I came up with this dish because I wanted something light and filling, but was tired of my standard recipes. When working with black beans I often gravitate towards the obvious, Mexican inspired flavors. So, this time I decided to be a bit more adventurous. There was a butternut squash I had bought on a whim that had not found its place in the weekly menu yet. I don’t usually think of black beans and butternut squash as going together, but they both pair well with spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric. After making the decision to use the squash the trick was how to bring in the raw salad element I wanted. A big bed of spinach sounded good, but my regular salad add-ins like pepper and tomato did not. That let to the idea of doing a creamy avocado dressing on the spinach and it ended up being the key to pulling the whole dish together.

This dish is pretty simple to make and most of the cook time is hands off making it ideal for a weeknight.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Spiced Black Bean Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Black beans:

1 c. dry black beans (pre-soak them in salt water overnight)

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp coriander

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

pinch cayenne

Butternut Squash:

1 large butternut squash

2 tbs olive oil

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp coriander

pinch cayenne

Salad:

6 loose cups raw spinach

1 avocado

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tbs olive oil

1-2 tbs water

1/4  cumin

salt & pepper to taste

very small pinch cayenne

Directions:

Black beans:

1.     Place the pre-soaked beans in a medium boiler and just cover with water.

2.     Add all the spices and mix in.

3.     Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer and cover.

4.     Cook for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until beans are tender and water is evaporated.

Butternut Squash:

1.     Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.     Peel the squash and cut it into ½ and inch cubes.

3.     Place in a large glass baking pan.

4.     Add the olive oil and toss until all the pieces are evenly coated.

5.     Sprinkle in all the spices and toss to coat.

6.     Place in the oven for 40 minutes or until a fork pierces the pieces easily. Do not over cook the squash or it with fall apart.

7.     Lay the squash aside to cool. It is best added to the salad slightly warm.

Salad:

1.     Remove the skin and seed from the avocado and mash it completely.

2.     Add the olive oil and lemon juice and stir with a fork.

3.     Add the spices and mix.

4.     Add half the water and mix it. If it is too thick add more water.

5.     Place the spinach in a large salad bowl and add the dressing to it. Mix until the spinach is evenly coated.

6.     Divide the spinach among 4 bowls.

7.     Add the desiered amount of beans and squash to each bowl and serve. 

For a healthy vegan dessert this pie is deceptively sweet and rich, which means that a whole week after Easter we still have half a pie left! This is not to suggest that it isn’t amazing, but it must be eaten in tiny portions (or you will regret it).

I cannot claim this creative recipe as my own it is from Oh She Glows and you should check out her original post for its beautiful photos. This was my second time making the pie and I use her recipe with only one alteration: I leave out the ground flax because I think the taste is better without it.

Chocolate Coconut Pie

Vegan, grain-free, processed sugar free

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 ¼ c. pitted dates*

1 ¼ c. coconut

2 ½ tbs. raw cocoa

1 tbs. coconut oil

¼ tsp. salt

Filling:

1 c. coconut milk (full fat)

300 g. chocolate

3-4 tbs. maple syrup/honey*

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

*soak ahead of time if they are firm.

* depending on how sweet the chocolate you are using is. If you use an unsweetened baking chocolate you will need all 4 table spoons, but if you use a baking bar or chips that are semi-sweet then you will want less or none at all.

Directions:

1.     Toast the coconut. This is not essential, but it only takes 7-10 minutes at 350 and adds to the texture.

2.     Line the 9-inch pie plate with saran-wrap. You absolutely want to do this. The second time I decided I would just grease the pie plate and I spent a long time carefully chiseling each piece of pie out.

3.     A food processor is the best way to prepare the crust, but if you don’t have one it is possible to do it without one. If you are not using a food processor you should definitely soak the dates. If you have an emersion blender that can be used to pulverize the dates, this is what I did the first time I made it.

4.     Start the crust by putting the dates either in a food processor or using an emersion blender or blender to pulverize them.

5.     Then continue to add the ingredients to the dates in order until they are all combined. If you are using a food processor do they whole crust in it. If you used a blender or emersion blender I would mix the other ingredients in by hand.

6.     Now the crust should be in a ball feeling sticky but pliable. Place the ball in the middle of the pie plate and begin flattening it out. Be careful to press the dough out evenly in all directions, so that you don’t end up with too much on one side. Set the crust aside.

7.     To prepare the filling begin by melting the chocolate in a double broiler or over low heat with consistent stirring. Once it is smooth let it cool to room temperature.

8.     Combine the melted chocolate and the coconut milk and whisk until smooth.

9.     Whisk in the sweetener, vanilla, and salt.

10. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and carefully set it in the freezer to harden. There might be a bit more filling than fits into the crust. Both time I put the extra in a ramekin and froze it as well.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we have. Let me know if you make it and what you think of the results!