Vegan Lettuce Wraps

 Vegan "ground beef" lettuce wraps.

     The beef substitute is made with cauliflower as a base. Finely chopped shiitake mushrooms add a meaty flavor, and confetti bits of nori give it umami. Smoke flavor is imparted with paprika, some acid and a gorgeous color come from tomato paste, other spices include garlic and onion, and everything is enhanced with Himalayan salt.

     On top, I laid some pea greens to rest and I topped it all with a cashew cream "cheese". The cashew cream is made with soaked raw cashews, which have been blended with plenty of nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor, a bit of apple cider vinegar, water, and Himalayan salt. 

I made these bad boys for dinner tonight.

The only downside is that I didn't make enough of them.

Seriously.

If you're going to be eating vegan, double your portions because you will be hungry.

Recipe:

For the filling:

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped (it's best to use a food processor, but I don't have one yet- first world problems)
• 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 1 sheet nori, confetti-ed (fold it up and use some scissors to cut it)
• 1 tbs. tomato paste
• 1 tbs. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan salt

Directions

     Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until evenly incorporated throughout. Spread mixture on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and give it another mix, spread it out, and return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes until sufficiently dried.

For the cashew cream:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw soaked cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbs. nutritional yeast (or more if you like it extra cheesy)
• 1/2 tsp yellow miso (or less, or none at all if you're avoiding soy)
• 1/2 tsp ground Himalayan salt
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

     Blend all ingredients together until smooth.