Feeling Chili?

This week, we are servin’ up some chili recipes! Whether you enjoy the COOKED recipes or love the RAW recipes, we are sure that these tasty meals will fill you up and melt away the chill as winter comes to an end. We are equally excited to announce that for the first time ever. We will be featuring two local Milwaukee Area Chefs on RAW vs COOKED next week! They will put their recipes to the test on next week’s Special Edition of RAW vs COOKED. We hope you love this week’s recipes and don’t forget to vote for your favorite.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Served with Corn Bread

Ingredients:

2 Tsp Olive Oil

2 Lg. Sweet Potatoes (Diced into 1 inch cubes)

2 Cups of Black Beans

1 Large Yellow Onion (Diced)

3 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

6 cups of Vegetable Stock

2 Ears of Corn (Removed from Cob)

8 Vine Ripened Tomatoes (Roughly Chopped)

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Chipotle Chili Powder 

1 Lime (Cut into Wedges)

1/4 Cup Cilantro (Chopped)

Directions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, pop the garlic and onions and sweet potatoes into the pot and cook until onions become clear and transparent, stirring occasionally. Next drop in the corn, tomatoes, black beans, vegetable stock, and all of the dry ingredients. Bring to a boil and allow to continue boiling for at least 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Reduce to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes. When you are ready to serve, dish into bowls and squeeze the juice from a lime wedge and garnish with a pinch or two of cilantro. 

Optional: If you are a dairy fan you can also spoon in a tbsp of plain yogurt. 

Cornbread:

2 -3 tsp organic extra virgin olive oil

2 cups organic buttermilk

1 large organic egg

1 3/4 cups organic cornmeal 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt (ground)

1 tbsp organic sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and blend together with a mixer or whisk. Pour mixture into an olive oil coated 8 inch pan. Place into oven and cook at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or when top becomes lightly golden. Cut into 4 equal squares, then slice diagonally for the perfect dipping triangles.  

Rawesome Raw Chili And Raw Corn Bread

Ingredients:

For the “Meat”:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup carrots

The Veggies:

1 med portabello mushroom 

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper(or orange, or yellow. Make it beautiful!)

1/2 cup chopped zucchini 

1/3 cup  minced red onion

1-2 finely minced jalapeno, without the seeds

For the sauce:

1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked (reserve 1 cup soak water)

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1/3 cup soaked golden raisins

2 T fresh leeks (yellow or white onion would work)

1-1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes and the 2 c. of soaking water
(Soak for two hours)
1 T. honey
1 T. olive oil
1 T. onion powder
¼ c. Nama Shoyu or Tamari
1 to 2 cloves garlic
2 T. fresh oregano
2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
2 t. Apple Cider Vinegar

Optional toppings:

black olives

fresh cilantro

red onion

avocado

Direction:

In a food processor combine the walnuts and carrots and pulse until well blended. Or until it has a clumpy meaty texture. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Then chop your mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, red onion and jalepeno. Add this to the bowl.

In a high powered blender such as a blendtech or a vitamix add all of the ingredients for the sauce and liquefy. Add this to your “meat” and your chopped veggies and stir well.

To warm it up without killing any of it’s nutritional value, you can place the bowl in the dehydrator for ½ hour on the 120 degree setting. Although 120 degrees is pushing it as far as destroying the chili’s nutritional content, for only ½ hour the food will not reach over 110 degrees. ENJOY!

Raw Corn Bread

(I must give credit where credit is due. I found this recipe on Sunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com. It’s delicious! And I thought it would be the perfect accompaniment to my Rawkin Chili.)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups corn(if it’s frozen allow it to thaw for about 30 minutes)

1 small red bell peper

1 small yellow bell pepper

1 tsp celtic sea salt

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

Blend all ingredients in the food processor and spread ½-3/4 inch onto a Teflex sheet. Dehydrate for 3 hours, flip onto the mesh dehydrator screens and dehydrate for 3 or more hours, depending how crispy you want your bread. Remove from the dehydrator and enjoy!!

Juicing vs. Blending

One of the easiest and most delicious methods to get the required amount of nutrients into our systems to achieve vibrant health is to drink them. There are equally as many new power juicers out there as there are power blenders, being advertised by celebrities and personal trainers alike on why their approach to juicing or blending fruits and veggies is the best method for perfect health. So what’s better juicing or blending? And what’s the difference?

