Vegan Garden Taco Meat (gf, vegan)

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

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a food processor, grind up walnuts, vegetables, and rice to a coarse paste. Mix in tomato paste and spices.
3. In small bowl, heat ground flaxseed and water in microwave for 30 seconds. Mix into nut mixture.
4. Spread nut mixture evenly on a greased cookie sheet.
5. 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.