I saw a recipe for a breakfast-type burrito involving cinnamon and cloves and it all sounded a bit too sweet. But the idea of a hot breakfast wrap stuck with me, so I just did a spicy onion and garlic mix with fresh red and green chili peppers (you can use sweet peppers if you can’t handle the heat), and threw in some leftover (frozen) butternut squash with some fresh thyme and dried oregano. Then a squeeze of lime (or lemon if it’s all you have) to cut the sweetness of the pumpkin. It’s simple and quick as long as you’ve got the pumpkin ready to go, but you can also replace it with black or pinto beans, refried beans, and/or scrambled eggs. Instead of a flour tortilla (or a buckwheat wrap like in the linked recipe above), I used a brown rice tortilla to make the recipe gluten-free. You could also use a corn wrap, or even a sprouted corn wrap. The tortillas live in the freezer until you want them, and then all you do is stick them over you fillings in the skillet to reheat them individually.
Spicy Squash Burritos with Thyme
Ingredients:
2 cups roasted pumpkin or pumpkin purée (not canned pumpkin pie filling with sugar and things added already. You don’t want all the dairy and additives. Just the pumpkin purée. It’s easiest just to use leftover roasted pumpkin but you can buy the purée in a can. To make your own: Cut 1 butternut squash or other pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds and slimy membrane, place cut side-down on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes, or until the squash starts to collapse in on itself and release some syrup. I did this in advance, ate half at the time, and froze the leftovers)
1 tbsp coconut oil or other oil (I like coconut here for the sweetness to balance the
1 large onion, thinly sliced (or diced if you’re pressed for time – they’ll cook faster)
4 cloves garlic, diced (or less, if you prefer…)
2 red cayenne chili peppers, seeded and minced (or less. You can also replace it with 1/2 tsp cayenne or red pepper flakes but it’s really not the same)
1 green jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (or less. See above)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
zest and juice of half a juicy lime (you may need the juice of 1 entire lime if it’s old and dry. Only use the zest if it’s organic. Pesticides concentrate in the zest)
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until the onions start to brown. You want them to caramelize later so this browning is important now. Then turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic and diced peppers. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes, then turn the heat down to low and cook another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft. If you diced your onions to save time, you won’t need to cook them this long. Just cook them until they’re soft and no longer chewy or, god forbid, crunchy.
Add the pumpkin purée, salt, thyme, and oregano and stir to coat. Add two tbsp of water if the pumpkin starts to stick. Add two more if it’s stubborn. Stir for about 3 until the pumpkin is heated through.
Put a tortilla over the skillet to soften it. It’s fine if the filling sticks to it and makes it a tiny bit soggy. It’s supposed to be a light steaming. You just don’t want the tortilla to be tough. You can also heat it in the microwave on a plate topped with a damp paper towel for 10-20 seconds or so, or in the oven the same way, but this saves having to clean another dish. Your dish soap hands will thank you later.
Remove the tortilla to a plate and then remove the skillet from the heat. Pour the lime zest and juice over the contents of the skillet and taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary – more salt, more lime, more thyme, a drop of maple syrup if you like it sweeter, maybe fold in some fresh or frozen cubed mango. You shouldn’t need hot sauce if you used enough fresh cayenne and jalapeno pepper; you really don’t need all that added sodium. Then take a big scoop of the filling and place it in the tortilla. Fold the tortilla up and enjoy!
Leave a Reply