Raw and Refreshing Tacos

First of all, in order to enjoy this dish, you have to expand your definition of a taco just a bit. I, too, was a little skeptical that crisp, juicy lettuce could not adequately replace crisp, crunchy taco shells. But...this recipe is delicious. It's actually my second time making it in a week and a half. So these may not be your standard tacos, but if you are craving a little of the same flavor but in a raw, vegan kind of a way...these babies are calling your name.

This is easy to make if you have a food processor. If not...I don't know if you will get adequate results on your macadamia cheese-making with a blender, but you could try! (and the taco nut meat can get chopped by hand or in a spice grinder if need be.)

Raw and Refreshing Tacos

2 large lettuce leaves for each taco, preferably without any tears (I have a bag of lettuce from the Lettuce Farm in St. John's and seriously - this lettuce is so good it makes me want to make tacos just to eat it!)


Taco Nut Meat
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin or cumin seeds
pinch of cayenne
2 tbsp garlic chili flax oil (if you are not lucky enough to have some of this stuff, use regular flax oil or olive oil)
salt to taste

Process nuts and spices to a fine meal, but not to the point of nut butter. Some chunkiness is okay - it will give it crunch. Scoop the nut mixture into a bowl, add the oil and salt and mix, adjust flavors, and set aside for your taco festival. This amount makes enough for, oh, about 6 goodly tacos. It will keep on its own in the fridge for four days.

Then wash your food processor, and move on to making:


Macadamia Cheese
1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours
2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1 small green hot pepper, seeds included
about 1/4 cup water, or more as needed
salt to taste

Rinse macadamia nuts and process with lemon, garlic and hot pepper. Slowly add water until desired consistency (a thick but soft and smooth spread) is achieved. Adjust seasonings and set aside. Will also keep for 4 days in the fridge, and is good as a topping for crackers or bread, a dip for veggies or in sandwiches too!

I was going to make guacamole and salsa too, but I got too hungry to go through with it and instead just chopped up 1/2 an avacado and a small tomato, doused them in lemon and called it a day.

To assemble:

Lay 2 lettuce leaves on top of each other with the leaf tops going in opposite directions (for maximum wrap stability).

Spread a nice smear of macadamia cheese on each taco, then top with nut meat, then with guac and salsa if you are more on the ball than me, or just with chopped avo and tomato if you are me.

Then, tuck up one end, roll up the rest, and hold almost like a donair....for a tasty handheld meal.

What's even better is that the next day all you have to do is break out the lettuce and the fixins.