RAW JICAMA TACOS WITH SPICY CASHEW CHEESE

 

 

I think this has become one of my favorite raw meals for the moment!  My husband and I are taco fans and wow!  This dish is super refreshing and delicious.  This recipe was inspired by Gluten Free Cat. I saw this Raw Jicama Tacos with  Spicy Cashew Cheese recipe on Facebook and just fell in love with the idea.  Once I tasted it, I was sold.  It will be one of my go-to recipes, especially this summer.  Thank you Gluten Free Cat!

 

If you haven't tried jicama yet, I really encourage you to do so.  It's a refreshing and crisp and has a mild flavor that adapts to its surroundings.  It's a root vegetable native to Mexico and Central America and often is simply eaten peeled with a dash of salt, chili powder and some lime juice.  There are definitely many other ways to eat it and these raw tacos is one of them.  Check out these facts about jicama.

 

I also love this spicy cashew cheese recipe because there is no fermentation time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

RAW JICAMA TACOS WITH SPICY CASHEW CHEESE

 

1 jicama, cut into round slices

Spicy Cashew Cheese - recipe below

Slice tomatoes

Micro greens

Baby spinach or your favorite leafy greens sliced thin

Gucacamole

 

 

Slice the jicama in thin round slices using your mandoline.  Soak them in lemon juice, if you have time, overnight.  Or, for at least 30 minute.  This will help soften the jicama if you cannot slice it thin enough and gives it flexibility.  Prepare all your other ingredients. 

 

 

SPICY CASHEW CHEESE

1 cup cashews soaked for at least 2 hours, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

2-3 slices of jalepeno pepper

1 clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 cup water - use a little more if needed

 

 

For the spicy cashew cheese, blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender scrapping down the sides making sure that its all blended well smooth or to your desired consistency.  It is now ready to serve.  Makes about 1 cup.

 

To assemble the tacos place a few jicama shells together folded and fill with your ingredients and serve with limes.  The lime juice just adds that extra kick and zest.  And there you have it.

 

Bon appetite!

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw taco recipe?  We'd love to hear what it is. Please share in the comments below. Links are welcome!

 

 

RAW HERBED CHEESE WITH BASIL AND GARLIC

 

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!  We enjoyed fabulous weather over the weekend here in Los Angeles!  Just amazing for January!!  Many Angelenos hit the beach with 80 degree weather.  We were busy as usual with chores, fun activities with our son and oh...a date night with the hubby!  It was my turn to select a restaurant, so we headed over to The Penthouse restaurant in the the trendy Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, California. This is not a raw or vegan restaurant, but they did have dishes for me to choose from which were delicious.   It was a great choice for our date.

On Sunday, I made this herbed cheese with basil and garlic with the raw cashew cheese I made the other day.  So delicious and really so simple!

my instagram photo of the ingredients...

RAW CASHEW CHEESE WITH BASIL AND GARLIC

3/4 cup raw cashew cheese (approximate measurement, you can use as much or as little as you'd like)

1 clove garlic

8 medium to large size basil leaves

Mince the garlic and chop up the basil.  Then fold it in by hand into the cheese.  Roll it into a ball and it is now ready to serve! Voila!  So easy and delicious!  Eat it with your favorite raw crackers, fruit, salad, or veggies.  

Enjoy!

Here are a few snippets of our view in Santa Monica on Saturday evening taken with my iPhone.  Have a fabulous week!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw herbed cheese recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

RAW CASHEW CHEESE

I was vegetarian for many years before I switched over to mostly raw vegan.  For years I thought I would miss cheese too much.  But, to tell you the truth, I don't.  And the fact is, there are so many great alternatives like this, eating is still very exciting.  The flavors and textures are just out of this world!  I can't forget to mention too that my body is thanking me for it. 

One of my new favorite blogs is jarOhoney. They have fabulous recipes!  This recipe is based of their Cashew Cheese recipe. This is my first attempt, and really it was so easy! 

 

I will be using this cheese to make one or two recipes in the next couple days and hope to post them next week.

RAW CASHEW CHEESE

2 cups whole raw organic cashews  - buy whole cashews to ensure the best quality of nut which equals the best quality of cheese

1/4 cup raw organic apple cider vinegar

1 small ripe organic lemon, reserve juice then save peel for another recipe

3 tablespoon of water

3 layers of cheese cloth about 8 inches long

large rubber band

twist tie

long wooden or plastic spoon

deep container to hang the cheese ball from - read further and as show in the photo above

In a large bowl, soak the cashews in clean water for 16 hours.  Drain the cashews and rinse well.  In a blender blend on high the cashews, vinegar and lemon juice.  Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, to ensure smoothness of the cheese.  Be sure to blend to a creamy paste. 

Open up and then layer your cheese cloth together on top of each other.  Spoon in the cheese into the center.  Gather the sides of your cheese cloth up to make a pouch over the cheese and twist tie the top that is gathered tightly to the cheese but do not squeeze.  Tie the cheese cloth onto the large spoon or stick and suspend it in the large bowl to allow it to drain. It needs to be at least 2 inches deeper that the cheese ball.  Hang for 24 hours, drain the container if need be.  Gently unwrap your cheese and place in a sealable container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

  

Enjoy!

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw cheese recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.