Tasty meat alternatives abound on today’s market. Finding options that you can create yourself, easily and quickly, however, may not be so simple.
Grinding raw walnut meat provides an appealing texture and a medium for personalizing a range of cuisines from Italian to American, Mexican, Indian, and more. Glenda’s Farmhouse provides a convenient and quality source for the walnuts you’ll need to make a go-to meat replacement.
Making a walnut meat alternative can be approached a few different ways. Depending on your preferences, you can make this creation from walnuts alone, with mushrooms, or with cooked lentils.
Walnuts are highly nutritious and calorie-dense. The fats in mushrooms are the good kind of fats, but too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Cutting down the fat content with either mushrooms or lentils is a healthy way to add further diverse nutrition.
Walnuts transition well between savory and sweet dishes. They complement the flavors of Brussels sprouts and other green vegetables, cabbage, onion, chicken, pork, turkey, cheese, butter, chocolate, cranberries, and vanilla. If adding walnuts to vegetables, fish, or meats, do it during the last 3 minutes of cooking time.
Seasoning Suggestions for Culinary Styles
- Mexican – cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, cayenne, coriander, paprika, cilantro, and lime
- Indian – garlic, onion powder, ginger powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, and cayenne
- American – garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper
- Italian – oregano, basil, marjoram, sun-dried tomatoes, sage, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, and Herbs de Provence
Create Your Walnut “Meat”
- Add the walnuts, spices of your choice, and mushrooms and/or lentils to the food processor.
- Pulse the mixture a few times – just until crumbly.
Suggestions for Use
- Remember not to overprocess your walnut meat crumble into a puree.
- Warm up your meat replacement in the microwave or on low heat on the stovetop.
- Store your leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Meat alternatives made from Glenda’s Farmhouse walnuts are the perfect healthy replacement for ground beef and other red meats. Whether you choose to live a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, love the challenge of “Meatless Monday,” or want to do your part for the environment, replacing meat can be easy and tasty.