The Minimalist Baker knocked it out of the park with this Raw Vegan Walnut Taco Meat recipe. I couldn’t believe how flavorful this recipe turned out. I’ve made the taco meat recipe several times to add to tacos, burritos, taco salads, and these delicious lettuce taco boats. If you are looking for a fresh and delicious lunch option that will leave your taste buds satisfied, look no further.
Ingredients
Walnut Taco ‘Meat’ (Recipe from Minimalist Baker):
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (preferably packaged dry, not in oil)
3 cups of raw walnuts
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp coconut sugar (omit if avoiding sugar)
1-2 small habanero peppers (deseeded and chopped // more or less to spice preference // or sub 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus more to taste, but this will make the recipe no longer raw)
1-2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water as needed (plus more as needed)
Cilantro Lime Quinoa:
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
1 lime
½ cup of cilantro
½ teaspoon of sea salt
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
Mango Salsa:
1 pound of roma tomatoes
1 ripe mango
¼ cup of diced red onions
1 small jalapeno
1 clove of garlic.
¼ cup of cilantro
Juice of half a lime
½ teaspoon of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
Other Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
Guacamole (Recipe in ‘Dips & Sauces’)
Preparation
For the walnut taco meat, add sun-dried tomatoes to a small bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside and allow to soak for at least 5 minutes.To the bowl of a food processor, add walnuts and pulse into a semi-fine meal (some larger chunks are okay. Be careful not to churn into a butter). Transfer walnuts to a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes (reserving the water in a small bowl to add back to the sauce later on) and add to the bowl of the food processor. Add garlic, sea salt, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, coconut sugar, habaneros, and nutritional yeast (optional) and blend until a smooth paste is formed. Add 1 tablespoon of reserved water at a time until a thick but pourable sauce is formed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add mixture to walnuts and stir to combine. At this point, you can taste and adjust flavors as needed once more.
Rinse quinoa and set aside. Bring 2 cups of water to a simmer. Once simmering, add quinoa, mix well, reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Let cook for 15 minutes. Once done cooking, add lime juice, sea salt, cilantro and garlic powder. For the salsa, rinse all produce and chop or add to a food processor and lightly pulse until you have a thick and chunky salsa.. Wash each lettuce leaf well, dry, then stuff with quinoa, walnut taco “meat”, mango salsa, and guacamole.
Recipe origin: