BUTTERNUT SQUASH GOAT CHEESE TACOS

Over the last few years, I’ve tried to include one plant-based night into our weekly menu plan. I started educating myself about the meat industry and its environmental impacts, not to mention the health benefits of eating more plant forward. Full disclosure: we are still meat eaters, however, what started out as an experiment turned into something we look forward to every week. Our introduction to vegetarian cooking began with taco night. Our kids go crazy for them and we joke in a previous life, my husband lived in Mexico because he could eat tacos every single day. Something I’m sure not even people who live in Mexico do!

I was, and still am, wary of plant-based meat substitutes primarily because I often can’t pronounce half the ingredients on the back of the packages. I knew when creating this recipe that I wanted it to be made with real hearty vegetables. Enter: the butternut squash. It’s substantial but still light, hearty and packed with flavour thanks to a blend of spices. I wanted to add tang and found goat cheese to be the perfect accompaniment. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Avocado Crema Ingredients

INGREDIENTS FOR AVOCADO CREMA:

1 medium ripe avocado

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

½ tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

¼ salt

Juice from half a lime

DIRECTIONS:

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.

INGREDIENTS FOR TACOS:

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cubed into ½ inch pieces

3 tbl olive oil

1 tbl cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp chili powder (you could add more depending on how spicy you want your squash)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 small soft goat cheese log (100 g)

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

8 small corn or wheat tortillas

TO GARNISH:

Avocado Crema - recipe above

½ cup chopped cilantro or parsley

lime wedges

hot sauce

DIRECTIONS:

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

- Spread cubed butternut squash on a large sheet pan. Drizzle and toss in olive oil.

- Sprinkle cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chilli powder, salt and pepper and gently toss until squash is thoroughly seasoned.

- Roast for 30-35 minutes tossing halfway through.

- Working in batches, heat tortillas in a dry pan on both sides, place in a tea towel and cover to keep heat in.

- Spread a line of guacamole along the warmed tortilla, place butternut squash on top, spoon black beans over squash and finish with crumbled goat cheese. Garnish with a squeeze of lime and some cilantro and/or parsley.