The fillings in the veggie tacos at Blue Eyed Daisy vary throughout the year, but the butternut squash filling caught the attention of our reader. This easy recipe takes a little preplanning because the beans soak overnight before cooking. Roasting the squash brings out its natural sweetness, the savory sauteed peppers and onions add vibrant color, and everything can be made ahead. The restaurant serves the tacos in flour tortillas, or in corn tortillas for those who are eating gluten-free.
Take advantage of early spring produce with this recipe from Serenbe’s Blue Eyed Daisy
We enjoy making the trip to the Serenbe community several times a year, with a stop at the farmers market and lunch at the Blue Eyed Daisy. The veggie taco with butternut squash we ordered ... was such a fun variation on traditional taco fillings. We’d love to make it at home between trips if they’ll share the recipe. Thank you.
— Mindy Eaves, Atlanta
The beloved Serenbe cafe has been serving vegetable-forward breakfast and lunch for more than 20 years, drawing heavily on produce from nearby farms. As the weather warms, an alternative to the butternut squash in this recipe is carrots; roasted carrots offer a similar caramelized sweetness. Matt Wachlin, Blue Eyed Daisy’s owner, also suggests turning these into breakfast tacos by substituting scrambled eggs for the butternut squash.
When he sent the recipe, Wachlin wrote, “In the fall, Scharko Farms in Fairburn harvested amazing butternut squash and peppers that we wanted to highlight together. The veggie tacos featuring their squash and peppers were a Saturday lunch special beginning last October.”
These butternut/pepper tacos will be on the menu for a few more weeks and then the restaurant will transition to sweet potato/black bean tacos.
Blue Eyed Daisy’s Veggie Tacos
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1½ teaspoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- ¾ teaspoon chopped cilantro leaves
- ¾ teaspoon adobe sauce from canned chipotle peppers in adobo, or to taste
- 1 pound butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 8 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas
- 2 cups Black Beans (see recipe)
- Sauteed Peppers and Onions (see recipe)
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Make chipotle crema: In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, cilantro and adobo sauce. Taste and add more adobo sauce if desired. May be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Roast squash: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Trim end of butternut squash, peel, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Discard peel and seeds.
- Cut flesh into ½-inch cubes and transfer to a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, cumin, black pepper and cayenne pepper and stir well to combine.
- Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until squash is tender and edges have caramelized, stirring occasionally for even browning. Remove from oven.
- Leave oven on. Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in oven, about 5 minutes.
- Assemble tacos: Remove tortillas from oven, unwrap and arrange on work surface.
- Divide roasted squash between tortillas and top each with ¼ cup black beans. Divide sauteed peppers and onions and shredded Monterey Jack cheese between tortillas. Drizzle with chipotle crema, fold in half and serve hot.
Serves 4.
Black Beans
The leftover black beans from this recipe can be frozen in their cooking liquid for up to three months, ready for use in a quick chili dinner or to add to rice bowls or salads.
If you are sensitive to the capsaicin in hot peppers, use gloves when dicing the jalapeno.
- 8 cups water
- 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable stock, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 5 mini bell peppers, cored, seeds removed, diced
- 1 Roma tomato, cored, seeds removed, diced
- 1 diced shallot
- 1 small jalapeno, diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch each of salt and black pepper
- In a Dutch oven, combine water, black beans and 1 cup vegetable stock. Cover and let sit overnight.
- When ready to cook beans, place Dutch oven on cooktop over high heat.
- While beans and liquid are heating, in a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute garlic 2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
- Add bell peppers, tomato, shallot and jalapeno and continue cooking 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Transfer the vegetable mixture to the beans in the Dutch oven. Stir in remaining 1 cup vegetable stock, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- If using immediately, drain beans into a colander and discard cooking liquid.
- If freezing for future use, divide beans into 2 freezer-proof quart containers. Add liquid to cover and cool to room temperature before freezing. Discard any remaining liquid.
Makes 7 cups.
Sauteed Peppers and Onions
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup ¼-inch strips yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
- ½ cup ¼-inch strips green bell pepper (half a medium bell pepper)
- ½ cup ¼-inch strips red bell pepper (half a medium bell pepper)
- 5 mini bell peppers, cored, seeds removed, cut into ¼-inch strips
- Pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, green and red peppers, and mini peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until vegetables soften and onions begin to caramelize.
- Remove from heat.
- Use immediately or may be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- If prepared ahead, when ready to use, heat peppers and onions in a dry skillet over low heat until hot, stirring frequently.
Makes 2 cups.
From the menu of … Blue Eyed Daisy, 9065 Selborne Lane, Chattahoochee Hills. 770-463-8379. blueeyeddaisybakeshop.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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