Sometimes special occasions just turn out to be a hot mess. This was the case with our Valentine’s Day a couple weeks ago. Humour me while I share our story.
On the 14th, I woke up with a rash on my face and my eyes nearly swollen shut (as I mentioned, I’ve been struggling with allergies). They weren’t exactly the bedroom eyes I was hoping for! Eric had to cancel our dinner reservation because of the itchy, miserable state I was in. I don’t really put much emphasis on Valentine’s Day to begin with, but I was really looking forward to a nice evening out with my husband. Either way, we still managed to have a nice time together cuddled up on the couch giggling at Dwight’s antics on The Office while eating bowls of cereal. We made the best of the night and circumstances.
Just as we were about to get into bed at the end of the night, my shoulder was hit by a water bomb coming from above. I looked up to see a huge leak coming from the ceiling. Oh yes, the night gets better. All (rainy) day long this leak had been dropping water on our bed. I ripped up the layers of the sheets to find the bed absolutely soaked right through every layer. It’s midnight now and we’re pushing the bed as far over across the room as we can. Eric’s searching for a bucket somewhere buried in the garage. I’m stripping (the bed), cursing as I try to fit queen-sized sheets on a king-sized bed, and wondering what the heck we’re going to use for a duvet.
Drip, drip, drip.
In the grand scheme of things it was certainly not catastrophic, but it was definitely a hot mess of a day. If you also had one of those days on Valentine’s Day, rest assured you are not alone!
I promised Eric a homemade dinner of his choice when I was feeling better and he promised me dinner out. He chose fajitas for his special dinner – a childhood favourite for us both.
Growing up, whenever my mom told me it was fajita night (or taco night), I would be filled with glee. That yellow Old El Paso box was a magical box and I’d sneak it into the grocery cart whenever I could. My parents were never more cool than on fajita night. Well, except on pizza night.
Of course I’m still a huge fan of fajitas, but I make them a bit differently these days. It always amazes me the tasty dishes I can create with a bunch of plants.
The lentil walnut meat is adapted from my previous versions and I play around with the seasonings every time I make it. I encourage you to do the same. This time I seasoned it with cumin powder, chili powder, cayenne, vegan Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and a bit of tomato paste. Feel free to use whichever spices or seasonings call out to you. An all-natural taco seasoning pack would also work in a pinch. If you aren’t down with walnuts, feel free to leave them out and simply use lentils for the base. Both will work just fine.
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Vegan Fajitas with Lentil Walnut Meat
Yield
4-6 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
For the lentil walnut meat
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils (makes about 2 cups cooked)
- 3 cups water or broth
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted if preferred (optional)
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder, or more to taste
- 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (I use Wizard’s brand)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1/8th tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
For the stir-fry
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or other oil)
- 1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 small orange pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
For the tortilla/topping
- 4-6 small soft tortillas (or try lettuce cups)
- Avocado slices
- Cashew or Macadamia Cream
- Fresh lime juice
- Salsa
- Cilantro
- Shredded lettuce
- Hot sauce
Directions
- Rinse lentils and add to a medium pot along with 3 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed and the lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile, sauté the onion and peppers in a skillet with the coconut oil for about 15 minutes over medium heat, or until softened.
- Add walnuts into a mini processor and process until the size of peas or a bit smaller. Set aside. Add half of the cooked lentil mixture into a mini food processor. Process until mostly smooth. Mix back into the remaining lentils in the pot. Stir in walnuts if using. Slowly add the spices and seasonings to taste, adjusting amounts if necessary. If lentil mixture is dry add some water, a tablespoon at a time, until moistened. Turn on heat to warm lentil mixture just before serving.
- Spoon lentil meat onto soft tortillas, followed by the skillet mixture and your desired toppings. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
just thinking about what you could be allergic…maybe to canned products…im too….and i just finished eating this fajitas recipe…they were amazing!
I made these tonight for my roommates and we’re all still in a food coma-definitely one of my favorite recipes of your’s! You are so creative and make the transition to veganism so fun for me!
