Raw Vegan Hard Shell Tacos

Happy Earth Week & a very warm WELCOME to the bevy of new subscribers who have recently found their way to this simple wee blog via Lorax Community events & related US Veg Week/Veg Pledge promotional activities! ❤

For me it’s difficult to believe that April is nearly over, and that we’ve already made it through an entire season of fasting, feasting, and (in the case of many, including myself) related spiritual reflection. After having failed (and how!) at my attempt to give up swearing for Lent, I opted to atone for my shortcomings by abstaining from nuts (yet again) and embarking upon a two week long water fast. With such an immense cycle of cleansing complete, I have now reached a crucial new phase in my own healing and regenerative process. Having done so much Spring cleansing of the body temple, it seems only fitting to maintain an evenly continuous level of high-vibrational activity.

With Summer just around the bend, I have decided to maintain a “spa diet” for awhile, consisting of simple foods with no added oils and a very minimal amount of seeds, nuts, and few other remaining Winter items. However, certain items which do remain in season at my local & small family farms (kale, collards, cabbage, citrus, some roots, etc.) shall continue be used until the crops are finished in their production. I intend to mindfully savour them to my fullest ability! ^_^

As such, I have decided to share with you today another item which has been heavily requested by friends of my accounts on Instagram & also Twitter, which had previously been withheld based on my assumption that there would be little interest in the simpler, lower-fat happenings in my kitchen. Since having become aware of the fact that this is not the case, I shall now share my low-fat raw vegan revision on previous posts related to raw/vegan Taco Tuesday!

This past week I made a decision to spare my dwindling supply of cabbage (soon to become delicious ferments in form of sauerkraut and kimchee), and to move quickly in use of a rather large abundance of green courgettes. Thus, hard shells were yet another result of seasonal bounty.

Part I – The Shells

Low-fat raw vegan hard shell tacos

For these you will need:

•  Food processor
•  Food dehydrator
•  Silicone dehydrator sheets (my own preference)
•  Measuring spoons
•  Rubber spatula
•  Cardboard paper roll cylinders (yes, I have a tendency to reuse virutally everything in some way)

Ingredients:

•  1 medium courgette, chopped
•  1/2 red bell pepper
•  2 cups freshly ground flaxseed
•  1 jalapeño pepper
•  Juice from 1 lemon
•  1/2 clove garlic (optional)
•  Pinch Celtic sea salt (optional)

Instructions for preparation:

1.   Place vegetables & lemon juice into food processor & blend until well incorporated (should bear a similar consistency to soup).
2. Add ground flax in increments of 1 cup at a time, pulsing mixture & allowing it to become evenly incorporated until is reaches a consistency similar to that of wet dough.
3. Using a rubber spatula, spread dough mixtures to circular shapes onto silicone dehydrator sheets.
4. Place trays into dehydrator and leave to dry for 1.5 hours at 108°F
5. Remove trays & flip tortilla shells onto slatted sheets. Peel silicone sheets away from shells and leave to continue drying for another 60-90 minutes.
6. Whilst shells are flexible, lay down cardboard rolls in center of each circle & fold shell to bend around roll.
7. Leave to dehydrate for another 13 hours.
8. Remove rolls & leave to dehydrate until crisp & ready to serve

With the shells are finished, we are now ready to create low-fat raw vegan taco “meat” filling with assorted roots & vegetables!

Part II – Low-fat raw vegan taco filling

For this you will need the following:

• 2 carrots – roughly chopped into segments
• 1 small beetroot – roughly chopped into segments
• 1-2 cloves fresh garlic (optional)
• 1 bunch curly kale
• 1/4 Cup flaked dulse
• 1 tsp cayenne *
• 1.5-2 tsp ground cumin seed *
• 1 tsp ground chipotle peppers *
• Juice from 1 fresh lemon
• 1/8-1/2 tsp spirulina (optional – deepens colour so that it appears to be browned/cooked)
• Celtic sea salt to taste, if deemed necessary (dulse should lend the necessary amount of saltiness to satisfy most raw vegans, though more may be desired by those more accustomed to cooked foods).

* Organic, non-irradiated

1. Place root vegetables, dulse, garlic, & spices into food processor, pulsing motor until all elements are reasonably incorporated (yet neither fully nor overly processed).
2. Gradually add kale, beginning with stems, pulsing whilst incorporating in with previously processed elements.
3. Scrape down sides of food processor & move mixture about as needed to incorporate all ingredients.
4. When processed satisfactorily, feel free to add in fresh extras of choice (I like to throw in fresh green chilis & cilantro leaves).

The end product should look something like this:

Part III – Spicy Taco Sauce

This final step is entirely optional, though I have found the creation of a sauce to be helpful in holding fillings together within an open shell (as opposed to an enclosed wrap, where such binding makes little difference other than adding moisture and an extra burst of flavour to the equation).

In a Vitamix (or similar high-speed blender), blend together

• 7 sundried tomatoes, soaked for 2 hours
• Spring water (reserved from the soaking of tomatoes)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 tsp ground cayenne *
• 1 tsp ground cumin seed *
• 1 tsp ground chipotle peppers *
• 1 fresh green chili
• several sprigs of cilantro (coriander leaf)

…until mixture reaches a thick, yet smooth consistency.

After having made the sauce, fold into ground vegetable mixture until all is evenly incorporated.