Great tip on TVP -- meat seems to be getting expesiver and expensiver, and we've been thinking about how to cut meat with three growing kids. I've used TVP in dishes like lasagna and chili for years (on its own in chili, mixed with hamburger, ground turkey, or ground sausage in lasagna), but somewhere along the line I forgot about it (probably when I moved away from a local co-op and started shopping at regular grocery stores where it's not easy to find). Sometimes it has an odd taste, which is why those spicy dishes are best. I don't know if it's just my cooking habits or the nature of TVP, but I've found that it burns easily in sauces (and sauce-like chili) -- I think it sinks to the bottom and rests against the metal of the pot. Stirring more frequently seems to help, whether my theory is right or not.
TVP for the Meat Lover's Soul
Photo: Wharman
Like tofu and powdered milk, texturized vegetable protein can be a tough pitch to make. What I found after doing a little initial exploring however, was that not only are there ways to incorporate it into a menu that even die hard meat lovers can get used to, but I was already eating more of it than I ever realized . . .
For those of you who have never heard of it, TVP is a soy product. It’s usually purchased dry and comes in various shapes and sizes such as chunks, granules or flakes. It can also be purchased plain, or seasoned to match with various meats such as chicken, sausage, taco flavored, beef and bacon. Here are a few ideas, informational points and resources to introduce you to the concept.
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- Bacon bits. Who knew? Apparently, the bacon flavored TVP pieces are exactly the same thing that I’ve been paying big bucks for in the salad topping aisle for years . . . the imitation bacon bits in expensive little jars. Purchasing just this kind of TVP in bulk can save you major bucks if you eat these little gems on a regular basis.
- It’s an affordable addition to regular meats to reduce the overall cost. Again, who knew? I was amazed when I started reading the ingredient lists more carefully on things like pre-made meatballs, chicken patties and more. Schools frequently incorporate it into their school lunch programs. It’s my understanding that many fast food restaurants do too, but I don’t have a great deal of hard data on that. (Anyone?) The point is though, that you can do the same thing at home in things like meatballs, biscuits and gravy, etc. Just hydrate the product and mix it in with the meat of your choice before cooking the meal.
- Try it on its own in recipes calling for ground meat or with high flavor content. Two that come to mind are chili and tacos. A couple of others I might be willing to try are chicken pot pie and sausage breakfast burritos.
- It costs way less than what you pay per pound. Here’s an informational link from a site that sells TVP in bulk. Basically, as you’ll see from the breakdown, you pay per pound for the dehydrated product. Once you hydrate it, the weight goes up, making the cost per useable pound of TVP much lower. So for example if you pay a dollar and a half per pound of beef flavored TVP and the hydrated product comes down to less than fifty cents a pound, you are saving a fair percentage of money whether or not you mix it with another ground meat or not.
- Great shelf life. Because it arrives dehydrated, it lasts for quite some time on a shelf in an airtight container. It costs less to transport, and saves you on the runs you need to make to the store for the fresh stuff. It’s also a nutritionally sound protein source if you have a financial crisis.
- Vegetarian menu support. If you are already a vegetarian, this stuff is great to have on hand. If you are not, but occasionally have one for dinner, you’ll be all set with a pantry supply to help out with the menu planning.
Call for ideas: I did find one cool post with pictures of a lunch box idea a mother had done for her child. It involved a build a taco kit the child could assemble on her own at school. It’s courtesy of the Vegan Lunchbox. My own experience with this product, in addition to what I’ve eaten mixed in with other convenience food items over the years, is limited pretty much to TVP tacos and the bacon bit version. I’m sure it’s probably also an ingredient in the veggie patty products I occasionally buy. My point is, I could really use some source suggestions for recipe sites out there that us meat lovers could use and enjoy.
Thanks in advance, and happy cooking!
Best of Wise Bread
That's some great detailed feedback. I checked out your site. Good for you for covering such a stand up topic!
I knew of TVP as a filler used by a regional taco restaurant, where I had my very first job. They purchased ground beef with very very high fat content, then added TVP & seasonings to the cooked beef. VOILA! The TVP absorbed the fat & flavor creating instant beef like taco filling. Yum! Now married with a family, I use TVP in meat loaf, taco meat, meatballs etc. You can soak it ahead of time in broth & seasonings, to add extra flavor to ground meat dishes as well.
Thanks, Badgerette! Good to know it's being used successfully, and that meat lovers are already eating it somewhere as tacos. What I like about the fact that I at I am eating more of it than I thought is that it validates ahead of time that I will be able to incorporate this savings strategy quite easily. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for promoting the health & price benefits of TVP! I've been a vegetarian for 8 years and have found TVP very useful on the rare occasions that I want something "meaty." Over the years, I've realized that TVP is best used when it's mixed with something with a strong flavor. Some of those things might be:
Barbeque sauce
Spaghetti sauce
Chili
Sloppy Joes
Just as you'd probably never eat plain ground meat, you don't want to eat plain TVP. Also, I'll warn people that there is a texture adjustment due to the lack of fat in TVP. You get used to it, and sauces help, but it still isn't the same.
