If you ever find yourself in a salad rut, this raw taco salad is a great way to break out of it. Hearty and flavourful, every bite is a fiesta in your mouth. It’s a bit (ok, a lot) different from the taco salad of my youth, but certainly no less tasty!
My inspiration comes from the taco salad that I enjoyed at The Naked Sprout meet-up over the weekend. Layered with greens, guacamole, salsa, sunflower taco meat, and a cashew cream, I knew this was something I would be making at home real soon. As in, within 24 hours of consumption. I don’t mess around during the salad-a-day challenge…no sir-ee.
Here are a few ways that I changed up this salad:
- I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds for the taco meat. I’ve had success making walnut taco meat in the past, so I stuck with that recipe, only simplifying it to just a few ingredients.
- I made a macadamia cream sauce instead of a cashew cream sauce. Feel free to use whichever nut you wish.
- Red leaf romaine instead of flat-leaf mixed greens because I think the romaine has a better texture to serve as the base of such a hearty salad. Again, use any green you prefer.
- I used my Endurance Crackers because I had some in my freezer just waiting to be used. I absolutely loved them in this salad.
I put together a step-by-step assembly of the salad in photos for us visual people. The recipes are below!
1. Add a hearty base of greens in a large bowl.
2. Add a heaping 1/4 cup scoop of 3-minute guacamole (recipe below) in the middle of the lettuce.
3. Spoon on a couple tablespoons of your favourite salsa.
4. Add half of the walnut taco meat.
5. Spoon a couple tablespoons of cream sauce into a baggie, snip off the end, and “pipe” it onto the salads. Fancy. Or, simply spoon it onto the salad directly.
6. Add chopped tomato, red onion, and green onion on top.
7. Finally, stick your favourite crackers in! I used my Endurance Crackers. Feel free to use tortilla chips or any cracker you see worthy.
Layered Raw Taco Salad for Two
Yield
2 servings
Soak time
2-8 hours
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
I like to think of this salad as a vitamin in a bowl. It’s not only delicious, but literally bursting with nutrients and health. It lasted all of 3 minutes in front of me…maybe less. Eric, who is not a guacamole fan, surprised me by devouring it also.
Don’t let the long ingredient list put you off; the entire recipe took me about 30 minutes or so. Feel free to adapt this salad depending on what you have in your kitchen. Inspired by : The Naked Sprout’s Taco Salad
Ingredients
For the walnut taco meat
- 1/2 cup walnuts, soaked for 2-8 hours
- 1 & 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- fine grain sea salt, to taste
- cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
For the cashew or macadamia cream
- 1 cup macadamia (or cashew) nuts, soaked in water for 2-8 hours
- 11-12 tbsp water (use as needed to achieve desired consistency)
- 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
- fine grain sea salt, to taste (I used just over 1/4 tsp)
For the guacamole
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 small tomato, chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- scant 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
For the salad
- greens of choice
- salsa
- green onion (optional)
- crackers
Directions
- Taco meat: In a food processor (or by hand), pulse (or chop) the ingredients until combined. Make sure to leave the walnuts chunky. Remove and set aside.
- Cream sauce: Drain and rinse the soaked nuts. Add them into a processor and process. Stream in about 1/2 cup water and a couple tbsp of lemon juice. Add more water as needed to achieve your desired consistency. The nut sauce should be super smooth and not grainy. Add salt to taste.
- Guacamole: In a medium-sized bowl, mash the avocado flesh with a fork, leaving some chunks. Stir in the chopped tomato, red onion, lime juice, and seasonings to taste.
- To assemble: (per bowl) Add a hefty base of greens in a large bowl followed by a heaping 1/4 cup scoop of guacamole in the middle.
- Spoon on 2 tbsp of salsa over the greens followed by half of the taco meat.
- Add a couple tbsp of cream into a plastic baggie, snip off end, and pipe over top the taco meat.
- Garnish with a chopped green onion and leftover chopped tomato and red onion. Place a few crackers into the salad before serving. If you find yourself with leftover lemon and lime juice like I did, place juice into a glass, fill with water, add liquid sweetener to taste, and serve over ice.
Tip:
Walnut Taco Meat yields scant 1/2 cup
Cashew or Macadamia cream yields 1 heaping cup
3 Minute Guacamole yields 3/4 cup
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Strawberry Nut Cream
The nut cream recipe makes a cup’s worth, so you might be wondering what to do with it the leftovers like I was. You can actually use nut cream as a sub for thick dairy cream in so many recipes. Think pasta sauces, cream-based soups, mashed potatoes, a spread on sandwiches or wraps, etc. Feel free to add herbs, spices, and seasonings to jazz up the flavour. I’ve also read that it can be frozen for a couple months.