-Blending has all of the fiber intact where juicing does not. Remember, we’re advocates of whole foods as often as possible. Fiber works synergistically with all other nutrients in the food for proper absorption and assimilation. Juicing sugary fruits can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes.

-Juicing is still a great way to get more nutrition for very active people or for raw athletes, but it should never be a substitute for a required meal or smoothie. Drink juice as an addition not a substitution for eating whole foods.

-Blending is a great way to consume large quantities of fibrous leafy greens that can be hard to chew such as collard greens, kale, parsley and dandelion greens. Also they are easily blended with your favorite fruits to make delicious green fruit smoothies.

-Juicing is a good option for cleanses and fasts. The therapeutic effects of juice fasting is well documented by clinical studies. Dr. Otto H. F. Buchinger, Jr. MD said “Fasting is the most efficient means of correcting any disease.”

Here are a few of our favorite recipes:

The Powerhouse Smoothie

A friend Pat, healed herself from Colon Cancer by eating raw foods and enjoying this drink!

1/4 cup flax seed

1 1/2 cup water

2 romaine leaves

1/2 cup parsley

2 leaves of Kale or Chard

2 Bananas

Pinch of Sea Salt

Cinnamon to taste

Other Fruit- Kiwi-Pears, Mangos

Juice of 1 Lemon

Add ginger root to taste

Green Superfood Powder(We like to use Livin Greens SuperFood powder which consists of Chlorella, Spirulina, Blue-green Algae, Purple Dulse Seaweed, Rose Hips, Lemon Peel, Orange Peel, Wheat grass and barley grass. There are many varieties out there. We encourage you to choose one with high nutritional integrity.)

Lilly & Rose Drink

My friends Karen and Roger from Natures Garden(www.naturesgardenspot.com) serve this one to their young daughters. For children or people that like their smoothies on the sweet side!

6 Chunks of Pineapple

2 Bananas

1 Leaf Kale

1 Stalk Celery

1 Piece of Cabbage

1 cup frozen strawberries

Green Superfood Powder


The Wendy Darling
Large Handful of Fresh Wheat Grass
1 Large Kale Leaf
1 Stalk of Celery
1/4 Cup Pineapple
1/4 Cup Apple
1 Kiwi
1 Banana
1 T Green Super Food
2 C Purified Water

RAW's Juice Green Lemonade (juice and enjoy)

10 Apples

1 Bunch of Kale

5 Stalks of Celery

1 Lemon

(This makes 1 Pitcher)

RAW's Green Tornado (juice and enjoy)

1 Apple

3 Kiwis

5 Leaves of Kale

1 inch Piece of Ginger

(This makes about 1 pint)

Stir Fry Recipes

This week the recipes are Asian inspired. True Asian cuisine is both low fat, extremely fresh, and packed full of flavor! Please try these recipes and don’t forget to vote on your favorite.   

Cooked Stir Fry with Udon Noodles

Ingredients:

1 package organic Udon Noodles (organic preferred)

2T Peanut Oil

1t minced garlic

1T finely sliced ginger

1 cup chopped broccoli (organic preferred)

1 red pepper cut into strips (organic preferred)

2 cups carrots- matchstick cut (organic preferred)

1/4 cup chopped green onion (organic preferred)

1/4 cup cilantro (organic preferred)

1 lime- halved (organic preferred)

1T Low Sodium Soy Sauce (optional)

1t Sriracha (optional)

Directions:

Place Udon Noodles in rapidly boiling water for 8 minutes or time recommended on the packaging. 

In a Wok or large pan, heat the peanut oil over medium heat. As the pan heats up, sprinkle in the garlic and ginger. Once the garlic begins to release it’s aroma, place the broccoli and red pepper into the pan. Stir in carrots once broccoli and pepper are beginning to soften. Once all of the veggies are cooked, but not overcooked, turn down heat to low, add in green onion, cilantro and squeeze halved limes into the mix. 

Mix in noodles and add soy sauce or Sriracha if desired.

