a favorite meal: back bean and squash taco’s

i have fond memories of walking through grocery stores when my kids were little. they squealed and giggled at the site of a familiar vegetable or in this case, a can of beans.

when my boy was little, i would literally open a can and spoon black beans onto his high chair. as he got older and i got more comfortable experimenting, i would cook them for hours in spices and feed them to him over rice.

i soon learned that i can sneak anything into a pot of beans and he would eat it.

now a days beans are a quick meal for us, especially since my children are fond of tortillas. anything in a tortilla goes here. anything.

so when i came across bean taco’s (which is a regular here) with butternut squash i was kind of stumped. i guess not stumped…but more like: dude, why haven’t i ever thought of that? genius. and damn, so good.

how simple is it to skin a squash, saute it real quick with some onions and garlic and throw a can of beans over it? i mean really, yum. the squash gives the beans a rich and powerful flavor. something that a can of ordinary beans just don’t provide.

back bean and squash taco’s

i still use my little pack of seasoning (which now comes msg and salt free!). It comes in a couple of different varieties and so worth it. it gives the beans that authentic flavor with no fuss.

for the squash, use any kind. i used a dumpling squash but a butternut would do. take the skin off the squash and cut it into small bite sized pieces.

1. to a saute pan add 1 tbl canola oil. add onion, garlic and squash, mix and saute for about 5 minutes. add olives, cook for another minute.
2. add beans, water, cilantro and sazon packet to pan. bring to a boil and them simmer for 30 minutes or until squash is soft to the touch.
3. when done, taste, season with salt if needed and add extra cilantro (about a tbl).

serve in tortilla’s, over rice and with salad. a favorite here…and now i know about the squash…holy goodness batman, it’s on rotation.