Thanks for another recipe that doesn’t make me miss meat or dairy! My cashew cream turned a grayish color though. Is this because I didn’t soak the cashews?
Hmm, did you rinse the cashews before using?
Yes :)
Come be my personal chef, please? :)
Double the recipe!!! I made a double recipe of lentils on Saturday, trusting it would be delicious. And it was! Alas, there were no perfect avocados to be had. :(
But on Sunday, I had a brilliant idea. I put a nice thick layer of the lentil “meat” on the bottom of a casserole and covered it with mashed sweet potatoes (with a touch of salt and maple syrup mixed in) and voilà! An eccentric but delicious shepherd’s pie. Two dinners for one… I like that.
This looks really delicious. I can’t wait to try it as I love these type of recipes. I want to try the Lentil Walnut Loaf as well.
Gotta go eat something!
Angela, while I’m sure your taco meat would be fab in tacos, I tend to think of fajitas in the traditional way I grew up eating them in Texas, so in order to make them veggie I use extra large mushrooms, and marinate them in the same marinade I used to use for meat (google fajita marinade and adjust to taste). I sauté peppers and onions until they are caramalized and ah-mazing, then separately quickly sauté the mushrooms. Served with homemade guacamole, homemade pico de gallo, shredded lettuce and (shredded cheese-but I’m not vegan, you could sub Daiya) they are to.die.for. I also warm the tortillas in the oven and wrap in a towel. I love fajitas. :-) I am def going to try your “meat” in some yummy soft tacos soon!
These are over the top delicious! I would like to start by saying thank you for making the food look and taste great. After months of researching, two weeks ago (April 1) I decided to adopt a plant based lifestyle. My meat loving husband thought it was a April fools joke! :0). On the sly I made this recipe and turkey on the side, lets just say he kept coming back for more of the lentils. With three little ones under the age of five your recipes are quick and easy to make. Thank you!
My entire family thanks you for the fact that we just nearly ate ourselves sick. YU-UM!! Even my 7 year old daughter who said “Why can’t we just eat MEAT??” before dinner ate seconds and declared these the best fajitas ever. I added a big spoonful of nutritional yeast to the cashew cream to add B12 and a slight cheesy taste. Perfect!
Hi there, I came across your blog this morning wanting to incorporate some vegan dishes into our family meals. I noticed your mention of mysterious rash/ allergy and thought I’d share my own recent discovery of a food alergy of sorts that the docs don’t usually pick up. I get a rash and swollen eyes after handling fresh mangoes. Super itchy, hives sometimes, and swollen eyes. It tuned out some people are allergic to the oils in the skin of fresh mango. If you are sensitive to poison ivy you may also be sensitive to mango skin. My allergy flares up within 24-48 hours of slicing or handling fresh mangoes. I now avoid mangoes and pistachios in the shell (they are related).
I went through about 9 months of random flare ups before I finally eliminated things to get to the bottom of my issue.
Hi Leah, Oh wow, I never would’ve thought of that! It’s funny – I have suspected mango actually because I was eating it around the time of my reaction, but maybe it’s actually the skin? Very interesting…I will certainly keep a closer eye on when it flares up. Thanks for the tip and so glad you figured it out!
Made this for dinner tonight… and it was awesome!! The Walnut Lentil meat was so good!!! Whole family, including my 7 & 9 year old’s ate the whole thing. Another great dish.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe! I have been on the hunt for years for a lentil dish that my husband will actually eat and this is it! I changed up a few of the spices and veggies and created a seasoning for the veggies before grilling and they turned out amazing. This is now a regular dish in our house.
Amazing! The lentil-walnut meat wowed everyone and I am going to adapt the spices and use it as a bell pepper stuffing. Thank you xxx
This was absolutely delicious and very easy to make!
I made extra extra extra guacamole to put in the fajitas because … well, i think we all feel the same about sauce :P Since the ‘lentil meat’ is less juicy than real meat, I think it’s nice to have that added ‘moisture’ from the guacamole. I also made the cashew cream, which was nice but perhaps for this recipe combination I would make the cashew cream a little spicy for next time, or perhaps just add some garlic :)