The ground beef fake out with mushrooms and pecans

We last discussed how to enjoy a vegan holiday with your non-vegan relatives and friends. And I mentioned a ground beef fake-out that completely fooled my carnivore relations.

This recipe was used to make lettuce cups with ground “beef” and was delicious. But you could also use the “beef” to make a taco salad (I did), as filling in vegan tamales, or a sloppy joe sandwich.

I was surprised that I liked it so much. I’m one of those weird vegans who are not a fan of either avocados or mushrooms. But properly prepared, this had all the mouthfeel and taste of seasoned ground beef and none of the mushrooms.

What you will need:

1 tbsp avocado oil

4 oz small-diced onion

8 oz small-diced mushrooms

.25 tsp red chili flakes

1 tbsp each minced garlic and ginger

salt to taste

8 oz of toasted and ground walnuts

2 oz carrots

.25 cup coconut aminos (you can also use tamari)

2 tbsp rice vinegar

.25 cup scallions cut on the bias

What you will do:

In a small sauté pan, toast the walnuts.

Take off the heat and, when cooled, put in the food processor and pulse until ground.

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil to medium, add the onions and mushrooms, and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the chili flakes, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until aromatic.

Add the ground walnuts and carrots and mix everything until the mixture resembles ground beef.

Add the tamari, vinegar, and scallions and sauté. Allow the sauce to reduce while making sure all ingredients are coated.

Season to taste and remove from heat.

If you want to have this in lettuce boats, take a head of iceberg lettuce and remove the largest leaves. Wash them in cool water, pat dry, and then add a tablespoon of the meat mixture to each one and garnish with sesame seeds.

You can also add tortilla chips, vegan cheese shreds, and cut-up lettuce to this. Mix it all and serve with your favorite brand of hot sauce as a taco salad. The possibilities are endless.