Happy Jackson Snack Boxes #52

Toast triangles, cucumber salad, mushroom-walnut pate, and white bean salad.

I know that aside from the cucumbers, this lunch is largely shades of beige and brown, but I am pleased with it anyway. The cucumber salad I love, from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, is easily veganized. The bean salad was great to have as an easy, make-ahead protein. But mostly I'm pleased that I veganized my old recipe for mushroom-walnut pate!

I don't know what to tell you about how to make it beautiful. It doesn't matter, though, because it's so good.

Vegan Mushroom-Walnut Pate
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

10 oz. mushrooms

1 tablespoon vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Salt

Pepper

Cut the mushrooms up. Saute them in the vegan butter until well cooked, salting halfway through; transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil in the skillet you used for the mushrooms. Cook the shallot and the garlic in this until quite soft, salting halfway through, then add mushrooms and cook a bit more to help meld the flavors. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a bowl.

Toast the walnuts in the skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the walnuts. Using a food processor or blender, blend the walnuts with the oil. Add vegetables, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and herbs. Blend until creamy. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can eat it now or chill for at least a half hour to thicken. Serve with toast or crackers.