Plant-Based Taco Bowl
Lets taco bout it !
If you are looking for a recipe you can make for lunches all week and NOT get sick of… THIS IS IT! Whether you follow a Plant based diet or not, I promise you that this taco bowl will hit the spot. You won’t be able to tell that the “meat” is actually made of finely chopped walnuts, because of how it’s seasoned, as well as the fact that it has the same mouth-feel as ground beef. Of course, if you are a meat eater, you can always skip this step and replace the walnut meat with a good quality grass fed ground beef. These taco bowls may require a trip the store to get a few out-of-the-ordinary ingredients like organic pickled jalapeños and organic sun-dried tomatoes… But, I’m telling you it’s 100% worth it. Don’t let the multi step instructions scare you away either - again, you will NOT be disappointed! Because this recipe is so large (I made it for 5 days worth of lunches for two people),you could easily half the recipe, but I suggest you make the entire amount of the sour cream and queso, and freeze the left over. Lets look at the nutritional value of what this bowl has to offer. (Meal Inspo from JusuBar.)
Walnut meat - Essential fatty acids - Omega 3s - brain fuel, skin supportive, anti inflammatory - need I say more?
Nutritional yeast - loaded with B vitamins, essential for energy and good mental health, and fortified with vitamin B12. B12 is important for cognitive function and can be a common deficiency in plant based diets, due to the fact that most B12 is found in animal products. It’s also high in fibre!
Cilantro is a detoxifier and a heavy metal chelator, so, if you’re someone who uses a lot of aluminum foil (for instance), cilantro may be something you want to try to eat regularly. Heres a fun tip: If you are someone who thinks that cilantro tastes like soap, that means you do not make the enzyme that digests it!
Raw onion and garlic - when raw garlic and onion is crushed, allicin is released. Allicin is anti fungal, anti-bacterial, and antiviral, but unfortunately is heat sensitive and oxidizes, so it’s best consumed immediately after crushing/cutting.
This is definitely a more labour intensive recipe, however you CAN do it over the course of a couple days. I suggest making the Queso and sour cream the day before you plan on making this recipe, and store in the fridge. That way the next day, all you need to do is throw the walnut meat ingredients in the food processor, cook some rice and chop some veggies.
I make this recipe for weekly lunches, and everything stores great! I cut the avocado up the night before and stick in the same container as the salsa, which keeps it from turning brown. I also package the sour cream and queso together with my leafy greens, and the rice and walnut meat separately so that I can heat it up if I feel like it. NOTE: it still tastes great cold! I’ve also mixed everything together the night before, in a large container, and the spinach didn’t wilt, and my avocado didn’t turn brown!
Plant-based Taco Bowl
Prep time: 3 hours
Cook time: 1 hour
Yield: 8-10 servings
ingredients
Walnut Meat
2 cups raw walnuts
half a small yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp brags organic soya sauce/tamari
2-3 tbsp water
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp organic Silk Road taco seasoning (or easily make your own!)
Queso “cheese” sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 cup peeled, grated russet potato
4 garlic cloves minsed
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground chili
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2-1 tsp salt
1 cup raw cashews
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp organic sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup Bobs Redmill nutritional yeast
1.5 cups water or more depending on desired thickness (I like mine thick)
2-3 tbsp chopped pickled organic jalapeño
6 roma tomatoes
Sour “Cream”
1.5 cups cashews (soaked in hot water 2 hours, if do not have a high speed blender)
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Black Bean Salsa
1o roma tomatoes, finely chopped and seeds removed
1 can black beans, rinsed well
3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped (1/2 medium onion, or one small)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice - approx one large lime
2 tbsp olive oil
Rest of the bowl ingredients
3 cups dry brown rice, or quinoa
leafy greens like spinach or kale
avocado
cilantro for topping
method
Cook rice/quinoa according to instructions on package.
Combine all walnut meat ingredients in food processor - process until mixture sticks together, resembling ground beef. Refrigerate.
Combine all sour cream ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate.
For the Blackbean salsa, combine all ingredients in a large bowl or mason jar to marinade. Refrigerate.
For the Queso cheese - turn oven to broil, and place 6 Roma tomatoes on a cookie sheet. place in oven until skin is blackened (3-5 minutes), turn the tomatoes over and place back in the oven to blacken other side (3-5 min) remove when a fork easily slides in and out. Set aside to cool.
Heat oil and onion in a pan, heat until onion is translucent (5 min)
add grated potato, garlic, paprika, chili, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder, stirring and mixing constantly
add cashews and water, simmer 5-10 minutes, or until potato is cooked
While that is simmering, add nutritional yeast, sun-dried tomatoes, and vinegar to a blender
when potatoes are cooked, add mixture to blender and blend until completely smooth, taste and add extra salt if necessary
Remove skin from blackened tomatoes, and chop into small pieces
Add chopped tomatoes and chopped pickled jalapenos into the queso sauce, and set aside to cool
To plate, add a few handfuls of greens to a bowl, top with rice/quinoa, walnut meat, and a scoop of sour cream, Queso, and blackbean salsa, as well as sliced avocado, and chopped cilantro.