Vegan Meat Substitute

The finished "meat". Haha, I know!!! Not the most photogenic
 food, but what do you expect? It's supposed to taste
 good and be a filling; it isn't so presentable in things...

Are you a vegan or vegetarian? Do you ever host friends that are vegan or vegetarian? Or are you ever in need of a meat style sauce or filling that you want to make meat free? Here's a terrific recipe that tastes pretty meaty but has no meat in it. Nope, no soy either, nor wheat gluten/seitan. Its pretty budget friendly too, as well as versatile. You can use it for shepherd's pie, as a meat filling for ravioli, as the meat layer in lasagna, among many other things.

Vegan Meat Replacement Recipe

Ingredients
1 extra large onion, or two large onions, fried
2 medium eggplants, cubed, and fried
1/2 cup fried mushrooms
~1 cup ground walnuts (unpacked), 1 cup walnuts whole
1.5 cup cooked green lentils
1/2 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

Instructions
1. Dice onions and fry in oil until brown, and almost burning. Put in a container.

2. Peel and dice eggplant. Fry in oil until browned and nearly burnt. Add to the onions.

3. Slice and fry your mushrooms. Add to your eggplant and onions.

4. Cook your lentils. Add to your eggplant, mushrooms and onions.

5. Grind/blend/process your walnuts. Add to all the other ingredients.

6. Add the spices.

7. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend up the food until you have a nice mixture.

8. Use your meat filling however your heart desires.

Are you a vegan or vegetarian, or do you ever host vegetarians? Do you think you'd ever use this recipe? What would you use the filling for? 
Have you made any vegetarian meat substitute? What was in it?

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