Raw Vegan Taco Night

Raw Vegan Soft Spicy Corn Tortillas

 

Who says you can't have tacos when living a raw vegan lifestyle?  Not me!  Mark and I LOVE tacos and we practically devour them once we sit down.  

 

We used to eat them on greens, but I've been playing around with a variety of flat breads from sweet to savory, Italian to Mexican, etc. and finally came up with a version of what I call my Soft Spicy Corn Tortillas.  I haven’t gotten to the point of measuring everything exactly for this recipe, mainly because I change it a little here and there depending on what the meal is and what I want it to taste like.  Besides, with raw food creating it isn't exact science - which I love - so experimentation is the key. 

 

Soft Spicy Corn Tortillas

 

Approximate measurements:

 

1 ¼- 1 ½ cup flax meal

¼ rounded cup nutritional yeast

Pinch of sea salt

Put into large bowl, stir to combine and set aside

 

1/3 cup sundried tomatoes - soaked in 1 1/2 cups water to soften, drain and reserve water

1 ½-2 cups roughly chopped tomato

½-3/4  cup chopped onion

1 very full cup of corn

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ancho chili pepper

1 tsp cumin powder

 

Put all of the above into a food processor and process until blended smooth.  There will be little bits and that is perfect.  I do a taste test in case I need to add more spices.  If you do not like spicy, then omit the cayenne and ancho chili pepper.

 

Add 1 cup of the reserved soaked water to the flax meal bowl and combine well.  Add the above mixture and stir until combined.  It will be thick, but if it seems to thick to spread then add the extra water a little at a time - NOT too thin or watery.  It needs to remain a thick spreadable mixture, so you be the judge.

 

I usually can fill up 3 dehydrator trays (2 almost to the edges and 1 smaller) but this varies.  Line the mesh tray with a teflex sheet or similar then spread the mixture out evenly until it’s around ¼” thick or so - you don't want it too thin.  You'll need to work with the mixture, it will be kind of gummy.

 

Dehydrate for 1 hour at 145 then lower to 115 for several hours, around 4-8, but this varies due to location, weather, etc.  I turn the trays around during the dehydration process just to get them evenly dehydrated.  Once they are pliable enough, remove them from the teflex sheet onto the mesh sheet.  If you haven’t done this before, simply put a mesh sheet on top of the tortilla along with a tray, flip it over then slowly peel the teflex sheet away from the tortilla.  Put them back into the dehydrator until done. 

 

Cut into desired pieces and once cooled, place them in a Ziploc bag or other container - this will soften them to be more pliable.  

Raw Vegan Taco Night!

Yum yum yum!  Cashew queso "cheese", soft spicy corn tortillas, mushroom taco filling, pico de gallo, avocado and lettuce.  See?  Raw vegan meals are not just lettuce and carrot sticks.  But those are good too :)

Enjoy!

Peace,
Rocki

Yummy Organic No-Cook Summer Recipes

Living in the southwest, we pretty much thrive on Mexican food. Okay, maybe it's just me and several other thousand Mexican food lovers. In any case, I came across these recipes by chance at OrganicToBe.org. This site has some fabulous info, blogs, recipes and more. Below are some yummy no-cook summer or anytime recipes from Farmgirl Fare on the same site that I thought you may enjoy!

Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw Tacos (above)
Few Tablespoons olive or canola oil
Corn tortillas

Optional toppings:
Chopped vine-ripened tomatoes
Chopped fresh cilantro
More High Kickin' Creamy Tomato Dressing
Sour cream
Guacamole or diced avocado
Shredded cheese

Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add two or three tortillas. Using tongs, turn tortillas over so that both sides are covered with oil. Let cook, turning once or twice more, until just starting to crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Set on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook the remaining tortillas, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.

To serve, fold warm tortillas in half and stuff with Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw and optional toppings, drizzling with more High Kickin’ Creamy Tomato Dressing if desired. Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw
Serves 4 to 6 -- Recipe may be doubled

This delicious and healthful coleslaw-type salad doesn’t actually contain any jumping beans and is more Tex-Mex than Mexican, but when it comes to dubbing new dishes I’ll admit that sometimes catchy wins out over reality. Besides, with a name like Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw, you might even be able to talk any picky little eaters at your table into seeing if they’re able to pop a bite in their mouth before it jumps right off their fork.

The snappy tomato dressing, which was inspired by last summer's Seven Second Tomato Glut Solution (oh how I wish I had that glut this year), whizzes together in seconds in the blender and can be used on all sorts of other things besides this slaw (see my suggestions at the end of the recipe), but you can always use a bottled dressing instead. Trader Joe’s sells a lowfat creamy cilantro dressing in their refrigerated section that’s full of flavor but not calories.

The optional cooked chicken turns this into a heartier dish that’s perfect for a summer supper with friends, or for feeding people who simply can’t fathom the idea of eating a vegetarian taco.

As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients whenever possible. They really do make a difference in so many ways. Cans of organic black beans and organic corn are versatile pantry staples, and both can often be found for about a dollar.

3 cups (about 9 ounces) shredded green cabbage
1 cup (about 3 ounces) shredded purple cabbage
2 large sweet red peppers, diced
2 medium carrots, grated
4 large scallions, chopped
1 15-ounce can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can organic whole sweet corn, drained or 1-1/2 cups cooked fresh corn
2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken (optional)
Salt to taste

2-1/2 cups High Kickin’ Creamy Tomato Dressing (see recipe below)

In a large bowl, combine green cabbage, purple cabbage, red peppers, carrots, black beans, and corn. Stir in chicken if desired. Add 2 cups dressing and mix well, adding another 1/2 cup dressing if desired. Salt to taste. Serve immediately, or for best flavor, chill for several hours or overnight. Slaw will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

High Kickin' Creamy Tomato Dressing
Makes about 3-1/2 cups

1 pound juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes (about 3 medium), coarsely chopped
1 cup yogurt (I use lowfat or nonfat)
1 cup sour cream (I use lowfat)
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 Tablespoon ground cumin, preferably freshly ground*
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds, preferably freshly ground*
1 teaspoon Chile powder* (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, adding a little more tomato if it’s too thick. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Warning note: The heat from the Chile powder in the dressing becomes more pronounced the next day.

Other ways to enjoy this dressing:
--Mixed into a Tex-Mex potato salad
--Drizzled over a platter of sliced garden tomatoes
--Tossed with a green salad
--With a plate of grilled summer squash
--In your favorite chicken salad
--As a quick way to give rice salad a kick

I don't know about you, but I know what I'm making for dinner tonight!

Rocki