking up with Running on Happy and The Fit Foodie Mama every Monday for Meatless Monday!