Fall is upon us!

And though we’ll miss our sunny summer days, the good news is fall is harvest season. So many of my favorite vegetables come into season just now. Butternut squash and sweet potatoes with their golden hues echo the changing leaves. What better time to cook them up? Tis the season of pumpkin flavored beverages, pies, and everything in between. But I think butternut squash and sweet potatoes deserve at least equal attention. And why not try a savory dish to break up all the sweet flavored fall dishes? Give this taco recipe a try!

Here’s what you’ll need for a dinner for four:

• 1 butternut squash
• 3-4 sweet potatoes
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1 lime
• 10-12 gluten free corn tortillas
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 Serrano chili, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Start by peeling the sweet potatoes, then dice them into small cubes (about 1 cm wide). Toss them in a tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with the cayenne. Then lay them out on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees F. Next take the butternut squash and cut in half. Scrape out any seeds and stringy bits, then slice into the flesh in a grid pattern, cutting all the way to the hard peal. Scoop the flesh out of the hard skin and you should have some nice cube shapes. Saute these in a bit of oil with the minced garlic, onion, Serrano chili and cilantro. Sprinkle with just a little salt. When the cubes of squash are fork tender, they’re ready to eat.

For the black beans, heat them up in a pot on the stove. Add a squeeze of lime and a dash of salt. Once they’re warm, turn off the heat.

In another pan, heat the last bit of oil and fry each tortilla for just a few seconds until they’re soft and pliable (this is very important for gluten free tortillas, otherwise they will crack and crumble).

Now, you can lay everything out on the table and let people build their own tacos. Start with a soft tortilla, add a bit of roast sweet potatoes, a bit of sauteed squash, a spoonful of black beans, diced tomato and avocado. Voila, an autumn feast for (veggie loving) champions!

Enjoy!

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Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: Flickr