Mexican Salad Bowl | SO VEGAN

- Ingredients -

For the walnut ‘meat’:

100g (1 cup) walnuts

50g sun dried tomatoes in oil

1 garlic clove

1 tsp chipotle paste

pinch of salt

For the salad:

1 sweet gem lettuce, sliced (approx 230g)

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

30g jalapeños in a jar, roughly chopped

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

For the dressing:

1 lime

1 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of Salt

For the toppings:

2 medium tomatoes

100g (1/2 cup) cooked sweetcorn

1 avocado

1/2 lime, juice only

extra coriander leaves -

Method -

1. Add the walnuts to the food processor and pulse until they have broken down and fine. Drain as much oil from the sun-dried tomatoes as possible, then add them to the food processor along with the garlic clove, chipotle paste and a pinch of salt. Process until everything has combined. Then transfer the walnut ‘meat’ to a bowl and leave it to one side.

2. Add the sunflower seeds to a pan over a medium heat and toast for 5 minutes or so, shaking the pan frequently to prevent the seeds burning. Then add the sunflower seeds to a large mixing bowl along with the sliced gem lettuce, red onion and jalapeños. Stir to combine the salad and leave it to one side while you prepare the salad dressing.

3. In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by combining the juice of a lime with the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, paprika, coriander, extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.

4. To build the taco salad bowl, add half the gem lettuce salad to each bowl, then half the walnut ‘meat’, 1 chopped tomato and half of the sweetcorn. Then top each bowl with half an avocado, half of the dressing, an extra squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkling of coriander leaves.