There’s a gal at work who will jokingly proclaim “My body is a temple!” before predictably reaching for something that may or may not promote one’s health (brownie scraps are my favourite example for many reasons). I always laugh because I totally say that kind of hippie BS all the time, but like half seriously. Actually, mostly very seriously haha.
It’s true that at any given time, there are multiple jars of coconut oil open in my house for any and all uses. It’s also true that I use the all natural sandalwood conditioner that donates 47% of its revenue to environmental relief organizations, even though it tangles the heck out of my curly hair. Most of my wardrobe can be described as “flow-y.” I talk about vibes a lot.
All of that is just silly superficial stuff though. I find summertime is when my good habits slip a bit. There are all the obvious reasons and occasions. My entire being is more in the moment in a general sense. I’ve never been one to say no to a patio beer and a salty snack once the sun starts setting. This is a repetitive thing as long as the nights stay warm!
So when I get to a point where I’m craving some freshness, I make myself a really deluxe and mostly raw meal as a bit of a “reset” maneuver. Just everything fresh on a plate. Lots of chewing and savouring and brightness.
Giving tacos the raw treatment isn’t new! Almost any raw restaurant will have a version on its menu, and I will ALWAYS order it. So good. Whether they make a dehydrated tortilla to encase the goodness in or it’s just a simple lettuce wrap, the combination is so satisfying.
There’s some nuts ground into a chunky mixture with spices, some kind of salsa, an avocado component, cashew sour cream, other veg sometimes, lots of lime and flavour. If you have a food processor or blender, it couldn’t be easier to replicate at home either. I decided to make a corn ceviche-ish salsa for mine just to shake things up a bit and add a little sweetness. Don’t regret that move one bit. More great raw-ish, veg heavy recipes in the form of: cauliflower and roasted chickpea salad with avocado, cold veg and mango noodle salad with spicy sesame dressing, and autumn sushi with celery root “rice.”
Raw and Vegan Tacos with Corn Salsa & Cashew Sour Cream
Ingredients
Corn Ceviche Salsa
- 2 cobs corn, kernels removed
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- small handful chopped cilantro
Spiced Walnut “Meat”
- 1 heaped cup mixed raw nuts and seeds (I used walnuts, almonds + sunflower seeds)
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos
Assembly
- 1 small cabbage, leaves removed and cut into “shells”
- 6-8 chard or romaine leaves, cut into palm-size pieces
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
- lime wedges
- extra taco seasoning
- extra chopped cilantro
- vegan sour cream, for serving
Equipment
Notes
- You could probably swing the cashew sour cream in a food processor instead of a blender. Just might be a touch more chunky–still so tasty though!
Instructions
- Make the corn salsa: in a medium bowl, combine the corn kernels, lime juice, salt + pepper and red onion. Toss to combine. Let this sit for a while, about 15 minutes, stirring here and there. Add the tomatoes and cilantro and stir to combine. Check the mixture for seasoning and set aside.
- Make the cashew sour cream: drain the cashews and place them in a blender pitcher. Add all of the other ingredients and blend on high until a smooth paste is achieved. You may have to scrape down the sides a couple times and add some extra water. Once the mixture is smooth and tasting creamy and slightly sour, store it in a bowl or squeeze bottle in the fridge.
- Make the spicy nut and seed crumble: throw all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse the mixture until a chunky paste forms. Season it to your liking, scrape into a bowl and set aside.
- To serve: lay the cabbage leaves on a platter. Line them with the chard pieces. Divide the spicy nut + seed mixture among the shells. Then, scoop some corn salsa into each shell as well (there will probably be extra). Garnish each taco with some sliced avocado, cashew sour cream, a little dusting of chili and some extra cilantro. Enjoy!
Sooooooo good! Will hit the repeat button on this! Thanks!
I tried this recipe with my co-workers for lunch. Lets just say i left them speechless. They and I loved it
I made this tonight for my newly vegan husband (Im still a carnivore lol). Absolutely wonderful recpe. We both loved it. Thank you.
I made this into a taco salad for my lunch this week. Delicious!
I will say that I followed your instruction to blend the cashew sour cream and it went poorly. The mixture just went right into the corners and beneath my blade in my vitamix and I was constantly scrapping down. Ended up moving it into my food processor and it blended right up!
Can’t wait to make this!
We first made this when we were focusing on health before our wedding, but have come back to it many times since. The fresh corn is like a little bit of sunshine. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made these for an appetizer party with 7 women. They were the best! Everybody ate them and liked them. I was surprised how many ate the cabbage leaves. I had some nice savoy cabbage leaves. Followed the recipe fairly closely. Everyone liked the nut mix part the best – I used cumin and chili powder. Thanks!
I just shared these on my facebook page. We are having them for lunch tomorrow. YUM!
Holy YUM!! Thank you so much for these recipes! I will be sharing the link in my blog post today (www.eatdrinkandbeskinny.com) with a few other healthy taco recipes to celebrate national taco day tomorrow. These look amazing!
