Butternut Squash Enchiladas

First, I want to say thank you so much on all the well-wishes about our pregnancy!  We really couldn't be more excited.


Second, congrats to everyone who ran the New York Marathon!  I spent a bunch of hours watching past years marathons on Universal Sports Saturday night and then I watched the entire marathon Sunday morning while tracking my friends and following on twitter.  It really is such an inspirational race.  I loved listening to the announcers talk about why this marathon is the greatest in the world.  Because it REALLY is : ) It was so great that it motivated me to get out there and run/walk with my husband in our town's state park.

Oh look, another baby bump photo!

Now it's time to talk about something that I love but haven't made a lot of lately: FOOD!

I have a confession to make.  I consider myself a food blogger.  But not in the traditional sense.  You see, I wish I could spend more time on my photos and wish I could do all my blog cooking on SaturDAY when the light is best, but it's not feasible for me.  I food blog because I love to cook.  But I cook mainly so we have something to eat. If it works out to be something I like, you guys get to see it, which happens almost every time I cook regardless if the photo is the best.

You see, I work 45 hours a week plus have an hour commute each way.  I menu plan on the weekends and hope for the best to make the meals I planned on.  But when and how is not always perfectly aligned.  Sometimes I cook two meals on Monday so I don't have to worry about dinner on a Tuesday.  Sometimes I have to work late and dinner is eggs and a bagel (with my pregnant belly, this has happened more times then I care to admit.)  Sometimes I'm not in the mood for something I planned on and I completely change dinner on the fly.  And sometimes I'm inspired by another meal I saw throughout the day.

So, what's my point?

Well these Butternut Squash Enchiladas are some of the best things I've had in awhile, even if they didn't photograph the best. But this is my FOOD blog and it's not only a blog about recipes {and running}, but its real meals that we eat.  It's a real blog that shows that you can swap things out when you don't have a certain ingredient.  I grocery shop once per week and if I find a recipe after I grocery shop and menu plan, I improvise.  Because that's what cooking is about.

For instance, these enchiladas call for a can of black beans.  I thought I had them in my lazy susan.  I only had pinto.  Pinto will do! This recipe called for Cream Cheese.  I recently impulsively bought the Philly Cooking Creme and love the flavor impact it provides. This recipe also called for roasted butternut squash.  I didn't have the time, so I used frozen pureed squash that I heated in the microwave.

As I said before, my life, like my cooking is about improvising and making good with what you have.

So without further introduction, here is a recipe I am insanely proud of and it can also be meat-free!

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Inspired by The Savage Feast
Ingredients:
•1 Butternut Squash boiled or roasted then pureed, about 2-3 cups OR you can cheat like I did and use frozen pureed squash from the frozen veggie aisle 
•6 ounces cream cheese OR 3 ounces of Phili Savory Garlic Cooking Creme mixed with 3 ounces of Whipped Cream Cheese
•3 teaspoons of Taco Seasoning Mix
•1 small can of green chilis
•15 ounce can of black beans (or whatever beans you got, I had pinto)
•6 large Flour Tortillas
•1-2 cups shredded/grated cheddar cheese (I used a Mexican blend, pre-shredded)
•2½-3 cups enchilada sauce (I use medium heat, but I like spice)
•2 links of bulk sausage, cooked (I had this in the fridge and wanted to use it up, you can easily make this a vegetarian meal!)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a rectangular glass baking dish. In a bowl, mix the squash and cream cheese until completely blended. Add the spices, chiles, and beans and mix well. Holding the tortilla like a taco, place a generous amount of filling in it. Roll it into a tube and place seam side down in the baking dish. Add a bit of cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until your filling is used up. 

Spoon the enchilada sauce on top and make sure you get it down in between the enchiladas and all
around the edges. 

Get sauce on all the tortilla surfaces so that they don't dry out when they're baking. Then sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for 30-40 minutes until they're bubbly and the cheese has browned. 

Then enjoy!

What's your go-to cheat to get dinner on the table quicker?