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Vegan Butternut Squash Tacos al Pastor

You don’t need a spit – or even meat – for real-deal tacos al pastor. Create a vegan version of this Mexican street food institution with nutty, roasted butternut squash and a whole slew of seasonings. Layer in corn tortillas with chunks of pineapple, a squeeze of fresh lime and cabbage, onion or radish as desired.

20 min

PREP TIME

35 min

COOK TIME

130

CALORIES

16

INGREDIENTS

10

Servings

Ingredients
Preparation
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INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsps (20 ml) Chili Pepper Ancho
2 tsps (10 ml) Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsps (7 ml) Cumin, Ground
1 1/2 tsps (7 ml) Oregano Leaves
1 tsp (5 ml) Coriander Ground
3/4 tsp (4 ml) Paprika Smoked
1/8 tsp (1/2 ml) Cloves, Ground
2 tsps (10 ml) salt divided
1/8 tsp (1/2 ml) Pepper, Coarse Black
2 pounds (1 kg) butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch (1-cm) pieces
1/2 pineapple peeled, cored and sliced into rings
4 tbsps (60 ml) lime juice divided
Shredded green cabbage (about 2 cups/500ml) Substitution Available
- very thinly sliced radishes
Tortillas warmed
Chopped white onion

What you'll need

Preparation

1 Place one oven rack in lowest position and another rack in highest position. Preheat oven to 450ºF (230°C). Mix oil, spices, 1 3/4 teaspoon (9 ml) of the salt and pepper in a large bowl with wire whisk. Add squash; toss to coat evenly. Arrange squash in single layer on parchment-lined shallow baking pan. Set aside.
2 Arrange pineapple slices in single layer on a separate parchment-lined shallow baking pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the lime juice.
3 Place pan with squash on lowest oven rack. Place pan with pineapple on highest oven rack. Roast 30 to 35 minutes or until squash is tender and lightly browned, stirring squash and flipping pineapple halfway through cooking.
4 Meanwhile, toss cabbage with remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon (2 ml) salt in large bowl.
5 Remove squash and pineapple from oven and let cool slightly. Chop pineapple into bite-size chunks. To serve, layer squash and pineapple in warm corn tortillas; top with cabbage.