Laura, these photos are gorgeous! I’m so inspired by your thoughtfulness in your photography, and also the FOOD. Amazing! I live in LA and eat relatively clean and these tacos totally fit the bill. I cannot wait to give them a try. So glad to have found your blog! XO, Lauren
Goodness Yum! I am prepping these right now and the “meat” is delicious. I cannot wait to serve them tonight to my friends. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe and beautiful inspiring photos
I just made these, and they were great. I used iceberg lettuce for the shells because it was all they had at Trader Joe’s – still good, but I felt a little less healthy. The nut crumbles were AWESOME. Thanks for the recipe!
Words cannot actually describe how good these look right now!!! I’m on exchange and my host family doesn’t go in for raw vegan food much (hardly surprising, I’m in northern France!) and so I must wait for another 2 months until I can get home to try them…luckily it will be spring in Australia by then!
These look absolutely DELICIOUS, especially the the nut and seed crumble. I would totally eat these and not feel deprived in the slightest. After all, my body is a temple. Now for a gin and tonic. ;)
I need these raw tacos in my life! I made a version recently using chard as a sort of “tortilla” but the cabbage looks a lot sturdier and easier to deal with. It gives it more of a taco vibe :)
i’ve totally been craving caffeine in the worst way lately. That morning cappuccino gets me all revved up and then a few hours later I’ll notice a tight rushed feeling in my body, like i’m being wound up like a spring. I’m on day 3 of no caffeine, and i’m totally making these raw tacos this weekend to feel “light and full at the same time” Love it!!
PS: we were both on So, How was Your Day?! Fun :)
loving the double-green layers of the wraps! Also your relaxed attitude. Um, I mean, vibes. I’ve still got half a jar of recently-made taco pickles sitting in the fridge so will keep this in mind next time I want a vegetable onslaught.
Made these last night and OMG they were so delicious. Full of flavor, but left us feeling light and satisfied when were done.
This was my first experience with your recipes, but certainly not my last.
Thank you
This is perfect, lush summer food. I’ve yet to try a raw taco but I’m going to fix that stat. Gorgeous photos!
These tacos sound like such a treat, and perfectly light for a nice summer dinner. I plan on having company over this weekend I think these will be on the menu!
Okay, if there at any point comes a time when we are in the same country, could we, maybe, you know–hang out? Because the whole joking-but-mostly-serious hippie BS + patio beers combo has me thinking that’d be SO much fun.
I’ll bring the beer, you bring the tacos.
Claire, YESSSSSS! I KNOW, without any doubt in my hippie BS-loving heart, that we would vibe :)))
WANT :)
Another great healthy idea.
Looks amazing!
So I avoided lettuce cups in place of taco shells for the. longest. time. I don’t know why — I guess I just imagined they wouldn’t be as good, or they’d make me feel like a weenie. I finally gave them a go this summer, and I realized that (a) they’re delicious and (b) they allow me to eat MORE TACOS. Duh. (:
I can’t get enough of your recipes and writing! Absolutely love it, and can’t wait to try this one out.
Ha! I can sound pretty vibey, too, I guess, and I am so with you on craving raw things when my body needs a reset. Laura, these pictures are so good! Adding these to my to-make list soon.
This post made me laugh, I’ve been accused of having those same hippy ‘vibes’, which I’m cool with :-)
These look and sound amazing, another one to bookmark for our summer xx
Love this! Although, I am sitting here sipping on iced coffee. But I love all your vibes. ;)
You are so funny! I feel lifted by your vibes. And the tacos are beautiful.
What a great read! I too am a “summer slipper” and a raw taco fiend. And that has to be the most beautiful, pillowy, inviting photo of a head of cabbage I’ve ever seen.
Your writing is so fun and the photos are tempting. Thank you for reminding me of raw tacos, so yummy and I think I have pretty much everything to make them tonight. Love raw corn!
you are so wonderful. love your hippie self. By the pic, I thought that was tempeh, I am liking the nut mixture. Brilliant, you.
Dude, this looks INCREDIBLE. Also, your intro made me laugh out loud.
This is totally my kind of summer food. Fresh, light and full of flavour! I’ll defiantly be making these. I adore raw corn so much and your combo of ingredients sounds sooo good! Thank you.. I love your orange table cloth too!
I’m not usually into raw but these look awesome.
Also, your post made me laugh :)
Coconut aminos are so good!! I have a feeling after the next week and a half of being in limbo between 3 houses we are going to need a meal just like this. Feeling lucky the huz also enjoys this type of deliciousness. The last sentence in this post is my fav [and so are you!]. XO!
Raw tacos are so fun…and this particular recipe is super colourful! Love!
These photos have me salivating – beautiful photography. And these tacos – I can taste the freshness and feel the crunch. I love all the components and all the possibilities.
I love raw tacos! I’ve only made them with a walnut meat before but like the idea of using a combination of nuts. The raw corn salsa sounds a delicious addition too.