Chopped Vegetable Salsa & Crunchy Mushroom-Walnut “Chili”
Happy “Meat-free” Monday everyone!
Mondays don’t have to be nor sad nor boring… They can be joyful, colourful and full of yummy new flavours.
If this is something you usually struggle with, I can assure you that no more Monday blues with the meat free recipes I am about to bring you every week. 🙂
Ready for this?
Today, I am happy to introduce you to the most delicious and healthy plant-based crunchy Mexican inspired dish – a raw vegetable salsa paired up with some oven cooked mushroom-walnut “Chili”.
This flavourful, hearty, partially raw, chili will certainly feed your chili craving yet leave you feeling light and satisfied.
This dish is different, is rich and yummy, and it’s perfect to “wow” your friends at your next gathering and it can be served hot or cold, depending on your preference.
Perfect for a hot summer Sunday lunch and/or perfect to be prepared in a large batch ahead of busy week.
This mushrooms and walnuts mix provide all the texture this hearty chilli needs. The salsa is vibrant, packed full of flavour, thanks to the well-balanced mix of herbs, spices and lemon juice. Apart from being really simple to make, it is also a super healthy dish that can be served hot or cold.
For a completely different variation of a Vegan Chili, check this other recipe here: Healthy Loaded Jacket Potatoes with Chili .
Enjoy!!


- For the Vegetable Salsa
- • 1 small red onion, (1/2 cup diced)
- • 1 medium courgette (1 cup diced)
- • 1 medium red or yellow pepper (1 cup diced)
- • 2 tomatoes (1 cup diced)
- • 1 bunch coriander (1/2 cup chopped)
- • 2 small cloves garlic
- • 2 tsp maple syrup or agave
- • 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- • 1 tsp ground coriander
- • 1/2 tsp chili powder
- • 1/2 tsp sea salt
- For the Mushroom-Walnut "Chili" Mix
- • 1 cup button or chestnut mushrooms
- • 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- • 1 clove garlic
- • 2 tsp ground coriander
- • 2 tsp ground cumin
- • 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- To prepare the salsa, first dice the onion, courgette, red pepper and tomato and place into a bowl. Roughly chop the cilantro and mince the garlic and add to the bowl.
- Next, add the maple/agave syrup, coriander, cumin, chili powder and salt. Add the lemon juice to the mixture.
- Fold everything together. At this point, remove about 1/3 of the mixture and place into the food processor. Pulse several times until fairly smooth. Add this mixture back to the bowl of salsa and stir to combine.
- Set aside while you prepare the chili mix.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- To prepare the ingredients, place everything into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly (not mushy) and just starts to come together.
- Place this mixture onto a parchment lined baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes or until the moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mixture has browned nicely. Be sure to stir the mixture once or twice during cooking.
- To serve the dish, serve it with some rice or quinoa, place some of the salsa on top of it and top with some of the mushroom chili mixture. Garnish with some fresh coriander, mashed avocados, if desired, and enjoy.
No Comments