Raw Soft Taco with Fresh Tomato Salsa

For all of you wanting that "Summer Glow"- now is the time to get it!  I am not talking about the Summer Glow fake self tanner, but the real glow that comes from the inside out.  The radiance that comes from eating right, exercising, getting plenty of rest, and enjoying the sun for a light/real tan. Eating more "Living Foods" help us to have clear eyes, clear skin, shiny hair and a healthy immune system. The flavor of these raw foods is so fresh and alive because they are as nature intended, full of living water and life force", states Matt Amsden. In Matt Amsden's book RAWvolution, he talks about a well-balanced diet of raw plant foods containing the full complement of vitamins and minerals, necessary for good nutrition, while cooking destroys over 80 percent of a food's nutritive value. Cooking also destroys the vital enzymes in food.  In the book Enzyme Nutrition, Dr. Howard Howell explains, "As our enzyme pool diminishes with age, our ability to perform the tasks that keep the body healthy also diminishes.  Aging happens when enzymes decrease in concentration in the body."  Dr. Howell believes that enzyme preservation is a secret to longevity and getting that glow. By eating living plant foods, we keep and even build up our enzyme reserves. Eating more raw foods also enables you to effortlessly shed excess weight. So, stock up on your live foods this summer and try to keep your raw foods to cooked ratio at 80% raw and 20% cooked. Saving your cooked meal for dinner is a great way to stay on track.  Help children by keeping their ratio at 50% raw and 50% cooked.

Below are a few recipes I love from the book RAWvolution.  They are both so full of flavor and super easy. The first recipe has ground walnut meat seasoned with Mexican spices, encased in a collard green wrap and served with Fresh Tomato Salsa.  The second recipe was inspired by Matt's Fresh Tomato Salsa, but I switched up the recipe to reflect what I like.  I hope you will give them both a try and check out Matt's book.

Collard greens are similar to kale in many ways.  Like kale, they too contain the phytonutrient sulforaphane which has been shown to stop breast cancer cells from growing in a study published in Drug Discovery Today.  Collard greens are also a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E and together, these antioxidants disarm free-radicals which may prevent significant damage to life-sustaining molecules such as enzymes, membranes, mitochondria and DNA.  Include collard greens in your green smoothie for an excellent source of calcium, which helps to maintain the strength and density of bones and may also help prevent osteoporosis. Buy your collard greens organic,  because they tend to have a lot of pesticides.

Soft Taco with Fresh Tomato Salsa

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Serves 3-4

1 1/2 cups raw walnuts, ground in a food processor

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons Nama Shoyu

3 to 4 small or medium collard green leaves

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

1 recipe Fresh Tomato Salsa (below)

In a small mixing bowl, combine the walnuts, cumin, and coriander, and mix well. (I added all to my Ninja and pulsed until small pieces were formed)  Add the Nama Shoyu and mix well.  Spread approximately 1/3 cup of the walnut mixture along the center stem of each collard green leaf, then add a layer of shredded lettuce.  Top with approximately 1/3 cup of the salsa just before serving and add sliced avocado.  You can roll like a burrito and slice in half, or just eat like a taco. 

The Ninja processor is great for little jobs like making the nut meat

 Fresh Tomato Salsa 

Serves 12

12 medium Roma tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 cup chopped scallions (add some of the green)

6 Tablespoons lime juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium jalapeno (remove seeds)

1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2  tsp. sea salt

3 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander 

1 tsp. of sweetener of choice (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except tomatoes into a food processor and  process for a few seconds.  Add tomatoes and continue to pulse until you have the consistency you like in salsa.