
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.

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
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What a pain in the butt! So sorry you had to deal with that on top of dealing with allergies. I’m glad you were able to make up for it later with these delicious looking fajitas. I’ve been on such a Mexican kick lately!
My V-day was water filled as well! We got stuck in the down pour on the way to a concert, it was still an amazing time though. Fajitas are by far my go-to meal when I want something quick and easy!
You poor thing! We always make dinner at home on Valentine’s Day and leave the restaurants to the “amateurs” – we prefer drinking wine on the couch to fighting crowds and making reservations so far in advance. Then, a day or two after, we’re free to enjoy great service and food without any hassle!
Sorry to hear about your Valentines day! Sometimes spending nights curled up on the couch is better than going out! Love tacos- one of our favorite meals!
Making this tonight. We are vegetarian, but don’t tell the kids. Try to trick them with yummy alternatives. haha. Hopefully this wins over little bellies with big opinions!
Yummies!! I love that you used walnuts and lentils for the fajita meat. How clever! I need to try that. I’m so sorry about your awful Valentine’s Day. :(
A while back was having some eye issues as well- super puffy, dry, red eyelids where I couldn’t open my eyes and my doctor suggested it could be from my nail polish? I’ll never know if that was the cause- it went away on it’s own- but it’s always a possibility!
Good luck to you xo
I like the topping suggestions, yum!
Aww Angela me too!
I have been having some issues this week with my skin and general look! All day Tuesday and yesterday people have been asking me if I am ok, because I looked like I was crying. And my eyes are all swollen and puffy today! I am going to make some of these right now. I have all the ingredients, so I don’t have to leave the house! :)
I started making this as soon as you posted today. I used sunflower seeds instead of the walnuts and it was fantastic! The recipe made a lot of lentil meat so I look forward to using it in burritos and sandwiches this week.
Sunflower seeds sound awesome! I should try that.
♡ rika, vegan miam
That looks so good! thanks. Sounds like your valentines went as well as mine. Planned a day of fun then Wednesday night I broke my tooth (lost half of the tooth and filling fell out) So I spent almost 5 hours in the dentist chairs with specialist to save the tooth and in a lot of pain for the next 3 days :(
Ouch! That sounds like you need a re-do too. Hope you are feeling better now!
Just made these last night, and I’m AMAZED by the lentil meat–holy cow! Perfect taco/fajita texture!
Thank you, this one’s going to be a favorite for us.
Im so happy you enjoyed it Cheryl! Thanks for letting me know :)
Oh gosh, I hope you are feeling better. I went through something similar every time I came home to visit my parents. I would break out in hives and get the strangest rashes. I joked with my parents that I was allergic to coming home, and therefore couldn’t come often to visit them. And then I had to spend several months with them. It got worse for a while, but now its much better. It kind of went away on its own. But yours sounds more serious.
I made this for dinner tonight and my meat eating hubby and parents all loved it. I’m going to use the leftovers on top of tortilla chips for some killer nachos tomorrow! Great recipe!!
Oh no! What an unfortunate way to spend the holiday. It can’t be all bad, though – after all, it resulted in fajitas! I haven’t had fajitas in years, now, and have never tried making them with lentils. All the spices you used sound just incredible together (didn’t even know there was such a thing as vegan worcestershire!). Seriously got my mouth watering just thinking about it! Mmm!
Yes, a vegan worcestershire is awesome!
♡ rika, vegan miam
Wow this looks amazing! I am a big fan of fajitas myself and have many them many times but mine never ever look this good! I am going to try your recipe tomorrow night and see how it goes! Cheers to a good looking recipe! Many thanks!
vegan fajitas is nice to share a lot with our partner for valentine. That’s romantic I think. The important think how you make that vegan with pure love for your lover.
I miss vegan fajitas! I can’t believe in Bogota, Colombia, there aren’t any! I bet these fajitas are great with yellow plantains!
♡ rika, vegan miam
Ohhh Angela. I’m sure you looked beautiful, puffy eyed and all ;). I seriously need to make these fajitas asap!! I swear peppers are my fave right now, so another dish to use them in is fine by me!!!
I am eating a deconstructed (and slightly modified) version of this right now, and I think it’s great! (I used spinach instead of cilantro, hot sauce instead of chili and cumin powder, and onion powder instead of garlic powder). I can imagine a meat-lover really liking this. Thank you for this recipe!