Bursting with Flavour
It's almost the end of January, a month when we often employ some healthy measures such as more nutritious meal options, increased exercise and less indulgence. Often we taper off these healthy measures as we near the end of the month but I'm all for ramping up the colour and pushing forward with a healthier way to live. It's a great way to fight off the January blues.
Let's not sacrifice taste or be in any way hungry as we continue with our health splurge. 'Restriction, hunger, cutting back, being good, dieting' ..... none of this language is at all helpful, healthy or therapeutic.
Big on flavour, this recipe certainly satisfies not just the taste buds but the appetite too as its full of fibre, protein and delivers a spicy kick to keep us fuller for longer. It is one recipe of many that makes up my January Health Kick plan in which hunger is not allowed!
Prep time 25 Minutes Cook time 50 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cubed, & roasted
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
1 large red pepper, chopped
Pinch of salt, or to taste
Black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
Juice of one small lime
One 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
Tube of garlic puree, requires 1 tsp
Grated cheese for sprinkling (optional)
4 large beetroot tortilla wraps (Tesco) or normal ones from the Co-op
Chopped coriander
Toppings (Optional):
Mashed avocado/ guacamole/salsa/sour cream/shredded spinach
How to:
Preheat oven to 180C. Whisk olive oil up with 1 teaspoon of garlic puree, coat the squash cubes and season with pepper. Massage with hands. Once thoroughly coated roast the chopped butternut squash for 45 mins. or until tender. Half way through cooking time, stir the squash flipping over the chunks to allow them to brown on all sides.
Cook the basmati rice until al dente, then rinse and leave to drain for a few minutes.
In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, add some oil, the diced onion, and chopped garlic. Sautee for about 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring frequently. Now add in spices and lime juice. Stir thoroughly.
Add chopped red pepper, drained black beans, and cooked rice and sauté for another 10 mins. on a low heat.
When the butternut squash cubes are tender remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Add 1.5 cups of the cooked butternut squash to the pan and stir well.
Warm the tortilla wraps flat in the hot oven for a few minutes until they are floppy. Lay flat on plates. Lots of delicious options with different fillers but this one works well: smear the wrap with mashed avocado. Then add bean filling to tortilla along with a little salsa. A drizzle of sour cream plus shredded coriander and spinach works well too. Avoid over-filling as then it’s hard to eat.
Leftover rice/bean mixture can be reheated the next day for lunch in a wrap or with a baked potato.
(Based on a recipe by OhSheGlows)