These butternut squash tacos are inspired by a little Mexican bar in Perth we used to frequent. In Australia, there is just about always a vegetarian option on the menu with pumpkin or squash in it! From salads to pizzas, burgers to tacos… roasted squash make everything more delicious. These homemade beauties are Taco-Tuesday certified, filled with sweet spiced roasted butternut squash, crunchy pickled cabbage, creamy Queso Fresco cheese & a little kick of lime. These are some of our very favorites!
Speaking of fresh, once you have tasted homemade corn tortillas you will never want to go back. They are so flavorful and easy to make. With only two ingredients, they contain no preservatives or any of the unnecessary fillers the store-bought versions contain… and as an added bonus are naturally gluten-free. The best way to make these homemade tortillas is with a cast iron tortilla press. While you could get one as souvenir on your next trip to Mexico from the local mercado, they are also available on amazon or at some specialty cooking stores.
Butternut Squash & Red Cabbage Tacos
In these tacos Australia’s love for pumpkin & squash meets the delicious taste of fresh Mexican corn tortillas. This combination is has everything you need for a delicious and healthy taco night.
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 1 medium butternut squash (diced (3 cups or 450 g))
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 tsp each red chili powder and paprika
Pickled Red Cabbage
- 1/4 small head red cabbage (shredded (2 cups or 200 grams))
- 1/3 cup 80ml apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup 80ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar or honey
- 1 garlic clove (smashed)
Homemade Tortillas
- 2 cups 224g masa harina flour
- 1 1/3 cup 315 ml warm water
- 1 to rtilla press
- <em> (Or substitute 16 fresh corn tortillas</em>)
Yogurt Sauce
- 1/4 cup 245 g yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tbsp lime
- 1 tbsp water (as needed)
- <em> (Or substitute guacamole</em>)
Queso Fresco
- 8-10 oz package of Queso Fresco (could substitute dry ricotta)
Roasted Butternut Squash
- Pre-heat the oven to 380 F | 190 C
- Peel and deseed the squash. Chop into 3/4 inch (2 cm) pieces.
- Place on a baking tray, and drizzle with olive oil, chili and paprika. Mix together until evenly coated.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, stirring the squash every 15 minutes.
Pickled Red Cabbage
- Shred the cabbage into fine strips and place in a jar with one smashed garlic clove.
- Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, salt and sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Pour the liquid over the cabbage, and press down with a wooden spoon or muddler. At this stage the liquid will not completely cover the cabbage. Set aside for 30+ minutes, pushing the cabbage down into the brine with a muddler, from time to time.
Homemade tortillas
- In a large bowl, mix together the masa harina flour and warm water. Knead for 1-2 minutes until the dough is soft but not sticky.
- Divide the dough into 16 balls, each roughly the size of a ping pong ball. Cover with a damp cloth and rest 30 minutes.
- Heat up a skillet or large pan on medium heat.
- To press the tortilla place a ball of dough in the tortilla press between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic. You can cut a ziplock bag open or use a clean plastic shopping bag.
- Press down once, open the press, and turn the tortilla 180 degrees. Press down again to make the tortilla an even thickness.
- Cook the tortillas on each side for approximately 1 minute or until golden brown.
- Keep fresh tortillas wrapped in a dishtowel, or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yogurt Sauce
- Mix together yogurt, lime, and enough water to create a good drizzle consistency.
To Serve
- Layer each tortilla with some butternut squash, pickled cabbage, crumbled queso fresco, and drizzle with yogurt lime sauce.
- Enjoy with a cold Modelo Especial or a top-shelf margarita!
Health conscious? Of course! Red cabbage is high in antioxidants & butternut squash is a great source of Vitamin A, so rest easy and plan your next fiesta around these flavorful and healthy vegetarian tacos.
Try pairing them with a Spicy Vegan Ceviche for a great Mexican meal to share with friends and family.
Let us know what you think in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
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Gather the family around, this pierogi recipe is pure tradition. Always on the table in numbers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter celebrations of Eastern European families and their descendants, these ubiquitous potato and cheese dumplings are a humble delicacy made with plenty of love.
Dating back to 13th century Ukraine and Poland, pierogi (or piroghi, pirogi, perogi, perogy, pirohi, pirogen, pierogy, pirohy, pyrohy, pyrohe, varenyki, varenyky) have as many variations as they do names. Made with an unleavened dough (no yeast is used) they are best rolled and individually filled by hand. Pierogi are right at home in the slow food revolution.
While potato and cottage (farmer’s) cheese is the most common variety in North America, vegans and vegetarians have full license to experiment with their filling of choice. Consider this recipe your springboard. The vegan combination of cabbage, sauerkraut, and mushroom is still one of the most popular variations in eastern Poland.
One thing is for certain, pierogi making is about community. Friends, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, and grandparents all circle around and have a job on the assembly line. The result is simple, wholesome, and delicious.
If your family is anything like ours, book the day to the task… Festivities begin early with an ice-cold shot of vodka and won’t finish until late in the evening after you’ve negotiated for the leftovers.
Since the family’s around to chop veggies with you, serve alongside Grandma’s Doukhobor Borscht.
Cheers!