Side Suggestion for either Recipe:

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Slice cucumber into 4 spears, then cut into bite sized pieces. Cut grape or cherry tomatoes in half. Place cucumbers and tomatoes into a bowl with chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, 2T peanut or olive oil, and 1T rice vinegar.  

Raw Stir Fry with Unsteamed Ginger Rice

Ingredients:

2 portabella mushroom caps sliced into long strips

½ cup Nama shoyu, Coconut aminos, or Tamari

2 thumbs size pieces of ginger or one large piece peeled paper thin with a vegetable peeler

1 large daikon

1 large zucchini

1 T apple cider vinegar

2 T Nama shoyu, Coconut aminos, or Tamari

1 Cup olive oil

1/3 Cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

1/3 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 T white wine

1 Cup chopped Bok Choy

½ of a large red pepper cut into strips

1 large carrot cut into strips or Julienne sliced.

 1 Cup chopped broccoli

½ Cup chopped green onions

½ Cup chopped Shallots

½ Cup red beets, Julienne

½ Cup yam, julienne

½ Cup Water Chestnuts, chopped

¼ cup chopped cashews

½ Cup green beans

¼ Cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ Cup purple cabbage, sliced thin

1 T minced garlic

1 T minced ginger

1T minced jalapeno

Directions: 

Soak the portabella strips in the Nama Shyu, Tamari or coconut aminos for 30 minutes, drain and set aside. Soak the thinly sliced ginger in apple cider vinegar for 1 hour, drain. With a potato peeler shave the daikon and zucchini lengthwise into think strips. When you’ve shaved them both down to the soft seedy center, slice the remaining portion in to strips. In a serving bowl combine the mushrooms, ginger and remaining ingredients. Mix and serve over ginger unsteamed rice(see below).

Ginger Unsteamed Rice

Ingredients:

2 Cups cauliflower

1 ½ Cups parsnip

1 T Raw Almond butter

1 T Raw Tahini

1 T grated ginger(I like to make it a heaping Tablespoon. I love ginger!)

2 t lemon juice

½ t sea salt( I suggest Celtic, “Real”, or Himalayan Sea Salt)

Directions: Process the parsnip and cauliflower in a food processor until small and rice-like. In a serving bowl mix the parsnip and cauliflower with the rest of the ingredients by hand.

Serve the Raw Stir Fry over the Ginger Unsteamed Rice and ENJOY!

Pasta Marinara

        First of all, we would like to thank all of the wonderful people that took the time to vote. Many people asked if they needed to try the recipes in order to vote. Our answer is simple. No. Please feel free to read over both and vote on the one that sounds best to you. Although we would love for everyone at some point to try both recipes and enjoy all of the benefits that come along with eating a tasty and healthy diet, we understand that there is not always enough time in a week for that. All of our recipes will be kept online in our archived posts section. So if you find yourself needing a recipe that you saw a few weeks or even months ago, they will be there for you listed under the month in which they were posted. Finally, I, COOKED, would like to thank all of the very intelligent and good looking people that hoisted me to my very first victory over RAW! Let’s keep the streak alive!! Voting always begins on Saturday morning. 

Pasta Marinara with Garlic Mushrooms

Fresh Made Pasta 

I usually go with a trusted brand, such as a High Quality American Made Organic, but if you’re feeling adventurous, give making your own a try.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour (preferably organic)

1 1/2 cups  organic whole wheat flour (preferably organic) 

1/4 teaspoon mineral rich sea salt

4  cage free eggs

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Stir together the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Make a fist sized dent in the center, and pour in the olive oil. Break eggs into it one at a time, while mixing with a fork or wisk until the dough is wet enough to stick together. Knead the dough on a lightly floured cutting board until the dough is stiff and elastic. Cover, and let stand for 30 minutes to relax.
2. Roll out dough by hand with a rolling pin or a pasta machine until you have  achieved the desired thickness of noodles. Cut with a knife, pasta cutter, or even a pizza slicer into desired width and shapes. Allow the pasta to dry for at least 15 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of water with 1 tsp. olive oil to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. It will float to the top when cooked. Drain and enjoy. 

Marinara Sauce

My favorite store bought recipe comes from Classico, but I feel like this one is my all time favorite when I have the time to make my own. 

