Products I Use Archives · Page 11 of 11 · Rachel's Nourishing Kitchen

Walnut Tacos with Dairy-Free Sour Cream

On February 25, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Products I Use, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

I originally wrote this post in February 2014, but since then I have made some tweaks to the recipes to make them my own and improve them. I served these at a workshop I did today, and my coworkers LOVED them. One person even said she likes them better than regular tacos 🙂

——————————————————————————————————-

My husband Bill and I saw The Lego Movie last week, which inspired me to bring a raw taco recipe to work this week for our Real Food Challenge and to celebrate Taco Tuesday!

When I think of tacos, I think of the crunchy, salty Old El Paso shells filled with seasoned ground beef and variety of other toppings, like cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Some of those toppings are healthy, but others aren’t. Instead of giving up tacos, why not put a new, healthier spin on them?!

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do is reinventing our favorite comfort foods, so they are healthier but just as (if not more!) delicious and flavorful.

I prepared the “meat” and “cream” for today’s Taco Tuesday lunch for my coworkers, and it was a HUGE hit! Skeptics and believers alike raved about these tacos and dairy-free sour cream, so I’m going to share with you the recipes for how to make them!

The secret ingredient in the “meat”? Walnuts!

Ingredients

2 cups raw walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne powder
2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) – You can find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores or online. Use coconut aminos to make this dish paleo.
1 head of baby Romaine lettuce (use one leaf as the taco “shell”)

Add your own toppings, including but not limited to the following:

Dairy-free sour cream (below!)
Black or pinto beans
Brown rice
Diced onions
Salsa
Guacamole
Diced avocados
Diced tomatoes

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles the size and texture of ground meat!

Now, on to the sour cream! 🙂

Since I stopped consuming milk products a few years ago for health reasons, I’ve had to find alternatives to the creamy goodness of dairy, and I’ve been happy with the recipes and options I’ve tried. I will be devoting several blog posts in the future to some of my favorite deliciously dairy-free recipes, but for today, we’re going to spotlight a recipe for sour cream…without the cream.

The secret ingredient? Cashews!

Cashews can be used as a base for creamy, dairy-free sauces, dips, spreads, and even cheesecakes (Zia’s makes the best!). When you soak cashews overnight in water, they get really soft and can be blended together with savory ingredients to create a delicious, dairy-free alternative to sour cream.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and then rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup water

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. I had to use the tamper for my Vitamix to push it down.

**If you don’t have a high speed blender, you will likely need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides and might need to add a bit more water to thin it out.

The taco “meat” should be able to last a few days in the fridge, since there are no cooked ingredients in it, and the sour cream will likely be good for up to a week.

Enjoy!

It’s Taco Tuesday! Walnut Tacos & Dairy-Free Sour Cream {Vegan, Raw, Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On February 25, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Products I Use, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

I originally wrote this post in February 2014, but since then I have made some tweaks to the recipes to make them my own and improve them. I served these at a workshop I did today, and my coworkers LOVED them. One person even said she likes them better than regular tacos 🙂

——————————————————————————————————-

My husband Bill and I saw The Lego Movie last week, which inspired me to bring a raw taco recipe to work this week for our Real Food Challenge and to celebrate Taco Tuesday!

When I think of tacos, I think of the crunchy, salty Old El Paso shells filled with seasoned ground beef and variety of other toppings, like cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Some of those toppings are healthy, but others aren’t. Instead of giving up tacos, why not put a new, healthier spin on them?!

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do is reinventing our favorite comfort foods, so they are healthier but just as (if not more!) delicious and flavorful.

I prepared the “meat” and “cream” for today’s Taco Tuesday lunch for my coworkers, and it was a HUGE hit! Skeptics and believers alike raved about these tacos and dairy-free sour cream, so I’m going to share with you the recipes for how to make them!

The secret ingredient in the “meat”? Walnuts!

Ingredients

2 cups raw walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne powder
2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) – You can find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores or online. Use coconut aminos to make this dish paleo.
1 head of baby Romaine lettuce (use one leaf as the taco “shell”)

Add your own toppings, including but not limited to the following:

Dairy-free sour cream (below!)
Black or pinto beans
Brown rice
Diced onions
Salsa
Guacamole
Diced avocados
Diced tomatoes

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles the size and texture of ground meat!

