Today is World Vegetarian Day, which marks the start of Vegetarian Awareness Month. It’s also Meatless Monday – so it’s the perfect time to try out this super easy recipe for meatless tacos made from (drumroll please)…. walnuts!

Yep, you read that correctly. Walnuts. Due to their crumbly texture, these nuts make an excellent substitution for ground beef or turkey. They also have a similar color, so you might be able to trick even the pickiest meat-eaters into trying a taco or two!

Meatless Walnut Tacos

• 2 cups walnuts
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Cayenne powder, to taste (a small pinch should be enough)
• 1 medium onion, chopped

Soak, rinse and drain walnut pieces (this helps soften both the texture and taste). Toss walnuts, soy sauce and olive oil in food processor and blend until you achieve a crumbly meat-like consistency. Blend together with spices and onion, saute for several minutes. (I added a small amount of water to the pan.)

Fill tortilla shells with walnut “meat”, shredded cheese, avocado slices, diced tomatoes, sour cream, salsa and any other toppings you desire!

Raw/vegan variation:

• Switch out regular soy sauce for unpasteurized Nama Shoyu
• Mix the walnuts, olive oil, soy sauce and spices together in food processor – no need to heat
• Substitute dairy (sour cream and cheese) for a cashew-based version
• Use lettuce wraps rather than tortilla shells

UPDATE: I made these for my boyfriend, who very rarely agrees to eat a vegetarian meal. He couldn’t figure out what the “meat” was made out of, even after tasting it – he was quite surprised when I told him it was walnuts. But he loved the tacos – success!