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can of tomatoes, crushed or whole

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar or any dark red wine

1 tbsp apple sauce (to take out bitterness)

Sea Salt

Directions: 

Pour the extra virgin olive oil and garlic into a pan and heat over medium heat until garlic released it’s aroma. Add in the tomatoes, lightly crushing the whole tomatoes with a potato masher if you used whole tomatoes. Stir in apple sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add salt to taste. Remove from heat, then add vinegar. Add dry herbs last and allow about 5 minutes to release flavor.

Garlic Mushrooms

Ingredients:

8-10 Small Portabella Mushrooms (stems removed) 

4 Cloves of garlic (minced)

Sea Salt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Remove stems from rinsed mushrooms leaving only the caps and place on a baking sheet. Spoon in about 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic into each cap. Drizzle each cap with olive oil. Sprinkle each cap with a pinch of sea salt. Place the caps into a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove when mushroom caps appear to be releasing their moisture, but before they begin to look mushy.    

Serve with a side salad with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, Sunflowers Seeds and Dried Cranberries

Raw Pasta Marinara with Garlic Rosemary Toast

Raw Pasta

Ingredients:

1 Large Beets

1 Large Turnip

2 Zucchini

2 Large Carrots

Directions: You’ll need a Spiralizer or a julienne slicer to make the pasta.  You can buy a spiralizer(this makes spiraly thin long curls of vegetables reminiscent of curly ) at most cookware stores and they range in cost from $12 to $35. A julienne slicer(which is much like a potato peeler, but cuts long thin straight vegetables reminiscent of fettucine) at most grocery or cook-ware stores and they cost between $3 to $10.

Spiralize or julienne slice the root vegetables into thin spaghetti-like ribbons. Put all of your sliced and spiraled veggies in a large bowl and fill it with water and add 1 teaspoon of mineral rich sea salt. Let the veggie spaghetti soak for ½ hour-1 hour.

Raw Marinara Sauce 

1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, diced 

  

2 dry-packed or oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves (If they’re dry, you’re going to want to soak them for 2-4 hours)

 1/2 cup basil leaves(1/4 cup dried basil leaves)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 

 1 soft Medjool date, pitted and minced (If it’s not dry, you’re going to have to soak it for about 30 minutes) 

 1 small garlic clove 

 1 teaspoon thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dry)

 1 teaspoon coarsley chopped flat-leaf parsley (1/2 teaspoon  

½ teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a blender blend all of the ingredients until smooth. This is one of the simpler recipes for raw marinara. There’s a lot of room to make it your own. Explore the endless possibilities of your kitchen. Add some oregano or basil. Add more salt or pepper if you’d like. Perhaps some cayenne pepper to kick it up a notch or some avocado to give it a more creamy texture. The possibilities are endless and your only limitation is your own creativity.

Drain the veggie pasta from the salt water. Put the veggie pasta in a bowl and pour the raw marinara over it. Enjoy

Garlic Rosemary Toast

Ingredients: 

2 cups of oats groats(you can buy these at your local grocery store in the bulk section. Of course it’s always best to buy organic.)

1 cup almonds, soaked over night and rinsed

1 Cup soaked(2 hours is enough) and rinsed buckwheat groats. You can also use kamut, spelt or wheat berries if you’d like.

1 tablespoon olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ cup fresh rosemary, minced (1/8 cup dry)

¼ cup ground flax meal (you can make this by grinding flax seeds in a coffee grinder)

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients except the garlic, rosemary and flax meal in a blender or high powered food processor. By hand combine the garlic, rosemary and flax meal. Spread the dough ½ inch(or desired thickness) on dehydrators sheets or on unbleached parchment paper. Score into 6 inch squares or triangles depending on what style and size dehydrator you have. Dehydrate for 4 hours at 108 degrees. Flip them over removing them from the teflex sheets and dehydrate for an additional 5 hours. Enjoy!!

Dear RAW

Dear RAW-

Making Spinach and Lentil Soup tomorrow... Tonight BBQ Chicken, Green Beans in Soy Sauce and Rosemary & Garlic Potato Wedges... Hope you enjoy your fruits and veggies. To the rest of you, stay tuned for our next recipes making their debut on Saturday morning. Thinking Italian!!