Traditional Ukrainian Potato Pierogi
Homemade Pierogi with a traditional unleavened dough and potato, onion and cottage cheese filling. Recipe passed down for generations, perfect for a celebration feast. Recipe makes approximatly 70 pierogi.
Dough x 2 (Make two batches of dough, separately, or halve the filling)
- 3 cups 400g all purpose flour, spooned into measure and leveled
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1 organic egg
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
Potato Filling
- 1.5 Kilo russet potatoes*
- 2 whole cloves of garlic (peeled)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 onion (diced (If you are serving the Pierogi right away, sauté 1 whole onion and reserve half for serving))
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cups 1 lb./454 g dry cottage cheese**
- Salt and Pepper
To Serve
- 1/2 onion (diced)
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Sour cream/Greek Yogurt (optional)
- Chives (optional)
Dough
- In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, beat egg. Add olive oil and warm water, and whisk together.
- Pour liquid, reserving 2 tablespoons, into the flour.
- Combine using a fork, and knead gently until the dough comes together, without over mixing. Add reserve liquid only if needed.
- Make 3 dough balls, and place in a lightly floured bowl. Cover and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Potato Filling
- Peel potatoes, and boil in a large pot with garlic cloves and sea salt. Cook until soft but not water logged.
- While the potatoes are boiling, sauté 1/2 onion with olive oil. Cover the onions with a lid if they start to dry out before cooking through.
- Drain and mash the potatoes.
- Add onion and cottage cheese to mashed potatoes.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Making the Pierogi
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 3mm (1/8″) thick.
- Using a 75m (3″) inch ring or glass, press out circles into the dough.
- Pinch and stretch each circle, thinning out the dough and increasing the size slightly.
- Place 1 tablespoon of potato filling onto the center of the circle.
- Fold over to create a half circle, bringing two edges up around the filling to meet at the top, and press down either side, sealing the filling in the dough.
- Dough trimmings can be lightly kneaded and re-rolled once, but any more will harden the dough.
- Place Pirogi on parchment or wax paper on a baking tray. Pierogi can be flash frozen on the tray and then stored in ziplock bags until ready to cook & serve.
To Serve
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Meanwhile, sauté onion in oil until soft and they start to turn golden.
- Add Pierogi (fresh or frozen) and boil until they begin to float. If boiling from fresh, be sure pierogi have not stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Drain well and sauté until golden.
- Serve with cooked onions, and if you like, sour cream and chives.
*Use Russet or another of your favorite mash/high-starch potato
**Instead of dry Cottage Cheese, you can use regular and drain excess liquid using a cheesecloth
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]On a hot stone this pizza dough puffs up with air bubbles in the most delicious and rustic way…[/perfectpullquote]
Parents of a great friend recently retired to the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. It is a stunning rain forest peninsula just a short ferry ride from Vancouver boasting evergreen forests, lakes, and towering mountains, all surrounded by the blues of the Straight of Georgia. Rumour was they had built a master wood-fired pizza oven and were accepting visitors…
Timing was perfect, as we were on the hunt for the perfect pizza dough recipe.
BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale (Sunshine Coast).
We hopped on the ferry and crossed the 10.5 nautical miles in around 45 minutes, reaching our destination under blue bird skies. From the ocean to lake country in just a few minutes drive, no wonder so many consider settling here after busy careers in Vancouver.
Alas, we weren’t here for the scenery. We were here on business… pizza business.
Lucky for us we found what we were looking for, in the form of a delicious and reliable pizza dough recipe. On a hot stone this pizza dough puffs up with bubbles in the most delicious and rustic way, while crisping on the bottom to give you a strong base you can overload with all of your favorite ingredients.
Whether you have access to a stone wood-fire pizza oven, or just crank your oven as hot as possible to pre-heat a pizza stone or a hot baking sheet, this simple dough will satisfy your pizza cravings.
Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza Dough
This thin crust pizza dough is simple to make and tasty as can be. This recipe is made with a 50/50 blend of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour, for more nutrients and a great taste and texture. The instructions are for a mixer with a dough hook, but if you are patient you can easily knead it by hand. Perfect for date-night or hosting a couple friends for a make-your-own pizza party.
- 1 1/3 cup warm water (if it feels too hot for your hand – it's too hot for the dough)
- 1 tbs. instant yeast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3.5 cups of a 50/50 whole wheat flour and all purpose flour blend.
- Preheat your oven at it’s hottest setting along with a pizza stone or clean baking sheet, for about an hour.
- Combine the yeast and warm water in a mixer bowl, and let the yeast proof for 5 minutes until it starts to foam
- Add the olive oil, salt and 3.5 cups of flour.
- Stir on medium low until combined, and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough ball in a clean oiled bowl, covered with a dish towel and let it rise somewhere warm for an hour until the dough is 1.5 times in size.
- On a floured surface, roll out your pizzas, and transfer each one onto a sheet of baking paper.
- Load on your favorite toppings and quickly but steadily, transfer the pizza onto the hot stone or baking sheet. Keep the oven door closed as much as possible to keep the temperature high.
- Each pizza should take 5-7 minutes, until the bottom looks golden and crisp, and the cheese is melting and bubbling.
- Makes three 12″ thin crust pizzas.
Some of our favorite pizza combinations are potato, caramelized onions, goat cheese, and rosemary or a classic margarita with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and torn basil leaves scattered on top.
