Raw Food Recipe for Taco "Meat" Made With Nuts

Here's a great recipe for a nut-based taco "meat" that's easy to upgrade by adding superfood greens to it.  You'll get all the alkalizing and mineralizing benefits of the greens without the taste since the taco "meat" is full of spices.


This recipe comes from Yemiah's Raw Food Delights DVD's and the printable version is available on this previous blog post.


Note the additional ideas in the video for new ways you can use this taco "meat" in combination with cooked food.  You can make an upgraded hamburger casserole or just use this recipe anywhere you would use regular meat.  We've even put it in regular taco shells in place of meat and enjoy it that much more.

Have fun playing with it!

How to Make Raw Squash Pasta with a Spiralizer + Bell Pepper Pesto Sauce

Learn all about the fun of Spiralizers for making raw pasta out of vegetables.

Here I show and explain the difference between three different kinds of spiralizers and demo making pasta with my favorite spiralizer (available on Amazon.com here:
http://astore.amazon.com/lovingsuperfoods-20/detail/B0007Y9WHQ)

Raw pasta is so much easier when you have this simple tool that is really inexpensive. And your veggies taste so uniquely good in this noodle form!

Also briefly demonstrated is Yemiah's Bell Pepper Pesto (see the recipe here) with some alterations and suggestions for future customizations.

During this portion of our Superfood dinner we also talk about being 100% raw vs. having cooked food and the importance of having heating foods in your raw food diet.

Enjoy!

Hemp Milk Recipe And Demonstration

Here's Dan demonstrating the Hemp Milk recipe at one of our Superfood dinners.

Click here for the printable version of the recipe ...
http://ownyourbrilliance.blogspot.com/2009/09/hurray-for-hemp-and-hemp-milk.html

Wish you could have been there to taste the yummy goodness. I guess you'll just have to make your own and raise a glass in our direction. We'll be drinking to your health again soon!

Hemp Seeds Superfood and Awesome Hemp Facts

Here's a short excerpt from our June 2009 superfood dinner where Melissa got the chance to rave about the great properties of hemp and the superfood hemp seeds.

Let's change the world and use more hemp!

To get the rest of the facts and details from my source, check out the awesome superfood resource book called "Superfoods" by David Wolfe. It's available now on Amazon:
http://astore.amazon.com/lovingsuperfoods-20/detail/1556437765

Enjoy the show!

Magic Superfood Elixirs

I've been inspired by Daniel Vitalis's visit to Dallas and his ElixirCraft to create my own warming, superfood elixirs.  Wow, are these yummy, warm, hearty meals in a cup!  Here's a basic recipe to get you started and some links for you to play with ...

Melissa's Magic Superfood Elixir

Step 1: The Super Herb Tea Base

8 Cups	Pure Water
1/4 Cup	Pau D'Arco bark (antifungal)
1/4 Cup	Cats Claw bark (antiviral)
1/2 inch	Galanga (you could use Ginger, but Galanga is more anti-inflammatory and a little peppery.  Find it at your local Asian grocery store)
1/4 Cup	Goji Berries, chopped so their seeds are exposed (high in anti-oxidants, lightly sweetens the tea)
1/4 Cup	Coconut Flakes (fat that can withstand heat and keeps giving you energy after the sugars have burned off)
1	Vanilla Bean shell (save the scooped-out vanilla bean seeds for later in the process)

Bring all ingredients to a low, simmering boil for at least 45 minutes and up to 12 hours.  Strain off fibers and put liquid into your high-powered blender.

Step 2: The Nut Milk

5 Cups	Super Herb Tea from above
1/4 Cup	Cashews (soaked and rinsed)
1/4 Cup	Almonds (soaked and rinsed)
1/2 inch	Galanga (you could use Ginger, but Galanga is more anti-inflammatory and a little peppery.  Find it at your local Asian grocery store)
1/4 Cup	Coconut Flakes

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer, nut milk bag or the cheaper version which is a paint strainer bag available at your local hardware store.  Compost the fiber left in the strainer.  Pour the remaining liquid back into your blender for the next step.

Step 3: The Magical Superfood Elixir

	Nut Milk from above
1 Tbsp	Maca
1 Tbsp	Tocotrienols
1/2 Cup	Chia gel (1 Tbsp Chia Seeds soaked in 1/2 Cup water).
2 Tbsp	Cacao Powder (optional if you want a chocolatey drink)
1/8 tsp	Sun Fire Salt
7	Whole Dried Clove Flowers
1	Whole Dried Anise Flower
1 inch	Cinnamon Bark
1/2 tsp	Nutmeg
1 Tbsp	Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup	Vanilla Agave Nectar (or honey or sweetener of your choice)
	Vanilla Bean seeds from step 1 above

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Drink warm immediately or chill for storage for a day or two.  Enjoy!

:)

OK, so how do you play with this basic recipe?  Simply, you can try out different herbs.  I've already done one I liked with Dandelion Root and Nettle Leaf instead of the Pau D'Arco and Cats Claw.  It's best not to mix too many superherbs at once, so I'd suggest you stick with one or two at a time.  I like learning about and getting my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs.

