Burritos themselves aren't very pretty to look at. But I think that lots of colorful veggies are. (and yes, that is my trusty jar of Adobo in the corner).

Though my husband and I aren’t vegetarians, we eat meatless meals several times a week. We do this partially for health reasons, partially for cost reasons and partially because vegetables are so darn tasty. I’m also biased in favor of them because I think food should be attractive. Veggies are generally prettier than chicken breasts or bacon. The problem is that produce doesn’t keep for very long. So I’m often looking for ways to use it up before it goes bad. Soups and stir-fries are obvious options. But there are times, like tonight, that neither of those sounds appealing. So I raided the fridge and cabinets for a few staples, starting chopping and sautéing, and came up with these veggie burritos. I had no idea they would turn out as well as they did.

Black Bean & Veggie Burritos
Makes 4 large burritos

Ingredients
1 large zucchini
1 large yellow squash
1 large onion
1-3 jalapeño peppers
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. Adobo with cumin
1 32 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
Juice of one lime
Large flour tortillas
1 1/2 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
Sour cream & salsa, for serving

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Wash and dice zucchini, squash and onion. Wash, seed and dice peppers.
3. Add onions, garlic and peppers to skillet. Cook until slightly softened. Add zucchini and squash and cook an additional 3 minutes. Finally, add black beans and corn and cook until everything is heated, about 5 minutes.
4. Heat tortillas. Fill with vegetable-bean mixture, cheese, salsa and sour cream (if desired). Enjoy!

My thoughts & suggestions

• OK. I realize that I’ve now contradicted my recent mini-rant against premade spice mixes. But there is one mix that I keep around – Goya Adobo. This mixture of salt, pepper, cumin, garlic power, oregano and turmeric is a staple in my kitchen. I use it in chili, on grilled chicken and in almost anything Mexican-inspired. It’s also great on home fries and french fries. Be careful, though, because it is salty. A little goes a long way.
• I used 3 jalapeños and still thought the filling was a little mild. I actually think a habanero pepper would be quite good in this.
• I don’t have a whole lot else to say. Cooking doesn’t get much easier than this. I did consider adding more Adobo, or at least more cumin. But the vegetables have so much flavor on their own; and I didn’t want to overpower them. I know that I’ll be playing with this idea in the future. I’m sure lots of other vegetables would be good in this. I’ll probably throw in some diced tomatoes next time. I definitely think the filling could use fresh cilantro. Avocado would also have been a great addition. But those are things that tend to get eaten quickly, meaning I didn’t have any lying around. Since this recipe was, above all, a way to clean out the crisper drawer, I’m not too worried about it.

Ingredients
3-4 lbs. butternut squash, peeled & cubed
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks Celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
2 apples – cored, peeled & cubed
48 oz. chicken stock
1 c. apple cider
4 oz. smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup butter

Directions
1. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add squash, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pot. Cover and cook until the squash is soft, stirring frequently
2. Once the squash has softened, add chicken stock, peppers, apples and cider. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat, add shredded cheese and puree with an immersion blender. Garnish with additional shredded cheese.

Recipe Source: I apologize, but I have no idea where this recipe originally came from. It was given to my husband by his coworker. My Google-fu has failed to give me any additional information

• We usually think of pumpkin as a sweet food that goes best with cinnamon and nutmeg. With this soup recipe, The Kitchn shows that it also goes well with bacon. Then again, what doesn’t?
• Right now, the grocery stores and farm markets are full of squash. Taste of Home‘s website has a quick guide to the more common varieties currently available, along with some ideas for what to do with them.
• Who’d think to grill apples? Certainly not me, until I came across this Grilled Apple and Chicken Salad recipe on Serious Eats. It will be on next week’s dinner menu.
• I’m not such a fan of candy corn. But this Candy Corn Cordial from Food Network is so pretty that it has me tempted to infuse some vodka with candy corn anyway.
• Finally, I’ve decided that my utensil drawer is in dire need of these lightsaber chopsticks.