Recipe: Black Bean Pumpkin Arugula Saute

Three recipes in one week?! Who is this person? And more pumpkin to boot? What can I say, I'm just a fan of boots.

Did I mention that I bought furniture last weekend to house all my squash? I don't think I did. Well there I was at Trader Joe's (and 2 other grocery stores, in fact). They had every kind of squash that can make your mouth water, and they were cheap! And I had a thought. In these hard economic times (I think everyone should work this phrase into a conversation at least once a day. It's fun to watch people's eyes roll.), you have to shop smart (oh, that's another winner). More precisely I thought "Squash stays good for weeks and weeks, so I won't have to be without it should the mood strike!" That's me. Always thinking with my stomach. Too bad Husband wasn't with me that trip. It's a good think I've been pumping iron because squash is heavy!

So I got all the squash home and then came to a realization. I didn't have anywhere to store it. I don't really have a pantry, per se. More like designated cabinets (though my sister, quite understandably, often tells me to stuff it since I have about 3 times more storage space in my kitchen than she does). It's no walk-in like my parent have, which I constantly drool over whenever I'm there. *sigh* Anyway, I was left with a dilemma. Where to put it? On the counter was not an option. The only open space was in front of the coffee maker, and several pounds of round, unstable, and heavy vegetables between me and my eyes opening in the morning was just not a good idea. So it was off to Pier 1 to look for a solution! I would have preferred the opportunity to shop around a bit and try to find something, ya know, not wicker. But desperate times call for measures that actually work out ok. We found a floor-standing 3-tier dark wicker basket thingy that was just what we needed! And I think wicker is actually fine since it's holding something earthy and colorful, ya know? And you know what? It's perfect! It holds all my squash, plus my potatoes and onions! Woohoo! I set it up right at the edge of the counter, so it doesn't take up much room. It's very efficient, and I smile when I look at it.

How does this relate to the black bean pumpkin and arugula saute recipe I'm about to post? It doesn't. I just wanted to share my squash storage adventure with you. And also, I felt the need to liven the post a bit, since I wolfed this down before I had a chance to take a picture of it. It was seriously good. What prompted it? Leftovers. What else? I had leftover pumpkin from the bread and leftover beans from...well I just like beans. I always have some arugula and mache on hand for salads and adding greenery to my dinners, so I thought, why not just put it all together? And of course, a fried egg makes any dinner a winner in my book. And another plus, this took me literally 10 minutes to throw together. Enjoy!

Black Bean Pumpkin Arugula Saute

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 TB butter
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 10 oz arugula
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups mache (aka lamb's lettuce)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in saute pan over medium heat. (Note: you could use cooking spray or oil instead, but I think a little butter adds a nice flavor)
2. Add arugula, and toss to coat with butter. Add pumpkin and beans and stir to combine with arugula. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute until arugula wilts and beans and pumpkin heat through, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat another skillet over low-medium with some kind of non-stick agent (butter, oil, or cooking spray - whatever floats your boat). Cook the eggs to your liking. Husband likes scrambled whites (obviously if you do this you'll need more than 4 eggs and a little milk, or even better, buttermilk). I like it simple and fried - just crack the egg straight into the pan, try not to let it run all over the pan. Cook for a few minutes until the bottom is cooked well enough to flip. Then, you guessed it, flip! Cook for another 2 minutes or so, until the white is set to your liking.
4. Fill four bowls with 1 cup of mache each. Spoon 1/4 of the bean/pumpkin/arugula mixture on top. Top with the fried egg (or whatever preparation you used). Enjoy! (To best achieve said enjoyment, you might start with piercing that ooey gooey yolk and letting it spill out over the beans. *drool!*)

Note: I actually made this with a pre-cooked Trader Joe's bean medley they sell in the refrigerated section along with the pre-roasted beets. I wrote the recipe with black beans because that's probably what I would use in the future, but really any beans that tickle your fancy would work.