Sincerely COOKED

Should you go RAW or stick with COOKED?

Raw Vs Cooked
RAW

       Raw food vs. cooked food; the final showdown. With the growing popularity of raw or “living” foods there are many people still asking the question, “Is raw food really better for you and why?” Many people have turned to a vegetarian diet for health or political reasons. Many others have converted to a raw or “living” vegetarian diet to address health conditions and ailments. We’re not attempting to answer the question of whether or not a vegetarian diet is the healthiest. Many people have turned to a vegetarian diet to achieve optimal health and well being, but there has been a backlash by many well educated people who acknowledge the health benefits of eating a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, but stand firm on the opinion that exclusively eating raw food isn’t necessarily the best diet. A fascinating article on this can be read at (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raw-veggies-are-healthier) These individuals like to highlight that certain cartenoids such as betacarotene and antioxidants like lysopene and ferulic acid aren’t made available to us unless the vegetables are cooked. The evidence supporting cooked food also states that cooking is crucial to our diets, stating that it helps us digest without expending huge amounts of energy by softening cellulose and rupturing cell walls on fibrous plant and vegetable matter. Cartenoids give fruits and vegetables their red, orange and yellow colorings. The body converts beta-carotene into Vitamin A, which plays an important role in vision, reproduction, bone growth and regulating the immune system. The belief is that humans can benefit from eating some degree of cooked food as well.

      On the flip side cooking anything over 118 degrees Fahrenheit kills vitamins, leaches out minerals and denatures enzymes necessary for healthy digestion and assimilation. Vitamins are delicate and many of them are completely destroyed with the use of heat. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble (they dissolve in fat), hence these are lost in frying or cooking with oil. High heat destroys Vitamin C and all B vitamins including vitamin B12.

       Enzymes are a unique and integral element of health found in every living raw food. Enzymes are destroyed by cooking which is a bummer, since they are the food code that tells the food where to go in our bodies. When we eat cooked food our bodies have to re-identify the food, recode it and manufacture the proper enzymes and attempt to deliver it to the proper tissues and organs. This process takes energy and depletes us of vitality. Raw food is completely "bioavailable", meaning that our bodies are able to fully utilize and assimilate its nutrients most optimally. (To read more on this matter you can read one of the most informative articles that I’ve ever found at http://www.rawforlife.co.uk/howcookingrobs.php)
Our website’s mission is to entertain and educate. Eating a vegetarian, vegan or Raw living food diet may be out of your comfort zone. We WANT you to step out of your comfort zone, but not into your shock zone. While most doctors and specialists agree that eating a diet mainly consisting of fruits, vegetables and whole grains is the healthiest diet, we understand that not everyone can or will adopt this diet (there is a ridiculous amount of research to support that eating an organic vegetarian diet is the healthiest diet on the planet. So if you’re still following the Atkins diet, get with it and sell those out dated dieting books on ebay). But if you’re looking to become healthier, boost your energy levels, cleanse, feed your family healthier foods, poop 3 times a day, or just experiment with different flavors, textures and colors we hope you enjoy these recipes. We believe that nutrition should be fun and not stressful. Keep it simple and enjoy the practice and experience. But please be careful using kitchen knives and don’t cut your fingers off.

COOKED
        Now that the science lesson is over, lets get down to brass tacks. Cooked food just tastes better. I am sure that eating a raw diet, may have some health benefits, but when the reality of feeding your children or guests in your home sets in, all of the above will appreciate a home cooked meal. When I am planning a meal or a week's worth of meals, I aim to keep my family healthy, while serving up some of the tastiest dishes they, and I'm hoping you all will have ever tasted. My approach is to incorporate a balance of raw food like salads, fruit, nuts and seeds with the deliciousness of cooked veggies, breads, pastas, sauces, and sautes that provide a perfect compliment. I also hope to take in to consideration your time and budget. It is my mission to show that you can feed your family a healthy diet, that they will love, without spending hours in the kitchen and hundreds at the local co-op. I sincerely hope that you try out and enjoy all of the recipes that become available. As you can see, we are both passionate about striving for great health and the best life and food have to offer.  

