I love tacos, but I crave creative tacos. Who wants the same tacos over and over again? Not this girl. So, I like to come up with creative taco recipes with interesting toppings. This Taco Tuesday, for instance, I made an oldie but a goodie, walnut meat tacos. Yes! Believe it or not, walnuts make fabulous vegan taco meat with just a few ingredients. And, walnut meat tacos can be eaten raw or cooked!
Despite the nut debate, I eat nuts in small amounts to promote a healthy lifestyle. Although many people argue about the benefits of eating nuts versus the fat content, I personally enjoy nuts from time to time. For example, if you follow my blog, many of my dressings and recipes include small portions of nuts.
For those of you who have nut allergies, I make various other taco recipes without any nuts, so you may want to check out the Mexican coleslaw recipe to use as a topping for different tacos.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALNUTS?
According to Healthline, to say that walnuts are nutritious food and are a bit of an understatement.
Walnuts provide healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals — and that’s just the beginning of how they may support your health.
Here are 13 science-based health benefits of walnuts:
- Rich in antioxidants
- Plant source of omega-3s
- May decrease inflammation
- Promotes a healthy gut
- Reduces the risk of some cancers
- Supports weight control
- Lowers risk of type 2 Diabetes
- May lower blood pressure
- Supports healthy aging
- Good brain function
- Positive male reproductive health benefits
- Improves blood fats
- Easy to include in meals and recipes
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN WALNUT MEAT TACOS?
First, walnut meat tacos are easy to make and only require a few basic ingredients.
- Organic raw walnuts
- Sun-dried tomatoes (dehydrated NOT IN OIL)
- Tomato paste
- Diced chipotle chili peppers
- Vegan Taco Seasoning
And for this walnut meat taco recipe, I chose to top off my tacos with my Mexican coleslaw recipe instead of traditional toppings.
HOW TO MAKE WALNUT MEAT TACOS RAW OR COOKED
One kitchen appliance that makes walnut taco meat a little easier to prep is a food processor. Of course, you don't need a food processor; it's just a time saver. An alternative is to hand chop the walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes instead.
Since I use oil-free, dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, they first need to be rehydrated. To bring them to life quickly and soften them up, I boil 2 cups of water and soak the sun-dried tomatoes for 10 minutes until they are soft. Then, drain the water and place them in the food processor base with the large blade, and process on high until they are chopped into little pieces.
If you do not have a food processor, follow the same steps, and dice the sun-dried tomatoes by hand, as well as the walnuts.
Next, add the raw walnuts and the remaining ingredients. At this point, you must PULSE the ingredients rather than the process on high. As a result, the walnut meat should look a similar consistency to taco meat. You don't, however, want it to be too mushy by over-processing.
Once processed, transfer the walnut meat to a bowl, and at this point, it can be served as raw walnut meat tacos, or you can heat it in a pan for crunchier hot taco meat.
HOW TO COOK THE WALNUT MEAT TACOS
Because I prefer my food hot, I chose to cook the walnut meat tacos. I use a large non-stick skillet to heat the walnut meat and cook over medium-low temperature until the taco meat is heated through (about 10 minutes).
Next, heat your chosen taco shells, or you can use the walnut taco meat for a variety of other purposes:
For an added WOW level, add my Mexican coleslaw recipe, which can go on the top, on the side, or in a bowl as a salad.
OTHER POSSIBLE TOPPING FOR WALNUT MEAT TACOS
- Skinny Girl Vegan Sour Cream
- Fruit Salsa Recipe
- Tomatillo Salsa
- Skinny Watermelon Salsa
- Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
IF YOU ARE A TACO TUESDAY FAN, CHECK OUT THESE VEGAN TACOS
- Tofu Tacos
- Vegan Lentil Tacos
- Tempeh Tacos
- Vegan Breakfast Tacos
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Mushroom Chorizo Tacos
- Vegan Potato Tacos
- Skinny Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Avocado-Cilantro Cream
- Roasted Vegetable Tacos
Walnut Meat Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw organic walnuts
- 1 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes in a bag not packed in oil
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon chopped chipotle chili peppers with sauce
- 1 package vegan taco seasoning
- Corn or flour tortillas
Mexican Coleslaw
- 1 recipe Mexican coleslaw
Instructions
- Boil 2 cups of water and soak 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes for 10 minutes until they are soft.
- Then, drain the water and place them in the base of the food processor with the large blade and process on high until they are chopped into little pieces.
- Next, add the raw walnuts and the remaining ingredients.
- At this point, it is extremely important that you PULSE the ingredients rather than process or high.
- As a result, the walnut meat should look a similar consistency to taco meat.
- You don't, however, want it to be too mushy by over-processing.
- Once processed, transfer the walnut meat to a bowl, and at this point, it can be served as raw walnut meat tacos, or, you can heat it in a pan for crunchier hot taco meat
- In order to heat the walnut meat, use a large non-stick skillet and cook over medium-low temperature until the taco meat is heated through (about 10 minutes)
- Heat the corn or flour tortilla in a skillet, in the microwave or in the oven.
- If serving with Mexican coleslaw, serve on the side or on top of each taco.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Kim
Wow these look really good. Do you have a recommendation on the brand of sun dried tomatoes? I have seen some in the store like that but they always have some weird added chemicals in them.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kim, I use the Sunny Fruit brand. They are organic and free of any sulfites or preservatives. I buy mine on Amazon; here is a link if you are interested https://amzn.to/39mRl3Q Thanks for reaching out. Let me know if you like the tacos 🙂
Donna Flaherty
For now, this brand is no longer available.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Donna, what brand are you referring to?
Anonymous