I decided to use some of the nut cream as a base for a sweet strawberry dessert and breakfast cream. Yummy.
Enjoy this strawberry cream over top of oatmeal, vegan overnight oats, pancakes, desserts, or even in smoothies!
1. Add 6-7 large strawberries into a processor along with 1/4 cup nut cream and 1 tbsp pure maple syrup. Remove strawberry cream and store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a few days.
2. I made Banana Soft Serve with the strawberry cream. I added 2 tbsp of the strawberry cream into the processor with a frozen and chopped banana and 1/2 tbsp almond butter.
3. Instant “Strawberries ‘n Cream” banana soft serve!
4. Serve with chopped strawberries in a mini parfait glass for a cold & creamy summer dessert.
Strawberries ‘n cream vegan overnight oats will also be happening. :)
LOVE the idea of making taco meat from walnuts! I’d probably make cashew cream since I’m partial to cashews, and maybe add some fresh corn off the cob too, but otherwise I’m totally recreating this at home! Thanks for the inspiration! :)
I hope you enjoy it! Corn on the cob is a KILLER idea!!!
Just wondering where the garlic is? I want to make the taco salad but it reads a little bland to me!! Do you think garlic in the guacamole would be enough or maybe in the nut cream sauce?? I’m a new vegan with a “spicy” tooth!! :)
Gail
I am kinda disappointed that all the reviews talk about how it LOOKS amazing and cant wait to TRY…. Reviews should be actual reviews and suggestions of the recipes.
I have made it! It is delicious :D. I haven’t made the macademia cream before though
These both look amazing! Can’t wait to try em :)
I just told my boyfriend that I was craving Mexican tonight but wasn’t sure what to make – such perfect timing!
I hope you both enjoy it Erica :)
What a beauty!! I’d never thought to replace cashews with another nut to make creamy sauces. I’ll have to give it a try! About the walnuts.. yes, I agree, you do have a way with walnuts! I remember the lentil walnut loaf from Thanksgiving and that was phenomenal! Happy Tuesday lady! :)
I am making that salad tonight! I think I’ve got all the ingredients. Lucky me, I also stopped at the fruit farm for the first berries of the season here in Ottawa. Thank you for giving us a great salad an dessert! Do you prefer macadamia or cashews for the cream?
Hey Georgina, Let me know what you think of it! I think I prefer mac nuts (they are just so luxurious tasting), but I do find cashews to be cheaper so I use those most often. I also think cashews puree smoother in texture. It really doesn’t matter much either way!
I have never heard of the walnut taco meat but you can bet I’m gonna see if I can sneak it past the Mr!! Can’t wait to try it!
Goodluck, I hope he likes it. It adds a nice texture and flavour.
Walnuts are the meatiest and sneakiest. I think your Mr. may approve!!!
I’m so excited about this walnut taco meat! I’ve been looking for a replacement that wasn’t TVP or a crumbled soy product. Should be delicious…as is anything with guac!
you’re right! that is a vitamin in a bowl! and it looks crazy delicious too! i love the piping of the cream:) and that strawberry cream — swoon! thanks for sharing!
This looks amazing, one of my favorite things to do is recreate meals from restaurants! I will be making this very soon! Oh and if I don’t stream the water into the food processor while making the nut sauce will it still come out right?
Yup! :)
Your salad looks very similar to one I recently duplicated at home after a visit to Chipole Restaurant. I added black beans to mine though instead of the taco meat. It was delicious. But the taco meat looks really interesting. I am going to give that a try also. The strawberry cream also looks awesome.
I am absolutely loving watching all these salads! Great challenge!
Oh, this looks AMAZING! We’ve been making taco-seasoned chickpea salad with spicy dressing and it’s kind of a taco-themed salad, but it would be nice to try this one with the walnut “meat.” I have gotten bf hooked on salads this year and want to keep trying more veggie-based ideas. Thanks so much!
I love the idea of using chickpeas in the taco meat. I will try that next time :)
Ah! We’ve actually just been drizzling chickpeas in olive oil, sprinkling them with taco seasoning, and then roasting them at 400* for 30 minute or so. Makes them nice and crunchy and super spicy/taco-flavored! But using chickpeas instead of walnuts would probably make good taco “meat”? Hmmm…now you have me curious, as well!
