Finding a great vegan substitute for meat that doesn't contain soy has been a struggle. One of the Meatout Monday options a few weeks back was mushroom meat. It came from http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com and I encourage you all to check out the wonderful recipes on this lovely blog.It really appealed to me since it incorporated mushroom, onion, and eggplant and I thought it was genius. Last night I finally got around to making it and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. I added taco seasoning to put a Mexican spin on it but you could certainly season with your favorite spices to incorporate it in all your treasured recipes. Mushrooms and eggplant are packed full of vitamins and minerals making this meat substitute an excellent option for all your recipes.
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DIRECTIONS:
INGREDIENTS: (makes 12 hearty tacos)
- 1/4 cup black olives
- 5 cloves garlic
- 6 drops liquid smoke (or soy sauce)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 16 oz. mushrooms (any kind) I used Cremini mushrooms
- 4 cups eggplant, peeled & diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 12 taco shells or 12 soft tortillas (for soft tacos)
TACO SEASONING MIX:
- 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp. Paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 tsp. Black Pepper (optional)
- In a food processor, make a paste out of the olives, garlic, liquid smoke, and olive oil; set mixture aside in a bowl.
- Add mushrooms, stems and all, to food processor and pulse until finely chopped; dump processed mushrooms onto a large, rimmed sheet pan.
- Pulse eggplant in food processor and dump onto the sheet pan with the mushrooms; repeat this process with the onion.
- Drizzle mound of mushrooms, eggplant and onion with olive and garlic paste, and using your hands, toss it all together. Sprinkle with your favorite taco seasoning or use my recipe above. Mix thoroughly.
- Spread mixture evenly over the sheet pan; sprinkle mixture with salt and pepper.
- Bake at 350 F degrees for a total of 45 minutes; turn the mixture over a few times with a spatula. The mixture will release a lot of juice, and then it will start to dry out; once most of the liquid had evaporated or been absorbed, the mixture is ready. Allow it to cool in the pan.
- Fill prepared taco shells with mushroom meat and your favorite toppings. Enjoy!