Guest Blogger: The Vegan Pact – Raw Taco Salad with Cumin Walnut Meat & Spicy Sour Cream

Nothing like starting off the week with a really great raw food recipe. I find I feel energetic if I’m 80% raw. This lovely recipe comes to VBU! from Lisa & Jim of The Vegan Pact. The Vegan Pact (formerly The Vegetarian Pact) was created by Lisa, early in 2012 after making the transition from a vegetarian lifestyle to a vegan one. Vegan cooking from scratch is Lisa’s passion, and creating organic, animal-free meals without processed food is what her life revolves around. The Vegan Pact also includes her boyfriend of four years, Jim, who is also a fabulous meat-free cook who is a master of Indian and Middle Eastern style cooking.Follow Lisa & Jim’s adventures on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest! Welcome Lisa & Jim!

RAW TACO SALAD WITH CUMIN WALNUT MEAT & SPICY SOUR CREAM

I am not even close to joking when I say I could LITERALLY eat this raw taco salad and be perfectly happy doing so. Farewell, popcorn. Adios, roasted potatoes. Au revoir, tomato soup. All my favoritest foods seriously pale in comparison to this uber healthy salad.

Maybe I’m loving it so much because I’m seriously digging this whole raw food for a week thing. I feel incredible after only two days. I haven’t been hungry at all, I’m proud of all of my meals and my tummy is thrilled with getting nothing but raw veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds. And juice, of course. Lots and lots of juice.

Salads have finally begun to grow on me, but this one….this one left me absolutely speechless. And I’m glad no one was around when I ate it because I seriously thinking I was moaning a little as I chomped through it. It is THAT good. Add whatever other toppings you like, I was just obsessed with the version I came up with.

TACO MEAT

2 cups raw walnuts
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

SPICY SOUR CREAM

3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
2/3 cup water
1 ancho chili, chopped (or a chipotle pepper-I was out of them!)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

*Add equal parts lettuce, shredded carrots and chopped tomatoes to the salad, along with a sliced avocado and fresh cilantro

• Pulse all ingredients for taco meat in a food processor until crumbly-don’t overblend because you don’t want mush!
• Blend all ingredients for sour cream in a blender until smooth and creamy
• Toss taco meat with lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cilantro and top with avocado and sour cream