I was recently at a vegan diner that offered walnut taco meat as a topping for its Southwestern bowl. I discovered, to my chagrin, that the walnut taco meat was basically just that, ground up walnuts with taco seasoning. How uninspiring.
I offer here a vegan taco meat with walnuts, vegetables, rice, and tomato paste that creates a much more meaty texture, suitable for tostados, tacos, burritos, or a fancy Southwest rice dish.
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1½ cups mixed raw vegetables (onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery, spinach leaves)
- ½ cup cooked brown rice
- 6 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed in 2½ tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a food processor, grind up walnuts, vegetables, and rice to a coarse paste. Mix in tomato paste and spices. In small bowl, heat ground flaxseed and water in microwave for 30 seconds. Mix into nut mixture.
Spread nut mixture evenly on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cut mixture into 1 inch pieces using the edge of a spatula. Flip pieces over on cookie sheet. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and chop into small pieces. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until just set.