I’m a new-ish reader and you may have this mentioned somewhere, but what kind of food processor do you have?
That also sounds amazing. Man, I wish I had you guys in my kitchen! :)
I have a fairly new Cuisinart 14 cup processor. I spoke about it briefly here: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/04/27/kitchen-sink-nut-butter-cuisinart-food-processor-review/
Excellent, thank you!!
This looks FANTASTIC!
Looks great, Ange. I usually stick the same components into a chard leaf as a green taco, but salad works, too! Yum! :)
yum! Reminds me of the Taco Salad at Rawlicious. Thanks for sharing your spin on Raw Taco Salad! Especially like the idea of Macadamia nut cream – Sometimes I feel cashews get overused in raw foods, which scares me a bit when it seems some are quite sensitive to them. I’ll have to try!
I will have to order that next time I find myself at Rawlicious…looove that restaurant.
Me too.. So much that I work there ;) if you pop into the Yorkville location please say hi!!
oh lucky you!! I have yet to check out the new location, but I’ve been dying to. Hopefully I will get there soon. What are your fav menu items?
Actually, the taco salad! … And the taco wrap.. And the pad thai. Clearly, I eat about as much as I make there ;) have you tried the macaroons? Another fav!
The summer menu just came out this past week-the summer fruit tart is mind-blowing!!!
haha ok now you are making me want to go there tonight! I think I will have to bring a group of friends so we can all share :)
Oooh.. a new summer menu sounds great! I adore Rawlicious’ choco banana cheesecake! The Rawitch is also fantastic!
no way i could miss the meat with this bad boy! yum!
I want this for lunch! Are those raw cacao chips in the first photo? Matthew Kenney OKC makes some that look just like that.
Holy moly, those both look delicious!
I have to try your walnut taco meat, I love walnuts and Mexican flavored anything.
I love all of the different textures and flavors you have going on in this salad, and I like that you used walnut taco meat instead of the frequently used soy crumbles. I can’t wait to make this!
Perfect timing! Was looking for new salads to try!
Also, the strawberry sauce looks delish!
I have a request… I’d love to see some ideas for a summer BBQ. Side dishes preferably. I am going to try making your veggie burgers, but want something that will go nicely with them.
Thanks!
Ooooh I like this idea. Some grilled options would be cool (to use on the new George Foreman… hahahaha.))
This is one of my favourite BBQ salads: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/09/02/long-weekend-grilled-salad/ I hope to make more BBQ stuff too. You might want to also check out my recipage for other summer recipes.
This is making me hungry! Good thing lunch is in 20min. I LOVE taco salad and tacos wrapped in lettuce so I can’t wait to try this.
That salad looks great. I promise I’ve been eating salads even if I have not managed to tweet or INstagram about them. I wonder if I have time to make this salad….baby is FINALLY down for a nap!
haha I forget to tweet them too. Often, I’ve consumed half of it before I remember to take a pic.
This looks so yummy! Taco salad was always a favourite when I was a kid, and strawberries and cream… mmmmm :) Definitely gonna give these a go! :)
Yummy! I actually made your endurance crackers recently, so I still have some left for this!
Walnut taco meat?! Cool! This recipe looks fantastic :)
Sending this link to my vegan sis, pronto. She’s going to be all over this one. Looks amazing!
I have been on a taco-salad binge lately… except mine always has refried beans (vegetarian of course), fresh avocado because I’ve been a little lazy when it comes to guac, and a vegan mexi-ranch salsa type dressing I was inspired after waitressing at Applebee’s in my teenage years (hits the spot.) I really need to try making that sunflower or walnut taco meat though!
Also, when I’m not lazy and don’t mind heating up the house, making your own taco shells for salads is super easy and not to mention delicious! http://www.food.com/recipe/how-to-make-baked-taco-salad-shell-bowls-54417
This looks so good! Taco salads are one of my all time favorite meals! Anything I can put gaucamole on is good is my book! I will have to try this!
Yay for recreating the taco salad already! I really need to get a handle on my nuts, seeds, and grains collection. When you open the cupboard where all that stuff is, it looks like a scene out of Jumanji (oh yes, I used that as a reference!). So really, I have no idea what I even have for use in recipes. I think there’s walnuts! haha. I think it’s a sign I need to do something about that mess ;)
you should see my cupboards…I think I’d give you a run for your money! hah. I have the deepest corner cupboards known to man…that’s where I lay the blame. ;)
That strawberry nut cream….yum!
