Vegan Picadillo w/ Acorn Squash and Salsa Verde

Here’s the thing. I don’t necessarily endorse the vegan lifestyle, but let’s not talk about that at the moment. I live in Austin, Texas… I don’t want to get run out of town.

Here’s the other thing. I love vegetables. And I love vegetarian dishes that find a creative way to make vegetables shine as the main without taking the Fake Meat Cop Out. Serve this satisfying picadillo with HEB flour tortillas. If you are unfamiliar with HEB, I’m sorry. Make a quesadilla with the leftovers.

Ingredients

2 acorn squash, cored and cut into half moons

PICADILLO
½ cup pecans, finely chopped
½ cup pepitas, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon (powder or paste)

SALSA
1 pound tomatillos
1 white onion
2 serrano peppers
4 cloves garlic
½ bunch cilantro
Juice of ½ lime

Peel, core, and cut acorn squash. Toss with oil and salt. Roast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until fork tender. For picadillo, saute onions, mushrooms, and garlic until mushrooms start to release some of their juices. Add pecans and pepitas. Continue to saute until onions start to brown. Add spices and saute about 1 minute more. Add tomato and vegetable bouillon. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

For the salsa verde, roast (in the oven) or char (on a grill) onion, garlic, tomatillos, and serranos. Remove from heat when tomatillos begin to turn dusky green. Finished salsa should be bright green, so do not cook tomatillos all the way through. Blend vegetables, cilantro, and lime juice in a blender until smooth… or use a molcajete (for your ancestors). Season with salt to taste. 

Serve this up with a generous scoop of salsa verde on the plate, followed by picadillo, and finish with squash stacked on top. Garnish with cilantro.