New Mexico Raw Vegan Tacos

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When I talk to people who are new to raw food I often hear that they could never be fully raw because they would all the fun that comes with "real" cooking: all the dishes that could never taste as good if they were not cooked, baked, grilled or roasted. And they are right. Many dishes cannot be made raw, but this is the beauty of raw food lifestyle. You eat as much raw as you possibly can, but you are never forbidden to eat cooked food if you feel like it. Just keep your intake of raw, living, enzyme-rich food at about 75% and you will see the difference.


Raw food becomes quite exciting if you know how to use herbs and spices to re-create the taste of the dishes that are normally cooked. Few cuisines offer as much room for experimentation as does the Mexican one. New Mexico is quite proud of its Mexican food. Inspired raw food chefs can take it into the next level. Give it a try.

I used the New Mexican chile ancho also known as ancho chilli pepper. The spice is made of dried poblano pepper. Poblano peppers are relatively mild and very aromatic.
 
 
Ingredients:

for the "meat"
  • 2 cups walnuts, soaked in water overnight
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
  • 1/3 cup virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp chile ancho 
  • 1 dried chile ancho, crushed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

for the tacos:
  • 6 Romain lettuce leaves for the taco shells
  • 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
  • 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 limes cut into wedges


Method:
  • Put all the "meat" ingredients into food processor and pulse until you have a slightly coarse paste.  
  • Place washed Romain leaves on dinner plates. Take three leaves for each portion.
  • Scoop out the walnut "meat" and spread it evenly on each leaf.
  • Garnish each taco with chopped avocado, cherry tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, cilantro and lime wedges. Enjoy in good company!

Tip: You can use sun dried tomatoes that have been soaked in olive oil if you prefer. They are quite aromatic and easy to process. Remember to reduce the amount of olive oil in this recipe and adjust the amount of spices you are using.

Sonora inspecting the new dish

In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2014