this is the first full recipe i've made from ani phyo's lovely book. lovely because her approach is practical and caring. it's a very gentle book, and she comes across as a really loving person but with drive, verve and enthusiasm. i admit that i think she rocks big time regardless of the book. she's an information architect and a raw foodie. you just don't get sexier than that in my book, baby!
so, back to the recipe. i planned the week ahead's dinner around making at least two new recipes per week, which is my general aim, to not get into too much of a rut and eat the same kind of foods all the time. i chose this cos it sounded fun. i don't feel the need to have raw versions of standard food, but, just as when i first became a veggie i emulated meat-based dishes because i didn't know where to start, well, i think cooked food classics turn into raw food delicacies and they're great for a treat on a weekend. lord knows i eat enough salad the rest of the week.
i've never had a real burrito, or taco, but even i know these weren't really anything like the real thing, but they were very tasty, easy to make, and fun to eat.
the burrito or taco shell is a cabbage leaf. i used red cabbage and i'll turn the rest of the cabbage into lavender-coloured coleslaw to go with my lunch salad.
the 'meat' is an almond-walnut mix, blended finely and mixed with relevant spices. it's a little too salty and oily for my taste on its own but we found that each part was not much to write home about until it joined up with its buddies.
next was the baja cheeze of the title. it's a nut cheese, based on brazils, with spicy flavours. it's ok on its own, but again, it only really wows you once it's part of the whole dish.
last part of the equation is the salsa. it's just tomato, red pepper and fresh corn, finely chopped with a few choice seasonings.
so now you put them all together. some shredded spinach, tossed in oil and vinegar in the base of your taco shell, the nut meat, cheeze and salsa on top. then roll and crunch. it's really very tasty!
our verdict was that it was a really enjoyable dinner, it didn't take too long to prepare, though it did involve quite a lot of washing up afterwards. my main concern was the amount of nuts in there. the cheeze, for instance, uses a lot of brazil nuts, much more than i'd consider healthy for one meal. the 'meat' was nut-based too, which adds up to a lot of fat in one sitting.
would we have it again? yes, i'm sure we will. despite the nut concerns i really enjoyed it and i think it's a great dinner dish for the once a week that we do having something a bit more gourmet. booyaa is getting skinny these days with all his running and eating raw food with me, so i'm actively encouraging him to eat nuts, to keep a bit of fat in his diet, but i could really do without the fat if i'm going to get really clean and lose my excess weight. but if, like today, i have smoothies and fruit the rest of the day, i think it balances out enough to allow for a special treat from time to time.