And this RainTree Nutrition site has excellent info on herbs and their medicinal uses.  You can also just go to your local natural food grocery store and buy a medicinal tea ... I like the Alvita brand.  Healing mushrooms like Reishi can be a fun addition with your herbs too.

When you make your tea, you could add some spices in there in addition or instead of in step 3.  I like adding my cinnamon bark to the tea base.

I suggest you always have some kind of berry in your tea ... blueberries can be fun to play with for their antioxidant qualities too.  And I'd keep the coconut flakes as part of the base since they are the best "heatable" oil.

For Step 2, try playing with different nuts.  Brazil nuts and macadamia nuts are nice alternatives for a creamy taste.  For Step 3, play with adding all kinds of superfood powders, though I wouldn't personally add any greens as they often don't taste so good warmed. :)

Have fun creating your own magical elixirs!

Raw Vegan Egg Nog

If you love the taste of eggnog at the holidays, here's a raw, vegan alternative that's actually good for you and way easier to digest.

Raw Vegan Eggnog

The Nut Milk Base

1 Cup	Brazil Nuts (don't need soaking)
3 Cups	Water
1 tsp	Vanilla
3	Dates (or another sweetener of your choice)

Blend all ingredients until liquid.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer, nut milk bag or the cheaper version which is a paint strainer bag available at your local hardware store.  Compost the fiber left in the strainer.  Pour the remaining liquid back into your blender and add the following ingredients:

5	Dates
1	Frozen, ripe banana
1 tsp	Vanilla
1/8 tsp	Nutmeg
1/8 tsp	Cinnamon
1/4 Cup	Macadamia Nuts (do not need to be soaked)

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Adjust the sweetness to taste by adding more dates as needed.  To make a thicker nog, blend with 1/2 Cup Chia gel (1 Tbsp Chia Seeds soaked in 1/2 Cup water). Enjoy!

Pear "Bread" Pudding

I've Superfood Upgraded this raw food bread pudding-like recipe.  This is a great Fall and Winter time breakfast/meal/dessert when pears are in season and you crave warming foods.  It's sweet enough to be dessert and hearty enough to be a meal ... like most raw food recipes: eat when you crave it, no matter what time of day. :)

Many thanks to Chef Frank Giglio for the base recipe!

Pear "Bread" Pudding

6	Dates, soaked and drained
1	Pear, cored and quartered
1 Tbsp	Tahini (sesame butter)
½ tsp	Cinnamon
1 inch	Ginger, grated
½ Tbsp	Maca
1/4 Cup	Raisins, soaked and drained

Put all ingredients except the raisins in a food processor or high-powered blender and blend until smooth.   Put a handful of the raisins in the bottom of your dish.  Cover with some of the mixture.  Top with garnish of your choice ... goji berries, cacao nibs and coconut flakes are really yummy. Enjoy!

Finding Raw Food On The Go

Have you ever been to a raw food restaurant?

If not, it's well worth exploring. You can get all kinds of ideas of new recipes to try and it's so nice to be fed yummy, live foods without having to do all the prep work.

Here in Dallas, Texas we have a new raw food restaurant called Bliss Cafe. I got my blueberry cheesecake recipe from their dessert chef, Miranda (it pays to ask). And I've had some super yummy meals - some I've tried to repeat and some I'm perfectly happy just going there to eat. Especially their raw lasagna. It's probably easy to make, but I much prefer being served.

If you're traveling, raw food restaurants, juice bars and high quality grocery stores can be a life saver. I bring all kinds of raw food snacks with me when I travel and it's nice to be able to find a good local resource too.

If you want all my tips on what raw food snacks I travel with, sign up for our Loving Superfoods newsletter here:
http://www.lovingsuperfoods.com/contact.html

I did some internet searching to find a nice directory of raw food restaurants, however there doesn't appear to be one good source. Here are some of the best links I found that should help you find raw food resources - of course there are more options in some cities than others...

http://www.happycow.net/search.html
This search tool will list raw restaurants along with vegetarian and vegan (cooked food) restaurants. It's also a great way to find the good grocery stores near you.

http://rawfoodsdiet.wetpaint.com/page/Raw+Foods+Restaurant+Directory
This is a great list of raw food restaurants ... if you live in one of these 6 cities.

http://www.rawguru.com/directory/raw-food-restaurants.html
This list has a few more options of raw food restaurants, but not for every state


http://www.living-foods.com/resources/restaurants.html
And a few more options. You might need to scan the whole list as it doesn't appear to be ordered alphabetically.

http://www.yelp.com
This is a great website for reviews of restaurants. If you search for "raw food restaurant" you'll get some good hits, though you'll also get the sushi bars mixed in with your results. :)

And if you can't find a raw food restaurant in your town, you can arrange for delivery of gourmet raw food meals via this site:
http://www.purerawcafe.com/index.html

Of course, almost any restaurant can be turned into a raw food restaurant if you need it to. Simply ask the chef to make you their most creative salad made of only raw fruits and veggies. You might be surprised how good it can be, and how much you are appreciated, when you ask the chef to step out of the box of the standard menu.

Enjoy your raw dining adventures!