Thanks for posting. I know I can use all the information and feedback from people with experience using this product as I move forward with increased use. I'm sure others will benefit from your comments as well.
I grew up with this stuff. You can mix the hydrated tvp with (raw) eggs and (dry) oatmeal (binders) to make patties, 'meat' balls, and loafs. One of my favorites is a tvp loaf toped with BBQ sauce. Finding the right seasonings to add is the key to making TVP palatable. grating an onion into into the mix is good. You can also make a lentil cold cut by grindind dry lentils, cooking them down to a thick paste with whatever you like for seasonings. Then you put it in a can (wash it out well) seal it off with foil and wrap rubberbands tightly around it. cook it in the pressure cooker with some water. let it cool and open the other end on the can w/a can opener and slide it out.
At our house, we cut ground meat half-and-half with tvp, and mostly can't tell the difference except in sausage, and then I just add some sausage seasoning. 1 cup of dry tvp is roughly the equivalent of 1 lb of ground meat in voulume, and so I'll buy (say) 3 lbs at a time when it's on sale, then mix up 3 cups of tvp with 2 1/4 cups boiling water (3/4 c water per cup of tvp rather than the 7/8 that the package calls for allows the tvp to soak up more of the meat "juice" and flavor), let it cool, and mix the meat up with it--kneading it with clean hands works best. That gives us the equivalent of 6 lbs of meat, though it doesn't actually weigh 6 pounds, since the tvp is a bit lighter.
There's only the two of us, so I like to freeze the mix in "half-pound" packages that we can pull out as needed. This also seems to help get the meat flavor into the tvp, in my experience. It's so much cheaper than 100% meat, and somewhat healthier, too.
My famlily has been accepting TVP blended into meatloaf, meatballs,and taco meat for years. I rehydrate the TVP with broth. They accept it but they don't really know about it either. This way I get less objections.
I have found if you look at prepared foods you will see it listed. I don't remember offhand what it is listed as but I have seen it in many ingredients lists.
I have never tried using it on it's own. I am sure it can be fine, I just have a fussy husband who leads my children into fussyness. I suspect they would be ok with it in something like chili. Also you can buy it in a few sizes, small crumbles and larger chunks.
Barb
Thanks, everybody! It's always reassuring to know other folks are out there implementing this with success. Due to the holiday craziness, I am behind on ordering mine. But, I am committed to making at least a partial transition in the coming year.
does anyone know what will happen if you eat it without hydrating it? i sometimes poor it out of the package onto rice and eat it like that.. is this bad for my health?
Well, I'm no expert, but I can't see how it would be bad for you if the only difference is the water additive. The bacon flavored stuff is served as - is on salad bars and sold in bottles that way as imitation bacon bits.
Just found this and wanted to leave a few comments. I had very recently only heard of tvp. (yeah i know, where have i been hiding right? lol) Anyway, it sparked an interest and curiousity. So i found it last night at my local grocery store, went home, popped open two cans of store-bought vegetable soup and mixed up 1 cup of tvp soaked in broth, added it to the hot soup.And everyone loved it. 3 picky kids and a 'gotta have my meat' husband and it went over with flying colors. my husband even stood in the kitchen for 30 minutes thinking of other creative ways to use it in the future. Now if thats not great, I dont know what is. And now im off searching the internet for some great bulk prices. I have already learned how to use it for meatloaf, patties, even dry granola (for someone inquiring earlier). Best of luck to everyone with your ventures, and hope you all have a great day!!!!
I have found that cooking rehydrated TVP in some coconut oil before adding to your recipe greatly increases the flavor and makes it the most meatlike.
All of the animals that live in horrible conditions without any freedom will thank you for your transition into TVP. Do it for they're sakes. I definitely think it is worth the sacrifice.
Found your site while looking for bulk TVP. Thanks for the hints!
One cup of TVP before rehydrating goes farther in a recipe than one pound of cooked ground meat.
For each cup of TVP, I use the following vegan flavorings mixed into one cup of water, heated till boiling then poured over the dry TVP in a heatproof bowl:
Beefy flavoring - Two tablespoons mushroom soy sauce (available in Asian grocery stores or online), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, several grinds of black pepper, two tablespoons corn or soybean oil. For chili add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and use olive oil. For spaghetti, use the chili seasonings plus a pinch of rosemary (crush it first in a mortar). Before using the rehydrated TVP "beef," fry it in a nonstick pan until lightly browned (it adds significantly to the flavor and keeps the seasonings in the TVP better).
