Day 18/ Raw Vegan Tacos - Caribbean Style

This recipe came out FANTABULOUS!!! I got it from Storm Talifero's Vegan Kitchen on the Natural Paradigms Channel (http://www.naturalparadigms.com). One of the things that is fun about making this recipe is that not only do you get to create a complete meal, but you also get a beverage out of it.

Here's what you need to get started:

Two young coconuts
One head of iceberg lettuce (I used romaine leaves)
One red onion (I used sweet onion)
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Any additional herbs you want to add
1 cup raw almonds
Two tomatoes
One avocado
1 cup pinenuts (I used sunflower seeds)
One date (for sweet cream) or one half lemon (for sour cream)
Wild honey or agave nectar
1 clove garlic (optional)
4 small habanero peppers (optional)

It's amazing to me that at my age (which I do not care to admit), I am just now learning how to open a fresh coconut. Let me tell you, it was an interesting experience. They make it look so easy on YouTube.

Well, I planned to shave off the pointed part, then use a large knife to hack a square-shaped section around the center, then peel off the center. But it turned out to be more difficult than it sounded.

And after all that hacking, and resorting to one of my metal dumbbells to hit the knife on the back to make the square, and then discovering that hitting the knife broke it, the first coconut was spoiled. Warning: if the water or the flesh is pink or brown, it's bad! Don't eat it.

So, I went through the entire process with the second coconut and it was good. This was the only difficult part of this recipe for me. (Google to see if you can find instructions on how to properly open a coconut...I wish you an easier experience than I had.) Since the first coconut was spoiled, I had to halve the recipe. But you can see in the photo above that I still had more than enough food and couldn't even finish it all myself.

I poured the coconut juice into a separate container and set it aside. Then I used a spoon to scrape out all the white flesh, taking care not to get any part of the shell. I put the coconut on a plate and set it aside.

I chopped half the onion and put it in the food processor to mince. Then I put in the food processor half the coconut with about two teaspoons of olive oil, about 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and since I was in the mood for curry, I added about two teaspoons of curry powder and a half teaspoon of sage (but you can go crazy and add whatever spices you want). Then I processed those together.

Next I took the raw almonds and put them in the blender (make sure it's dry)and blended the almonds into a powder as best I could. I then put the ground almonds into the food processor with a little more olive oil (if it's too dry) and a little more sea salt to taste. Then I processed the almonds with the onion/coconut mixture.

This onion/coconut/almond mixture is the "meat" for our tacos. So that's why I said you can season it however you want...you can use Mexican seasoning or Italian seasoning or whatever.

Now it's time for the condiments: Cut up the two tomatoes and put those in a small bowl, then peel and slice an avocado and put that aside, and also mince the other half of the onion and put it aside.

You can also make your own hot sauce with the four habanero peppers, one clove of garlic, and 1/4 an onion...blend those together in the food processor and then add a little olive oil.

To make the sour cream or sweet cream, add 1 cup of pinenuts (or less, I found I had to add more coconut water because my cream was too thick), the other half of the coconut meat, 1/2 cup coconut water, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, a little sea salt, and either the juice of half a lemon (for sour cream) or one date (for sweet cream). Blend these items in the blender together, scraping down the sides until the mixture is creamy and the consistency that you want.

Pour off most of the cream into a separate dish, but don't rinse out the blender. What's left in the blender is going to make our drink (I think this works best if you made sweet cream instead of sour cream). Pour what's left of the coconut water into the blender, add some wild honey or agave nectar to taste, add a little nutmeg or cinnamon, and blend. Voila! You're done!

Now just take your "taco shell" which is your iceberg lettuce or your romaine lettuce leaves, spread two spoonfuls of the "taco meat", and then layer your condiments and top with your sweet cream or sour cream. Pour your beverage in a glass with some ice and enjoy!