Ocho De Mayo

Oops! I dropped the ball on the follow up of my Cinco De Mayo post, I'm back today to share a few more Mexican themed favorites.

Raw Beans
They really are good for your heart '- )

1 cup lentils, sprouted (I use red)
1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp. Nama Shoyu
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne

Pulse the lentils and walnuts in a food processor until ground to the consistency of beans. Place the mixture into a medium bowl and add the other ingredients until well combined.

You can crumble this mixture out on a teflex sheet and dehydrate until warm and crispy or simply serve them as is.

I serve my Mexican Fiesta platter like a taco salad. I start with my jalapeno corn chips, adding the taco meat and topping with shredded leaf lettuce, avocado and an ample drizzling of homemade fresh salsa.

Summer Garden Salsa
1 pint of golden pear or cherry tomatoes, diced
2 roma or small red heirloom tomatoes, diced
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
3 limes, juiced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp each of sea salt & pepper

If you don't care for chopping and dicing, just place all ingredients into your food processor and pulse until you achieve the desired consistency. Let sit at room temperature, covered, for one hour before serving.
No Mexican meal is really complete without something to quench your thirst. This is a refreshing virgin drink I created for my book, Real Juice Daily. Mary goes green with a healthy twist to the classic Bloody Mary. This chartreuse cocktail features tomatillo juice instead of tomato juice and gets a south of the border kick with an addition of habanero chile, cilantro and a spicy radish for garnish.

Aqua Verde
1 lb. tomatillos, husked rinsed
pinch of Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 clove garlic, halved
1/2 fresh habenero chile
8 oz. original kombucha
4 dashes of Nama Shoyu
ice cubes
4 fresh sprigs cilantro
4 radishes, washed, trimmed and cut in half

Juice tomatillos in a juicer, mixing in sea salt and agave nectar. Pour over the habanero and garlic; let stand for about a minute and then discard the garlic and chile. Stir the kombucha and Nama Shoyu into the tomatillo mixture. Pour mixture over ice garnish each with a sprig of cilantro and a radish half or two.