Taco bites
Taco bites
Yields: 18 – 20 pieces
Ingredients
Base
1 large zucchini cut in rounds and dehydrated
¼ teaspoon of salt
Walnut meat
½ cup of walnuts, soaked 8 to 12 hours, drained, rinsed and dehydrated [i]
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon tamari
Salsa
½ mango finely diced
½ jalapeno finely diced and seeded
1 tablespoon red onion finely diced
½ teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
Pinch of salt
Cashew sour cream
½ cup of cashews soaked, rinsed and drained
¼ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
For fermented cashew sour cream see recipe on Sage Plant Cuisine
Steps
Base
Slice zucchini into rounds using a mandolin. Make sure they are thick enough that they don’t have too much bend. If they are too thin they will shrink to nothing in the dehydrator. Place rounds on a non-stick sheet and put in the dehydrator for 12 hours at 115 F.
Walnut meat
Chop walnuts with a chef’s knife to a texture similar to ground meat. Place in a bowl. Combine the spices in a separate bowl. Taste the spice mixture to ensure it has the right flavour balance for you (too much or too little heat). Coat the walnuts with tamari, once they are coated add the spice mixture and coat well. Set aside.
Salsa
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and gently toss. Set aside.
Sour cream
Combine all the ingredients together in a highspeed blender until the mixture is silky smooth. You may need to add water depending on how long you soaked the cashews. Pour into a squeeze bottle, or you can drizzle the cream using a spoon.
Assemble taco bites just before serving, so the zucchini chip doesn’t get soggy. On top of the chip place the walnut meat, salsa and then the sour cream.
Variations – a sweet potato chip would also make a good base. You can also change up your salsa to be whatever fruit you have on hand. Pineapple or peaches would be delicious. I also have a fermented sour cream recipe on Sage Plant Cuisine.
Note – your extra sour cream will keep one week in the fridge. You can turn it into a great salad dressing.
[i] I soak all my nuts and seeds. It removes the enzyme inhibitors making them easier to digest. The nuts are then dehydrated for 16 to 20 hours, until they snap or crunch to the bite. They can be stored in an airtight container for three months. I usually make large batches, so I have them on hand for snacking or recipes.