Now, on to the sour cream! 🙂

Since I stopped consuming milk products a few years ago for health reasons, I’ve had to find alternatives to the creamy goodness of dairy, and I’ve been happy with the recipes and options I’ve tried. I will be devoting several blog posts in the future to some of my favorite deliciously dairy-free recipes, but for today, we’re going to spotlight a recipe for sour cream…without the cream.

The secret ingredient? Cashews!

Cashews can be used as a base for creamy, dairy-free sauces, dips, spreads, and even cheesecakes (Zia’s makes the best!). When you soak cashews overnight in water, they get really soft and can be blended together with savory ingredients to create a delicious, dairy-free alternative to sour cream.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and then rinsed and drained
2-3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (start with 2 T then taste and add a third if needed. I prefer just under 3 tablespoons)
3 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup water (or more for desired consistency)

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. I had to use the tamper for my Vitamix to push it down.

**If you don’t have a high speed blender, you will likely need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides and might need to add a bit more water to thin it out.

The taco “meat” should be able to last a few days in the fridge, since there are no cooked ingredients in it, and the sour cream will likely be good for up to a week.

Enjoy!

5 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets for Under $20

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On January 23, 2014

In Products I Use

It’s more than likely that the kitchen is the hub of your home, and because we spend so much time in our kitchens, we often have gadgets and appliances there to help us. Whether it’s extra outlets from Pop Up Outlets to plug in our gadgets or the best set of knives, we all have our favorite tips and tricks we like to use. Now, this may be common knowledge but as I’ve spent more time in the kitchen over the past few years, I’ve learned that one of the secrets to preparing healthy meals is having the right tools. For some, that can be as simple as a good Vie Belles knife. For others, different things are needed.

We can have the best of intentions in making healthy food, but if we don’t have the tools we need, food prep and cooking can become time-consuming and frustrating instead of quick and enjoyable.

Remember the show Inspector Gadget?

He had gadgets for just about everything! Fortunately, we don’t need to get super techy (or spend a ton of money) on lots of fancy gadgets to get the job done in the kitchen.

Here are 5 of our absolute favorite, must-have kitchen gadgets, some of which we use on a daily basis! Oh yeah, and did I mention they are all under $20?

AvoSaver: Tired of throwing away avocado halves that turn brown just hours after you’ve cut into them? If so, you’ll want to get one of these. The AvoSaver slows down the browning process, so your cut avocado half stays fresh longer! I bought mine at Harry & David, but you can get it on Amazon, too…for less than $10! I pop it in my lunchbox and have an avocado half ready to go as a salad topper at work.
Rocker Garlic Crusher: My first attempt at using a garlic press was a bit of a fail and resulted in me spending about 10 minutes picking out the garlic pieces by hand. Frustrated, I went back to mincing with a knife but didn’t like how sticky the garlic would make my fingers. I stumbled upon this little gem in Sur la Table (=kitchen heaven). Just press the crusher onto a garlic clove, rock back and forth, and scoop out crushed garlic to use in your recipe! Invest in the stainless steel one ($15). We made the mistake of getting the plastic one the first time, and it snapped within a few months.
OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer: We love lemons (and limes) and use lemon juice in recipes or mixed in with some warm water just about every day. Lemons have amazing health benefits, and this handy gadget quickly and easily gives us fresh lemon or lime juice without the hassle of picking out seeds. If you want another option, we bought this one for my dad for Christmas, and he has raved about it since!
Rada Cutlery Chef’s Dicer: One of the misconceptions about cooking is that you have to spend lots of money on knives. Sure, if you have some extra cash to spend, it’s wise to invest in a good chef’s knife, but one of the greatest deals we’ve snagged in our kitchen is this dicing knife. We found out about it when we read The 4-Hour Chef by Tim Ferris (a highly recommended book!). We use it to chop everything from onions to sweet potatoes, and it does a fantastic job. For under $15, this is one knife you’ll want to add to your collection!
OXO Good Grips Digital Instant Read Thermometer: I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve talked to who say, “I can’t cook chicken or fish. I always overcook it.” If you’re tired of cutting into that piece of chicken, steak or fish multiple times (thereby butchering it) to check for doneness, do yourself a favor and invest in a simple digital thermometer. We got one as a wedding gift and use it every time we cook meat or fish, and it works like a charm. No more overcooked salmon for us!

I’ll write about more of our favorite kitchen tools in future posts, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite kitchen gadgets?

Happy cooking!