Taco Salad

I've made this taco salad several times before and I've never got tired of making it. So, I've made it again in honor of Cinco de Mayo and it's even better with a glass of moscato. 

I think the last time I had a regular taco salad was in college at Taco Bell. Yes, I've been there before; that was during my fast food years! When my husband & I were dating we would have Taco Bell for lunch and dinner. I'm so glad I found a better way to have taco night!


                                                             

 

Ingredients:

Taco mixture:

2 cups raw almonds (soaked over night or 8hrs)

1/4  cup cilantro

2 tbsp. chopped green onions

2 tbsp. finely chopped red onions

1 tbsp. hemp oil 

1 tsp. cardamon

1 tsp. cayenne pepper 

1 tsp. turmeric (fresh or powder)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt

2-3 garlic (crushed and chopped)

1-2 tbsp. chopped cherry tomatoes 

1 fresh lime juice

Sour Cream:

1 cup soaked raw cashews (overnight or 8hrs)

1-2 tbsp. cashew milk

1 tbsp. Braggs raw apple cider

1 fresh lemon juice

Guacamole:

3 avocados 

1 tbsp. chopped red onions

2 cloves chopped crushed garlic 

1/2 tsp. finely chopped jalapeño pepper

Soak the almonds.

Grind the almonds in a Vitamix or food processor and place in a medium mixing bowl.

Add all the remaining taco mixture ingredients except the lime.

For the sour cream: 

Soak the cashews.

Blend cashews in the Vitamix until thick and creamy, place a a small mixing bowl and add the remaining sour cream ingredients. 

For the guacamole:

Cut up all 3 avocados and place in a bowl and mix well with the remaining ingredients. 

Place mixed greens on a plate, add some chopped tomatoes, taco mixture and guacamole.

Enjoy!

Many Blessing! 

   

Summer Rolls

When I'm  at a Vietnamese restaurant one of my favorite appetizer to order is the summer roll. The only problem with these is that they don't have a lot of vegetables in them; bean sprouts, shrimp, lettuce, rice noodles and a few mint leaves. Depending on the type of Vietnamese restaurant you go to; some may add mangos or avocados to the summer rolls.

I prefer summer rolls with all vegetables including the "noodles", they're actually made of sea kelp so no cooking is required. Sea kelp "noodles" are not really noodles; they're a type of brown seaweed that contains high amounts of iodine; like everything else eat it in moderation. Another type of vegetable that I need to explain are diakons; they are a root vegetable, looks like carrots but white. Diakons are used in Korean, Japanese and Chinese cuisines.

                                            


Ingredients:

1 package Vietnamese brown rice spring roll wrapper
1 package raw sea kelp noodles
1/2 avocado (thinly sliced)
1/3 cup mint leaves
1/3 cup pea shoots
1/4 cup diakon (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup cucumbers (thinly sliced)
1/4 cherry tomatoes (thinly sliced)
1/4 raw almond butter
3 tsp. raw liquid amino (by Coconut Secrets)
1-2 tsp. hot sauce (I used sriracha)


                   This is what some of the ingredients look like:

Start by rinsing the sea kelp noodles with water, place them in a bowl and then cut the noodles into pieces. Place warm water in a medium size bowl and soak one sheet of the wrapper until soft. After the wrapper is soft, take it out of the water and lay the wrapper flat on a cutting board to work on. Put a small handful of noodles in the middle of the wrapper, a few mint leaves, pieces of diakons, cucumbers, avocadoes, tomatoes and pea shoots. Next, fold the sides in tightly and roll from the front till the end making sure the vegetables don't fall out.

For the sauce, add the almond butter, liquid amino and hot sauce in a small bowl and mix. Depending on your preference, you can add extra hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Many Blessings,
Mum

Shiitake Lettuce Wrap

One of my favorite dishes is Thai Lettuce Wrap; actually there are a lot of favorites when it comes to food. When people ask me, what's your favorite food? I tend to always give them a long list. There are so many different varieties to choose from, even among the ethnic foods. I can't possibly choose; how could I? We are so blessed to be living near New York City where we have these varieties.

My husband was my taste tester for this and everything else I make. He's always giving me his honest opinion. I usually know when he makes a funny face, that means something doesn't taste so great or he won't comment at all. He's the best husband anyone could pray for! So, with this one he really enjoyed it with his sriracha sauce. Oh, how he loves his HOT sauce! The hotter, the better! I think it's because he has a little Cuban in him. Lol! Sriracha sauce is a spicy Thai chili sauce. Whole Foods actually carries an organic version of this sauce and Trader Joe's version is all natural. When sriracha sauce is purchased at an Asian store they tend to have preservatives in them.

I actually have a good friend who is only into steak and potatoes but I must say all the years that she's known me, she has really come out of her tasting shell. She has become a real trooper!  I've always dragged her along literally to try new exotic places from Long Island to NYC. I say "exotic" because this would be just that to her. Even though she can't stand Asian foods, she'll still come with me to an Asian restaurant and eventually she would find something on the menu that she likes. That's what I
call a great friend! She's tried a lot of my cooking even when she has no idea what's in it! I'm mentioning her because I'm pretty sure that this lettuce wrap would not be one of those dishes she would try.

Most of the ingredients I use are organic and raw. Also, I usually soak my nuts before I use them for about 2-4 hours because it's easier for your body to digest.


Ingredients:

2 Shiitake Mushrooms
2 stalks of celery 
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup almonds (soaked for 2-4 hrs)
1/4 cup parsley 
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp brown rice vinegar 
1 tbsp scallions
Red or Green leaf lettuce


Chop up mushrooms in a Vitamix or food processor. Add celery stalks, olive oil, and then the almonds.  

Next, add parsley into the mixture. 

Should look like this.

Add the garlic.

Last, add the tamari and brown rice vinegar.

You can prepare by scooping some of the mixture on the lettuce, place some mint leaves and finish off with alfalfa sprouts or pea shoots. These little guys have so much nutrients in them! So, I tend to use them whenever I can.