Guacamole

Ah, Guacamole. Oh, how I love you. Truth is, I would eat avocado with a spoon every day regardless of it’s mashed up state or not.  When I get really lazy and want guacamole, I add a few spoons of salsa to a mashed up avocado. When I’m missing cilantro, I make it anyway, though I think the cilantro is what makes or breaks the perfect bowl of guacamole. Below is my currently most desired version:

The Players

• 3 avocados – peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

The Fun

Mash the avocado and mix all ingredients together.

Taco or Fajita Seasoning

Like many, we used to buy seasoning for tacos and fajitas, but once I read the package and all that companies add, I decided to make my own. I combined a few recipes to get the one below.  First the basics, then a little kick, and finally the addition for tacos.

Basic

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For a bit of a kick add:

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For tacos, I also add:

• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Vegan Nacho Salad

This is an oldie, but I thought I would share a photo of this nacho salad. I used vegan refried black beans, black olives, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and onion with a few corn chips on the bottom.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

A few weeks ago Emily of Daily Garnish fame posted a delicious looking enchilada recipe using black beans and butternut squash. Butternut squash is one of my all-time favorite fall and winter foods, so I bookmarked it and waited with baited breath for one to show up in our CSA box. Well, last Friday, I opened the box and squealed when I saw the squash. I am pretty sure my husband thought I saw a spider or something, because he asked what was wrong. LOL!

I was so excited to eat, I nearly forgot to snap a photo, so I had to use the instagram I used in a tweet.

To make, I followed Emily’s Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada recipe. I also made the homemade sauce she used. Both were easy and delicious.  The only thing I might consider doing differently is leaving out the cinnamon or reducing it even further. Maybe my squash was not big enough, but the cinnamon seemed a little strong to me. It might also have appeared that way to me, because I REALLY love the flavor of butternut squash “naked” (so to speak).

Also, in full disclosure, for whatever reason, my son decided he did not like the enchilada. He only wanted to eat the squash and bean mixture on the inside. No big deal. Next time I will save him some to the side.

(I served it with some guacamole and chips on the side, using the tomato from our CSA box, which was not ideal, but it worked.)

Vegan Baked Doughnuts

Lest anyone believe all I do is feed my family healthy food, I offer this amazing recipe from Happy Herbivore. Yes, the recipe is healthier than what you’d get at the doughnut shop, but the Happy Herbivore “Baked Low Fat Whole Wheat Chocolate-Glazed Vegan Doughnuts Recipe” still tastes great.