Taco night is a standard in pretty much every American household (I like mine with a fresh margarita, salt please). And even though most of us have ventured past the garden variety beef and cheese version to say tequila-marinated fish tacos or black bean vegetarian option, Josephine totally re-invents the at-home taco bar with nuts, a rich cream sauce and a rainbow of vegetables. Plus, she doesn’t even have to fire up a skillet. What no-cook taco would you make? – Maggie
For city dwellers that might not own an oven (yes, it’s true, I do not have the luxury of an oven) I teamed up with my mortar and pestle to create an inventive rendition of tacos.
Inspired by my love affair with raw foods and using up ingredients already in the fridge, walnut tacos with avocado cream are an easy way to please health enthusiasts and Mexican food lovers alike. The dish is super fresh and light, but I think the hearty goodness of the walnuts and avocados will still satisfy the demands of the hungriest men at the table.
The recipe is a delectable combination of the crunchy nuts and fresh vegetables drizzled in a rich cream sauce that is 100% natural and totally guilt free.
Coupling crushed fresh chilies and lemon gives the dish a little kick and refreshes the palette. Beyond the flavors, all the vivid colors of the salsa, the cilantro and spinach for presentation make these tacos very easy on the eyes. Need a touch of sweet indulgence? Garnish the tacos with pomegranate seeds before serving!
Walnut Tacos with Avocado Cream
Ingredients:
For the Walnut Mix- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
- 2 small whole semidried chilies
- 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tbsp ground pepper
- 2 large ripe avocados diced
- 1 fresh lemon juiced
- 1/3 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/8 cup of water
- 1 cup firm grape tomatoes diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1/2 clove garlic crushed
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of ground rock salt
- 1 cup of chopped cilantro (less if desired)
- If you crave even more flavor, feel free to get wild and finely dice fresh cucumber, celery and raw red cabbage and add these refreshing goodies to the mix!
- Tuscan Spinach Leaves
- Cilantro for garnish
- Lemons for dressing
Directions:
Making the Walnut Mix- Put all ingredients into mortar and pestle and crush mixture until walnuts are in pieces. Do not crush the mixture for too long as the walnuts will form a paste and loose their crunchy consistency.
- Put all ingredients except water into blender and blend.
- Add water in small doses until the mixture forms a thick creamy paste.
- Dice vegetables and cilantro and put into a bowl. Toss ingredients while seasoning with rock salt and dress with fresh squeezed lime.
- For my rendition of walnut tacos, I used Tuscan Spinach leaf (feel free to use cabbage or any other edible green leaf equivalent), scoop a generous portion of salsa into the center of the leaf.
- Place a heap of the walnut mix onto of the salsa and top with a generous dollop of avocado cream.
- For extra taste, use cilantro for garnish and drizzle with the juice of a fresh squeezed lemon.
- For an extra burst of color randomly sprinkle pomegranate seeds onto of the taco.
Eat Boutique was an award-winning shop and story-driven recipe site created by Maggie Battista – an author, business guide and alignment seeker. After hosting retail markets for 25,000+ guests, Maggie now supports entrepreneurs as they create values-based businesses through We Are Magic Studio. Follow Maggie Battista on Instagram.