Poultry flavoring - Two tablespoons corn oil, a half teaspoon of "poultry seasoning," 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, salt to taste. If you can get your hands on the vegan seasoning Vegeta, use it in place of the salt. Add just a dab of soy sauce for a turkey flavoring/coloring. No need to brown this.
Seafood flavoring - On the stovetop, simmer some seaweed (all kombu or a combination of kombu with hijiki and/or wakame) in a cup of water until the seaweed is fairly tender. Strain it, reserving the liquid, and put away the seaweed. To the liquid, add enough water to make a cup, along with sea salt to taste, and a tablespoon or so of soybean oil. (If you can get your hands on some sea salt that retains some of the natural minerals, even better.) For mock salmon, add a pinch of fresh Hungarian paprika and a squeeze of lemon (from an actual lemon). For clams, add a drop of soy sauce. For shrimp, add a pinch of sugar.
Adjust all of these to your personal taste. Everyone's idea of what tastes like meat is a bit different. Remember that more often than not, the seasonings you use on the meat provide most of its flavor anyway.
Yes, it's perfectly OK to eat TVP before rehydrating. It's fully cooked and you have to wet it before it will spoil.
If you like it plain, you might like it even better as a high-protein addition to homemade granola.
Thanks for much for chiming in with advice and with those great seasoning mix ideas for the vegan crowd. I really appreciate it, and I'm sure our readers do too.
Is there a recipe for TVP sausage patties that taste somewhat like Jimmy Dean's country sausage?
Thank you
Hi Guest.
You know, I don't know about a recipe exactly, but I do know you can buy sausage flavored TVP.
I was glad to see it's safe and effective to eat it dry, because my favorite use, frankly, is to sprinkle it dry on pizza. I love the crunch!
I just made TVP meatballs using the recipe from the blog listed below. They turned out great. I used a bit of the Ener-g egg replacer mixed with water as a binder instead of eggs. I thought they needed something to help hold them together.
I have a great sausage recipe. One cup dry chunks. Two pouches Goya spice, Rosemary, Fennel, a little Crushed Red Pepper, some diced onion, a little garlic. Now this is optional. How about a couple tablespoons of maple syrup for a great breakfast sausage? I love it just the same without the syrup. Of course I'm sure you know how to 'cook' it and the seasonings are to taste. This also tastes great with beans for a chili. Very versitile. Enjoy!
oh my where to start. I have 4 teen boys. Enough said.
Taco rice - start 3/4 pound of ground beef to cook, hydrate 1 cup of tvp in water. When the ground beef is done, drain tvp add to beef. Add two packets of taco seasoning. We then fluff this into cooked rice that I usually add some garlic and onions in. Stir it all up. Serve chopped fresh tomato's, onions, cheese, salsa.. what ever you like
We use it in "fake" stroganoff.. I use tones beef flavoring added to the tvp, throw in Worcestershire sauce, loads of caramelized onions, I make my own cream of mushroom sauce but you could use canned. Serve over hot buttered noodles.
Sausage can be accomplished by 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon coriander
I use this sausage in the breakfast casserole dishes. You need some sort of fat to get this to "brown up" I use left over bacon fat. Butter or olive oil works great too, but can steer it away from the "pork" flavoring.
add fennel and more hot pepper flakes any you have spicy Italian sausage. Throw it in lasagna, on pizza, in any Marinara sauce.. YUM YUM..
Meatball subs with 1/2 beef and 1/2 tvp sausage recipe with a good marinara sauce. Top with Parm or Mozzarella cheese and caramelized fresh garlic slivers..
Make your favorite sausage ball appetizers with sharp cheddar cheese and tvp sausage above recipe
Those are pretty awesome suggestions. Thanks! One thing I particularly like about your taco rice suggestion is that you can make it without the extra shells, etc. And using the sausage mixture for breakfast casseroles is a great idea, as the sausage isn't exactly the main event in those.
If you are already a vegetarian, this stuff is great to have on hand. If you are not, but occasionally have one for dinner
Do vegatarians taste good? LOL
I do love TVP a recent addict
Heather
thank you all for all the suggestions,I make my own tvp sausages and was looking for more suggestions for spices.I use a tupperware burger maker to shape the sausage and then freeze them to have ready when I want them.
Using the burger maker to shape your TVP patties is a great idea, and a fantastic suggestion for once a month cooking that the vegetarian folks can use.
Thanks for sharing!
You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.
I wound up here after looking for a new place to buy my TVP in bulk. I have been using Harmony House for several years now, but went back today to reorder and found they have jacked their prices from $50 a box (15 lbs) to $80! The president wrote me back saying that the soy they buy has risen in price by 50% in the last two years (doesn't really explain a 65% increase) and I am wondering: is everyone noticing this? Where can you still buy reasonably priced TVP in bulk?
Meat Substitute
http://waltonfeed.com/category/44
change link!!!
