Vegan Walnut Chorizo Ⓥ

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup cooked lentils (I used green, brown will work too).
• 1 & 1/4 cup raw walnuts, soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes to overnight
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 & 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

METHOD:

• Soak the walnuts in 1 cup of water for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, you can soak the walnuts overnight in the fridge.
• Rinse, drain & cook the lentils according to package instructions. When the lentils are done cooking, drain them & set them aside.
• Drain the walnuts & add half of them to a high-speed food processor or blender with 1/2 tbsp olive oil & 1/2 of the cooked lentils. Blend until crumbly, set aside & repeat this step with the other 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 of the soaked walnuts & 1/2 of the cooked lentils.
• Add the remaining tbsp of olive oil to a pan & sauté the onions & garlic. Then add the tomato sauce, the water, the tamari or soy sauce, the liquid smoke & the spices & mix. Add the walnut/lentil crumble mixture & stir well to combine & heat. Then serve it in tacos, burritos, on a bowl, on a salad, with a tofu scramble etc. Enjoy!