For those of you who don't know, when I lived in Guatemala, I worked as a chef at a new restaurant called "Ganesh Collective." It was a neat concept that had 3 different chefs that each had a few nights a week. On my nights it was called "Nancy's Kitchen." To quote a review of the restaurant "Nancy makes innovative vegan food with raw and wheat free options." This was more or less a staple on the menu. My prep chef, Emma Kate, said it was "play food" meaning that the lettuce leaf as a wrap just didn't cut it. Well, the components of it are so good if you'd like a heartier meal, you could always wrap it up in a real tortilla. The "almond meat" is a great veg alternative and can be used in tons of different recipes. I'm going to teach you how to make the almond milk first and then you'll be left with the almond pulp to make the burrito. You don't have to make the milk first, of course, but it is really nice to get 2 things out of 1 when dealing with almonds since they can be expensive. Also, if you want to only make the milk, you can always half the recipe. The measurements below are here so they correspond with the burrito.
ALMOND MILK:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almonds, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
6 cups pure water
pinch sea salt
2-4 tbspns raw honey (or a few soaked dates)
1 tspn vanilla extract (optional)
1. Strain almonds and place all ingredients in a blender. You may have to do it in two parts depending how big your blender is.
2. Once thouroughly blended, strain liquid through a cheesecloth or a very, very fine mesh strainer pressing the liquid out of the almond pulp with a spoon. This part is pretty important to get a smooth, non-grainy milk.
3. Save the almond pulp for the following recipe.
4. Enjoy the almond milk in smoothies, tea, coffee, or plain. Refrigerate it and it will keep for about 4 days.
GREEN BURRITO:
Ingredients:
ALMOND "MEAT":
around 1 1/2 cups almond pulp (see above recipe on how to acquire almond pulp and almond milk, or check below if you want to skip the milk)
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbspns olive oil
2 tbspns tomato paste
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn black pepper
1/4 tspn cayenne
1/4 tspn cumin
1/2 tspn vinegar (apple cider or white)
1 tspn raw cane sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
PINEAPPLE SALSA:
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped into small bits (if using canned be sure to drain the juice)
3 medium tomatoes, diced into fairy small chunks
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1/2 tspn grated ginger
1/4 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cayenne
2 tbspns lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
GUACAMOLE:
2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1 1/2 tbspns lime juice
1/2 tspn salt
For the wraps:
head of romaine lettuce or other mild tasting lettuce
There are three parts to the burrito, but it is all fairly simple and fast.The only thing that requires more time is the soaking of the almonds, which is easily done overnight if you know ahead of time that you will make this dish. However, if you don't have time to soak the almonds, you could alternatively drop them for a few seconds in boiling water until the skins become soft. Everything tastes great served immediately, but the salsa develops its flavors more as it sits, so you could make ahead of time and set in the fridge.
For the Almond "Meat"
1. Soak 1 1/2 cups almonds for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse and then place almonds in blender or food processor. Cover with water and blend until there are no major chunks of almonds, but more of a "pulp" consistency. Strain off the water and set the almond pulp aside.
2. In a skillet on medium high heat, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and tomato paste and continue stirring until the paste is incorporated. Lower head to medium low and add almond pulp, vinegar, and raw sugar. Sautee about 5-7 minutes more stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the salsa and guacamole.
For the Pineapple Salsa
1. Toss all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
For the Guacamole
1. Slice open avocados. Remove the pits and scoop out the meat. Mash with a fork and then fold in remaining ingredients. Make sure not to over-mix so you don't get mushy guacamole.
To assemble the Burritos:
This recipe makes about 8 burritos, if eating as a main dish. If serving as appetizers, you could make around 16 burritos and use 1/2 the amount of filling in each one.
1. Rinse lettuce and select nice looking, in-tact, and uniform leaves. Cut off the hard bottom of each leaf, leaving only the leafy part. (For appetizer burritos, cut each leaf in half horizontally and use the top part)
2. For the larger burritos, spread 2 tbspns of almond meat onto each leaf. Then add a tbspn of guacamole and a tablespoon of pineapple salsa on top. Optional: garnish with cilantro.
