Day 14: Squash is my new best friend

Way back in the non-vegan days (two weeks ago), our diet consisted mainly of Jimmy Johns, Erbert & Gerbert's, Pizza Hut, or whatever else we could get delivered to our doorstep so we didn't have to pause our 8th consecutive episode of Sons of Anarchy that night. The one place we would strap our boots on for at any hour of the day, was Qdoba. Once they created the Craft 2 menu, I became a mad scientist, desperate to find the most delicious combination of tacos, nachos, or quesadillas. Scott rarely strayed from a giant burrito stuffed with steak, queso, and hot sauce. We were addicted to the stuff and weren't ashamed of it. While I've suggested a few times that we go and try to build our own vegan versions, Scott immediately refuses, assuming it can only end in disappointment. In an attempt to help him realize that a vegan burrito can be delicious, I took yet another brilliant suggestion from Mel Whalen, Food Extraordinaire, and made Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos. Here's how it goes:

Yours wont look this pretty, and that's ok. Your burrito is beautiful just the way it is.
Photo credit: Oh She Glows.

Black Bean & Butternut Squash Burritos (makes: 4 delicious bundles of joy)

1. Preheat your oven to 425F and line a large glass dish with tinfoil. As we all know, tinfoil is the best. It entirely eliminates the need to do dishes and should really have more applications in daily life. Press it around the inside of your glass before drinking juice. Wrap it around your favorite pair of new shoes on a rainy day. Make a shirt of it when you babysit puke-prone infants. The possibilities are endless!
2. Peel and cube 1 butternut squash. These instructions will be written quite nonchalantly, giving no warning of the task that's ahead of you. This will be your first time cooking with squash and you'll go into the situation with way too much confidence. After attempting to "peel" the squash with a peeler (why would that work?!), you'll just start hacking off large chunks of it with the biggest knife you can find. Labor-intensive yet gratifying, you will eventually complete the process with a much smaller squash and most of your fingers. (You make a mental note: "invent tiny chainsaw.") After you scoop out the squash guts, you cube it up and place it in the dish. Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of salt and pepper. Mix with your hands, because no one is here to judge you. Roast for 45 minutes until the squash is tender.
3. Cook 1/2 cup (uncooked) brown rice. You'll forget about this part until after the squash is completely done and you'll find out that the rice takes another 40 minutes to cook. Congratulations, you've just doubled your time in the kitchen for no good reason at all.
4. Saute 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 cup of chopped sweet onion, and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a large skillet. Let cook for 5 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring frequently. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Stir well.
5. Add 1 chopped red pepper, 1 can of rinsed & drained black beans, and your cooked rice. Saute for another 10 minutes on low. Since you got impatient with your rice and drained it before it was done, this is a good opportunity for it finish cooking.
6. Remove your squash from the oven and let cool slightly. Add 1.5 cups of the cooked squash to the skillet and stir well. You'll start thinking about what to do with the leftovers, but they will magically disappear almost immediately after you set it aside (you'll later realize that you momentarily lost consciousness and ate the whole bowl). Nearly chopping off a few digits seems more than worth it now.
7. Add 3/4 cup of Daiya cheese to the pan. Stir well for a few more minutes until the cheese begins to melt. Scoop the mixture onto a large tortilla with desired toppings (avocado, salsa, spinach, etc.), then swaddle your beautiful creation ever so gently before you devour it. You brought that masterpiece into this world, now take it out.

These are freaking delicious. I can't get over it. If I had the physical capacity, I would have eaten a dozen of these. Scott even said that on a scale of 1 to Qdoba, they're an 8 - and that rating is huge when you consider how much that man loved his steak burritos (and cheese, and sour cream). Whether we're vegan or not in the future, we will definitely be keeping these in our rotation. They do take a little time, but it's so incredibly worth it. Stop whatever you're doing and make these now. You won't regret it.