Meatless Monday: Raw Nut Meat Tacos

I first heard about raw taco meat from my friend Ani Phyo. Seemed like a brilliant idea. Then Chic Vegan posted a delightful recipe that ended up on the lunch buffet at Vida Vegan Con. It was goooood. To tell you the truth I hadn’t thought about it since, but doing a raw food cleanse last week it suddenly hit me on the way home from a client’s house to make nut meat. I called up my dad to have him start soaking the nuts (thanks dad), so I could make it that evening.

I will tell you another truth. I totally forgot to write down what I put in this recipe. I was so hungry and so excited to eat something other than juice, that I threw it all in the food processor and shoved it down my throat. I didn’t even take the photo until the next day (when there was light and I wasn’t starving). But, I think I have the ingredients correct. This makes A LOT of nut meat, so if you are just serving yourself or 2 people I’d probably cut it in half or you’ll be eating tacos for days like I did (I can attest that the taco meat will last over a week in the fridge!!). I didn’t mind it though. I really love these tacos. Or it could have been that I was juicing and eating raw all last week and my taste buds were super peaked. You be the judge and please tell me what you think after you make them!

I’ve sort of become obsessed with lettuce leaf tacos. Not only does it save calories to skip the tortilla, it’s just delicious. Maybe not as filling, but if you fill it with some sort of protein food (which I always do, either hummus, seasoned tofu or tempeh or any other “meat”) and lots of veggies you’ll be good to go. You can even serve it with some soup or a whole grain to make a more complete meal. Choose a lettuce that has a wide leaf or the outer layers of romaine lettuce. Of course you can always use a collard leaf for this too (though they are a bit more fibrous).

Raw Nut Meat Tacos

Lettuce leaves
Tomatoes
Avocado
Carrot
Cucumber
Salsa
Whatever you like on your tacos

Raw Nut Taco Meat
Makes about 2 cups “meat”

1 cup almonds soaked 2 hours
1 cup walnuts soaked 2 hours
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
Dash garlic powder (or fresh garlic to your liking)
Dash cinnamon
Dash cayenne (for a spicy meat)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari (if you are soy-free use a dash of sea salt to season)

Directions:
Nuts can be soaked together. After 2 hours drain nuts. Blend in a food processor (not blender) for about 20-30 seconds to get the nuts chopped well. Add the rest of the meat ingredients and blend scrapping down the edges of the bowl a few times to incorporate all the ingredients. Blend until your preferred level of chunkiness. I like my meat crumbly and not a smooth paste (see photo). Season with salt if needed. Pile the meat into the lettuce leaf with toppings and enjoy!

If almond skins gross you out use peeled almonds for this.

What would you put in your raw tacos? Share with us some examples of delish taco options!