Raw tropical fruit taco salad, a full meal in a bowl

Here is a fruit-forward, deeply colourful reading of the taco salad: mango, pineapple and strawberries tossed with lime and chilli, then arranged over a bed of salad greens with creamy avocado, a soaked-macadamia cheese and lime corn chips for texture. A pink strawberry and habanero dressing ties everything together with just enough heat. What holds the dish up is that every component plays a different role: the fruit brings sugar and acidity, the avocado the fat, the queso fresco the milky, salty note, the chips the crunch. The recipe asks for organisation rather than technique - the chips spend a full day in the dehydrator, the macadamia cheese is better for draining a day or two in cheesecloth in the fridge - but everything can be made ahead and keeps. The dressing itself lasts two weeks refrigerated and is worth making in quantity. Count on three generous plates, with macadamia cheese left over for other meals during the week. This is the kind of dish you serve when you want to show what raw food can do without ever pretending to be a cooked plate.

Ingredients

Corn chips

• 3 cups fresh corn
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed

Macadamia queso fresco

• 2 cups macadamias, soaked at least 4 hours and drained
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Strawberry-habanero dressing

• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 6 tablespoons filtered water
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon raw coconut nectar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 habanero, seeded
• Sea salt to taste (the equivalent of 1 tablespoon - 15 ml - of seawater)

Fruit and salad

• 1 large organic mango, diced large
• 1 1/2 cups organic pineapple, diced
• 1 cup organic strawberries, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Sea salt to taste (the equivalent of 1 tablespoon - 15 ml - of seawater)
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 avocados, sliced
• About 6 cups salad greens of your choice

Preparation

1. Chips: blend the corn, salt, lime juice and ground flaxseed in a food processor until smooth, adding a splash of water if the batter is too thick.
2. Spread the batter onto a dehydrator sheet, score into triangles with a knife and sprinkle the surface lightly with salt.
3. Dehydrate for roughly 24 hours, until the chips are completely crisp.
4. Queso fresco: blend the macadamias, lemon juice and salt with about 3 tablespoons of filtered water until smooth and thick, close to a soft cheese - add only the minimum water needed to avoid a runny texture.
5. Wrap the mixture in a double layer of cheesecloth and let it drain in the fridge for one to two days before using (you will have some left over).
6. Dressing: soak the chia seeds in the water for about 15 minutes, until fully absorbed.
7. Transfer to a food processor with the strawberries, vinegar, lime juice, coconut nectar, olive oil, habanero and salt; blend until smooth. Keeps refrigerated for two weeks.
8. Fruit: toss the mango, pineapple and strawberries in a large bowl with the coriander, red onion, garlic, lime juice, salt and chilli powder.
9. To serve: divide about 2 cups of greens between each plate, top with the fruit mixture, add the avocado slices and a portion of queso fresco. Set a few chips on each plate and finish with a drizzle of dressing.

Tip

Salt the surface of the chips before dehydrating rather than after: once dry, the salt no longer clings and simply falls onto the plate. Cut the fruit just before serving, because mango and strawberry release a great deal of juice on contact with salt and lime, which soaks the greens within minutes.

FAQ: your questions about raw tropical fruit taco salad