I am often asked what I eat other than fruits and vegetables. My typical diet being 90% raw foods and 10% cooked foods, I drink my fair share of juices and smoothies, normally for breakfast and lunch. This works with my busy schedule as I can take my easily digestible, nutrient filled drinks with me to meetings or on the road. My snacks typically include apples, green smoothies and Jenergy Bars. At the end of the day, I love sitting down for a relaxing dinner, and save this time for more savory, textured foods. When experimenting with raw meals, I learned quickly that chopped walnuts are a perfect meat substitute - thank you Matt Amsden! Walnuts are filled with iron, calcium, protein and low in saturated fat. They are an excellent source of vitamin E as well as omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and antioxidants. They rock the nutritional profile as a superfood.
A cup of coarsley chopped walnuts flavored with your favorite spices can be used in lettuce wraps, as taco filling, on salads and in pasta dishes. I use a small amount of tamari to moisten and flavor the walnuts and vary my spices from Thai to Mexican to Italian, depending on the dish I am making.
Easy Taco Filling
1 cup coarsley chopped walnuts
1-2 T tamari
2 tsp chopped dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 cloves fresh finely chopped garlic
2 T finely chopped onion or scallions
Mix tamari with walnuts until moistened, using more or less to taste. Add garlic and onion, stir in spices. Refrigerate remainder in air tight, glass container and use within 3 days.
Consider giving walnuts a try on meatless Mondays (or any day). This is also an easy party favorite - people are pleasantly surprised when they find out it's not meat, it's raw and it's easy!
~one body, one life~
Jennifer
