In diet, as in politics and religion, many of us cling to extremism. I feel the reasoning behind this is a search for identity, that we need a cause to rally behind or a group to support us. But sometimes we become trapped by our own categorizations and become victims to mob mentality. That is when you need to step back and think for yourself and decide what you actually believe and not what "people like you" are supposed to believe.
My diet is a path to my own health and my own ethics. Sometimes I learn from foods. As a vegetarian for so much of my life I discovered how damaging a diet of wheat, dairy, and soy could be. In my explorations in raw food recipes I realize how easy it could be to over-eat nuts. When you look at some raw food dessert recipe ingredients and realize you are eating cashew pie with walnut crust everyday, is that really healthier than lightly steamed greens? Or are you just drinking the raw food kool-aid (hmm, new recipe idea? I digress...) And have you even realized that most cashews aren't raw to begin with anyway?
So this is an almost raw recipe, but with lightly cooked mushrooms. From my individual research of a variety of different articles it seems that lightly cooking mushrooms is more beneficial than eating them raw. Heating releases nutrients including protein, B vitamins, and minerals. Some claims have been made that uncooked mushrooms contain toxins which are actually considered carcinogens. Raw mushrooms do contain more vitamin C than cooked mushrooms, but the rest of this recipe (with tomatoes, kale, and bell peppers) contain more than your daily requirement of vitamin C. So I went with my gut on this one. Hope you enjoy it!
Coconut Sour Cream
meat from 1 young green coconut
2/3 cup water of 1 young green coconut
juice from 1/2 a lemon
dash of pink Himalayan salt
Pico de Gallo
1 large tomato
1/4 cup of onion
1 small jalapeno (test for spiciness)
1 large handful of cilantro
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of pink Himalayan salt
Marinade
2/3 cup water of 1 young green coconut
2 tablespoons of coconut aminos
juice from 1 lime
1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
dash of pink Himalayan salt
Vegetables
1 large portobello mushroom cap
1 orange bell pepper
1 avocado
6 large dinosaur kale leaves
*nutritional yeast sprinkle, if desired
Mix together all ingredients for marinade in a large bowl. Slice the mushrooms and bell pepper into long thin strips and soak in marinade. Slice avocado. Set aside.
Open the young coconut. Strain water into a bowl to avoid getting wood chips mixed in. In a food processor, combine the coconut meat, coconut water, lemon, and salt until creamy. Set aside.
In a pan, cook your marinade-soaked mushrooms on low heat. Leave the bell peppers to soak in marinade.
For the pico de gallo; dice the tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. Mix together in a bowl with the vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt. Set aside.
Take kale leaves and cut the top ridge of the center stalk so that they will be easier to roll. Put leaves on plate laying flat, and layer with vegetables, coconut sour cream, and pico de gallo. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, if desired.
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