Veggie Tacos

Ingredients

9-12 Corn Tortillas
2 cups Black Beans
1 Zucchini Diced
1 Red Onion- roughly chopped
1 cup Portabella Mushrooms- sliced
2 cloves Garlic- Minced

2 Tbsp. Lime Juice

1 cup grape tomatoes- halved
2 cups green cabbage
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cilantro- finely chopped
Green Onion- finely chopped
1 Jalapeno (optional)

In large pot, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Saute onion, garlic, zucchini and mushrooms.
Once cooked thoroughly, add black beans and simmer at low heat.
In a large bowl, combine grape tomatoes, cabbage, green onion and cilantro.
Toss with lime juice and remaining olive oil.
Salt to taste and top with Jalapeno slices.
Heat tortillas in a damp towel.
Spoon beans and veggies onto tortilla, top with cabbage slaw and serve.
Serves 3-4.

Raw Vegetarian Tacos

Tortillas

Ingredients-

2 Apples

2 Cups of ground flax

2 Cups of purified water

2 Carrots, chopped

1 Clove of garlic

¼ of a medium sized Onion

1/3 Cup lime juice(fresh squeezed is best)

½ teaspoon Cumin

¼ teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions: Place the 2 cups of water, the apples, carrots, onion, garlic, lime juice, cumin and sea salt in a blender and puree. Combine this puree with the ground flax and mix well. Spread the mixture ¼ inch thick on teflex sheets. Dehydrate for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!

Taco nut “meat”

Ingredients-

4 cups walnuts,dry

2 Tablespoons ground cumin

2 Tablespoons ground coriander

½ Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tsp Nama Shoyu, Tamari or coconut liquid aminos

Directions: Process the walnuts into a powder(it’s more like a paste) in a food processor. Place the walnut meal in a mixing bowl and combine all the other ingredients. Mix well.

“Refriend Beans”

2 cups soaked sunflower seeds(1 ¼ cups before soaking)

3 Tablespoons raw tahini

1/3 Cup purified water

1 Tablespoon of chopped white onion

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1tsp sea salt

Directions: Place all of the ingredients in a high pwered food processor or a blender and and blend until smooth. Possible variations: Add garlic cloves, cayenne, diced jalepenos, or sun dried tomatos.

Guacamole

2 large ripe avocados

1 Tablespoon Lime juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 cloves of garlic

¼ of a medium sized red onion minced

¼ teaspoon cumin

Directions: Mash the avocados with a fork and mix all the other ingredients together. 

Raw Sour “Cream”

1 ½ cup cashews (macadamia nuts are a bit expensive, but they work really well also)

½ cup water

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions: Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a high powered blender, it might be easier to soak the cashew or macadamia nuts for a few hours before hand.

Nacho Cheese

½ Red Pepper

¼ cup purified water

1 cup combination of cashews, sunflower seeds and almonds

1 Tablespoon of Tahini

3 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast

2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

2 teaspoon onion

1 clove of garlic

¾ teaspoon sea salt

Directions- 

Soak nuts overnight. Blend the soaked nuts and all other ingredients in a blender or high powered food processor. Add more water if a thinner texture is desired.

Cilantro Pesto  

I learned about this recipe from Raw Chef and Health Expert Karen Urbanik from Natures Garden Wellness Center(www.naturesgardenspot.com). It’s incredible!!

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh cilantro

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

1/8 sea salt

¼ cup spinach

2 tsp garlic

2 tsp ginger

1tsp jalapeno or 1/8 tsp cayenne

¼ cup olive oil

Raw Tomato Corn Salsa (there are so many salsa recipes out there, but this one is out of this world!!)

Ingredients: 

3 vine-ripe red tomatoes, diced
3 ears corn, kernels only(of 2 1/2 cups of frozen corn thawed)
½ red onion, chopped or minced
½ sweet onion, chopped or minced
1 green onion, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno (or more for hotness), diced fine
fresh cilantro to taste, chopped fine
2 limes, juice only
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Directions- 

Mix all solid ingredients. Add cider vinegar and lime juice last and stir. Allow to marinate for a couple hours and taste. Add more lime or vinegar if necessary.

Now stuff your tortillas with all of your delicious ingredients. These will be more delicious than any cooked tacos that you ever had…AND…100 times more nutritious.