Chickpea Mushroom Protein Mixture

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2 to 3 ounces mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic
• 30 ounces canned chickpeas, drained (2 cans), or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder blend, (Tex mex or chipotle chili blend, Not pure chili powder) or taco seasoning
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, or more, to taste
• 1 to 2 teaspoons oil, optional
• 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, for more protein
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds, for more protein
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as cilantro or parsley

Steps

1. Add the walnuts, mushrooms, and garlic cloves to a food processor and process until chopped into a coarse mixture. Add the spices, chickpeas, tomato paste, lime zest, and 1 to 2 teaspoons oil, if using. Add optional nutritional yeast, hemp seeds, and fresh herbs if using.
2. Process until most of the chickpeas are broken down and the mixture is evenly mixed, leaving some partially whole for texture. If the processor is not picking up everything, use a spatula to move the mixture around, and process again. If the mixture is too dry, add a splash of oil or water, though there is usually enough moisture from the mushrooms and chickpeas.
3. Remove the mixture from the food processor. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen in an ice cube tray or scooped into single portions with a cookie scoop to use later. Freeze the portions, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 3 months. See the recipes below for ways to use it!