As for the taco salad, one of the first recipes I ever made for my blog 3+ years ago was raw taco meat/raw taco salad. I love the stuff and hate to even link back to it b/c the pics are bad (I should re-photograph it) but I just adore the flavors and yours looks delish!
Yay! Thank you!
After seeing that taco salad yesterday, I was hoping for a recipe-inspired post. Looks super delicious — and know I know what dinner tonight will be!
Oh my – walnut tacos and macademia sauce? Nut heaven!
(Hm maybe delete the above comment seeing as it pasted your recipe into the name field instead of my name…can you tell I am planning on making the recipe tonight?? Haha!)
lol…I just see “Anna” in the above name field. What are you seeing?
Ah now I only see Anna too! Before it said “1/4 cup onion, tomatoes..” and so on hahaha. Never mind, must have been a glitch! Thanks Ange!
wait I see it now!!! lol weird
I had a salad very similar to this for lunch today! I’m still going strong with the salad a day challenge. :-)
Hi Angela, this taco salad looks great!
Just wondering if you would use the same soaking & food processing method using sunflower seeds instead of walnuts? I love walnuts, but sadly, not everyone I cook for does…
I would imagine you could! Soaking helps release the enzyme inhibitors for nuts and seeds.
Yum! Sounds great. I wasn’t familiar with walnut taco “meat,” but it’s definitely interesting.
Yummers!! I love the salad challenge. And hefty salads!
**I am SO going to make some swamp water, btw. You have so many great healthy ideas!!
This looks so tasty!! Love it!
Yummm, love raw taco salad! I ate at the Naked Sprout in December (did a post here http://www.sweetlyraw.com/2011/12/naked-sprout-raw-restaurant.html) . While the salad was ok, it looks like they’ve worked in it since I was there. It was lacking in the guacamole/topping department. So nice that you had a meet up! Have you gotten to do a yoga class there? My boyfriend and I did a class and loved it.
No I haven’t done yoga there yet, but I’ve been meaning to. My friend Heather loves it there! And I’ve heard great things about it.
Just checked out your pics and yes the salad does look like it has improved. I guess food is a work in progress sometimes! ;)
I have some walnuts left over from an arugula and walnut pesto so this is the perfect reason to use them. I adore this recipe! I’d maybe add some black beans as well to give it some heft.
i’m sorry, but you can type “nut cream” and not make a joke about it? my goodness, i couldn’t stop giggling inside.
bahaha, I didn’t even notice it. But that’s funny. Serves me right for writing a post at 630am!
My husband and I became vegan 5 months ago. We have been tracking our grocery/take out bills to see the difference in our food spending. It has increased significantly. Has anyone else noticed this? I put all the food bills on my MC so it is easy to determine at the of the month. This past month we spent $730. I am sure there were also smaller amounts that I put on our debit card too. We eat everything that we buy too. I am not sure what to do or if this is normal. My husband is shocked and worried. We shop at the local Metro sometimes but most of the time at Planet Organic and the Bulk Barn for nuts, seeds, grains.
Looks so delish! Perfect for a warm summer’s evening dinner…will print out! Also the banana soft serve is soooo ultimate…hadn’t thought to add strawberries! YUM!
That looks and sounds delicious! I teach cooking skills to a couple, and they’ve been wanting more raw recipes for the summer. I’m definitely going to do this one and print out the recipe from your site. I often refer them here for inspiration. I really like that you demonstrated how to use the leftovers in a really great way!I always end up just throwing it into a smoothie, but I like this rendition better for variety. Makes me crave pancakes now.
This looks sooo so good! inspired my salad making big time…one for the weekend methinks!
Um. This may be the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad I didn’t read this post until now. Otherwise I would’ve been drooling in front of all the kids at school.
Have I mentioned how much you rock?!
Thanks Madison, I hope you enjoy it!
I literally eat a version of this salad everyday. My twist is Hot and Spicy Taco seasoning and soy meat. Just like a taco and it hasn’t gotten old yet. (in fact I have half of my dinner salad in the fridge right now;)
I never get tired of anything Mexican or Tex Mex…it’s just so good!
Wow Angela, this is a gorgeous salad! Your photos are amazing too – what a creative way to ‘do’ Mexican flavors that is healthy and not heavy like tacos can be! The nut meat looks delicious! :)
I am really liking the sound of this raw taco salad!
Thanks Kevin, I’m sure you could put some kind of fabulous spin on it…your recipes always look amazing!