If you’ve ever looked at the label of store-bought guacamole, you’ll see all kinds of ingredients that you just really don’t need.

And if you see any ingredients you can’t actually pronounce or know what they mean, run the other way.

Making your own fresh guacamole is simple and only requires 2 ingredients:

1 fresh avocado and a tablespoon or two of salsa.

Preparation

Use a small sharp knife to cut into the skin of the guacamole. Make a few cuts across the skin so that it makes it easier to peel the skin off. Peel the skin off completely.

When that’s done, carefully cut around the pit. The pit is actually quite soft on the outside, so it’s easy to slice through and end up with pieces of pit in your guacamole. Just make sure to remove any bits of pit before proceeding. 

Now all you need to do is mash the avocado. If your avocado isn’t quite soft enough, you can use a hand blender, but a fully ripe avocado is best. Add a couple tablespoons of salsa, just for a tiny bit of flavor and to make the end result creamier.

Of course, to make things more natural, you can even make your own salsa. All it takes is a few simple ingredients like peppers, tomato, onions and cilantro.

Tofu (bean curd) is made from soy milk and pressed into blocks for packaging. With the ever growing popularity of vegetarian dishes, tofu has become a staple in wide variety of dishes beyond traditional Asian cuisine.

Tofu is high in protein and iron while low in calories and fat. Being bland by itself, tofu takes on the flavor of the spices and other ingredients it is cooked with which make it versatile and the perfect substitute for meat.

For this recipe, we have used extra firm tofu so it more closely represents ground beef, but if you prefer, you can use a less stiff form.

Ingredients:

1 lb. extra firm tofu

1 package McCormick original taco seasoning

¾ cup water

12 crunchy corn taco shells

2 cups Cheddar cheese

½ small head lettuce

2 tomatoes

1 onion

Directions:

Chop tofu into bite size pieces. If you start by buying cubed tofu, it will make this process much easier.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, warm the tofu for about 5 minutes.

Add the water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Continue with a low boil, stirring occasionally until water is reduced to almost nothing.

While water is reducing, pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees. Slip the crunchy taco shells over the wire oven rack. Heat shells for about 5 minutes.

Chop your tomatoes, onion and lettuce while waiting for everything to finish cooking.

Assemble tacos and enjoy with a slice of avocado.

Ingredients

1/3 c. red onion, chopped

4 tbsp. lime juice

1 small jalapeno pepper (2 if you like it hot)

4 avocados, peeled and pitted

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 large mango – peeled, seeded, and chopped

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

Directions

This is one of the easiest things to make because you simply toss everything into a bowl and using a potato masher, mash it to the desired consistency that you like. If you like really smooth guacamole, you can use a food processer to combine everything. Serve at room temperature.

When you think of squash, you’ll likely think of summer squash and pumpkins. However, if you’ve never tried sweet acorn squash, a winter squash, you’ve been missing out! Although they typically are served as part of the main meal, this recipe is a great way to eliminate the need for a dessert and sneak in a vegetable while still satisfying your sweet tooth.

Ingredients

1 acorn squash
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup walnuts, chopped (or your favorite nut) – optional
¼ cup dried cranberries (or your favorite dried fruit) – optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut acorn squash in half crossway.

Scoop out the seeds & stringy insides to leave only the cleaned flesh.

In an oven safe dish, place the two squash sides. You’ll want to use a small enough dish that they are supported and do not tip over.

Using a fork, poke lots of holes in the flesh making sure you do not poke completely through.

Next add 1 tbsp. butter to each squash.

Add your fruit/nut filling (optional)

Add one half of the brown sugar to each squash.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until flesh is tender.

Serve with the butter/sugar syrup for an extra sweet dish or without the syrup for a more natural flavor.

*Note: Since this is such a basic recipe, you may also want to try it with other varieties of winter squash to discover which combination of flavors you like best.