Raw Tacos

Raw Tacos

About two weeks ago, I stumbled across this recipe for raw tacos on a cooking blog I follow.  The recipe was intriguing and the photos looked delicious.  Unfortunately, I had started a "detox" program and was not allowed to have soy, one of the ingredients used in the recipe, so I wasn't able to try it.  But I couldn't get the thought of raw tacos out of my mind and since the program I'm following allowed me to add soy back in this week, I decided to give them a try.  Oh my!  They were every bit as good as Sarah said they would be!  The recipe comes from her blog, My New Roots.  If you head over to her blog, you should wander around a bit.  She has so many delicious things to make!

Since this recipe was so unusual and new to me, I didn't change much of anything.  I spiced up the walnut mixture a bit with some Indian chili powder and I substituted Liquid Aminos for the nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) since soy sauce has gluten in it and I'm currently off gluten.  If you aren't a pure raw foodist and you don't mind gluten, feel free to substitute regular soy sauce.  So then, here is how I made these delicious tacos.

Salsa
1 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes (I used grape)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper, finely chopped
4 green onions, minced
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 t honey
1 T extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt

1.  Whisk the garlic, lime juice, honey, olive oil, and salt in a medium bowl.
2.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Let sit for about 1/2 hour to blend flavors.

While the salsa is "melding" make the following:


Walnut Mixture
1 c. walnuts
1 T Liquid Aminos
1/2 t Indian chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t extra virgin olive oil

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined and crumbly.  Be careful not to over-process or you'll end up with paste.

Cashew Sour Cream
1/2 c raw cashews (you can get these at a health food shop.  In Fort Wayne, you can get them at the Three Rivers Food Co-op)
juice of 1/2 small lemon
1 t apple cider vinegar
6 T water

Put all ingredients except water in a blender.  Blend on the highest speed until well blended.  Add the water one tablespoon at a time until creamy.  If you want a thinner sauce, add more water.

Other Taco Ingredients
romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, or cabbage leaves (I used romaine and they were tasty but a bit small)
avocado
lime wedges
chopped cilantro

To assemble the tacos, take a lettuce leaf and lay it flat.  Place a couple tablespoons of walnut mixture down the middle.  Top with cashew cream, avocado, salsa and cilantro.  Squeeze a bit of lime.  Eat.  Repeat.

Yum-O!!

Tacos with walnut mix and cashew cream

Beef Enchiladas: Fast, Easy and Delicious!

Last night I made some enchiladas that were so delicious, I woke up thinking about them this morning!  I found the recipe in Cook's Illustrated.  The recipe looked so easy and delicious, that I didn't feel I needed to change a thing.  The only substitution I made was using a flat iron steak instead of a top blade.  The reason for this was because after calling around to three local butchers, I wasn't able to find top blade like the recipe called for.  I decided to go with a flat iron steak and it was so tender and delicious that I won't even bother to change cuts, even if I can find top blade in the future.

Ingredients:

3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 T chili powder
2 t ground coriander
2 t ground cumin
1 t sugar
1 1/4 lb flat iron steak
1 T canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
1/2 cup water
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)

Method:

1.  Combine garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in  a small bowl.  Pat meat dry, sprinkle with salt.  Heat oil in large pan and brown meat on both sides.  Remove meat.  Over medium heat, saute onions until soft and golden.  Stir in spice mixture and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil.  Return meat to pot, cover, and simmer until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

2.  Remove meat and strain sauce over a medium bowl.  Shred meat and mix with the solids strained from the sauce, 1 cup cheese, cilantro, and jalapenos.

3.  Spread some sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish.  Soften tortillas by heating in a microwave, 6 at a time, for about 45 seconds.  Place about 1/3 cup meat mixture across a tortilla and roll up tightly.  Place, seam side down, in prepared pan.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and meat.  Pour remaining sauce over top of enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  Remove tin foil and continue baking for about 5 more minutes.

The meat and sauce can be made several days ahead of time making this a great recipe for easy entertaining!  Just roll the enchiladas and place in oven shortly before your guests arrive.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love the adventure of trying out a new recipe; but sometimes, I just don't have the drive nor the time to take a chance on something I may not like.  I have a collection of family-tested, quick to fix recipes that I fall back on time and again.  This chicken tortilla soup is one of them.  It goes together quickly and everyone loves it.  Plus, it's hardy enough that I don't really need to make anything else to go with it!

This recipe is adapted from one found in The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.  Don't be put off by the seemingly long list of ingredients.  The recipe is really simple!

Ingredients:

2 T. canola oil

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t dried oregano

1 1/2 t cumin

1 t chili powder (such as cayenne)

1 jalapeno, chopped (I leave the seeds because I like the heat, but you can remove them)

1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, cut up with juice

4 cups chicken broth

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, if you prefer)

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

2 cups frozen corn

1/2 cup minced cilantro

salt to taste

For Serving:

blue tortilla chips

Monterey Jack cheese

diced avocado

Method:

1.  Heat oil in large pot and saute peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and chili powder until onion is translucent.

2.  Add jalapeno and cut up tomatoes.  Stir and cook briefly.

3.  Add chicken broth and chicken pieces.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.  Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.

4.  Return chicken to pot along with black beans and corn.  Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.  Add salt and cilantro.

To Serve:
Crumble some tortilla chips into a bowl and top with a sprinkling of cheese.  Ladle hot soup over chips and garnish with avocado.