Anyone out there using Textured Vegetable Protein?

[Mabouya]

Any of you guys using TVP in your recipes? Do you just toss it in the soup or chili, along with the spices, or do you spice it up separately, then add it? Care to share your recipes?

For years I've been using Morningstar and BocaBurger patties, breaking them up a bit, and using that to jazz up the "bowl of pasta & veggies" that is my standard post-ride dinner. The patties are easy to use because they're pre-made and they're pretty tasty. However, all the other stuff they put in (sodium, and a bunch of stuff I can't even pronounce) is making me think that I should switch to TVP and make my own "spicy add ins."

TIA

[Too Tall]

No, I've had it at a restaurant and apparently was made well but the stuff does not do it for me.

If you are looking for something with firm texture, nutritious as all get out and will take caramelizing than look no further than some Tempeh. Shino gave us the clue, use a hot cast iron skillet with some oil salt and lots of pepper. Give it a good browning than build the ultimate burger or cool, cube and add to soups or pasta..whatever.

Wild rice tempeh is my fav.

[Octave]

I use TVP all the time - sloppy joes, taco "meat," soup, bolognese.. it's nice to have in the rotation with tofu, tempeh, and seitan, and easier to make things out of, if you're planning on cooking with it from scratch as compared to making your own tofu or tempeh etc.

Easy sloppy joes: 1 onion, 1 red pepper, 1 jalapeno, all diced. Saute. Add olive oil (1-2 tbsp), 1.5C boiling water, 4 pureed tomatoes, a splash of soy sauce, splat of mustard and a few pinches of sugar, with 1.5C TVP. Season with salt and pepper, simmer for 15-20min and enjoy.

[Shinomaster]

We've added TVP to veggie bean and lentil chili, and it was just fine, but I think i just prefer the beans. For Mexican food we just eat pintos or black beans too ( unless I sear some skirt steak :). For a while I was trying all the fake meat products, but I've come to prefer the regular garden burgers without the soy or tvp. My industrious brother is apparently adding liquid smoke to tempeh, and frying it up, and creating mock bacon with great success. He fooled my 90 year old grandma into thinking she was eating a real BLT.

[0nelove]

What exactly is in TVP?

[Shinomaster]

Textured vegetable protein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mabouya]

Textured vegetable protein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TVP is often used in prisons and schools as well as for disaster preparedness.

YUMMY YUMMY !!! How can you go wrong?

[Too Tall]

My favorite wild rice Tempeh is no longer being made and I'm too far from NYC to get fresh hipster-born Tempeh from NYC Grown In Brooklyn Home

Thinking about making my own. Has anyone tried to make Tempeh?

[rowdyhillrambler]

Little known fact, i rarely mention.. I used to live in a "radical, Faerie commune," over in WadeP's neck of the woods. Yea, wild times.

Anyway, we used to make tempeh. It is a little labor intensive, but make a "bacon", flavorish breakfast tempeh that was the best food i have ever eaten.. Bar none, and that is saying a lot.. I will look thru one of my old journals, and see if i can find the recipe. If I do, I will change your life..

Man, this has got me hankering for some fermented beans.

[Too Tall]

If I can get the process down to something that does not involve babysitting a thermometer I'm all in. Casa TT does not want another counter space eating "device" but a food dehydrator looks like the low effort way to go.

Little known fact, i rarely mention.. I used to live in a "radical, Faerie commune," over in WadeP's neck of the woods. Yea, wild times.

Anyway, we used to make tempeh. It is a little labor intensive, but make a "bacon", flavorish breakfast tempeh that was the best food i have ever eaten.. Bar none, and that is saying a lot.. I will look thru one of my old journals, and see if i can find the recipe. If I do, I will change your life..

Man, this has got me hankering for some fermented beans.

[spopepro]

Yeah, I've given up on bulk tvp. It doesn't taste like anything and doesn't have a great texture. It's only tolerable in very flavorful stews and sauces, like sloppy joes and such. Tempeh is way tastier.

I looked into home made tempeh, but fermenting is something I'm ok with leaving to the pros with lots of space and better temperature control. I do always make my own seitan and that's totally worth it. My favorite has brown sugar and soy sauce mixed in and then boiled in a lapsang souchong "broth". Makes amazing "ton"katsu. Great in lots of other stuff, but won't crumble if you need that texture.

I'm currently experimenting with young jackfruit. I nearly got an excellent pulled "pork" sandwich out of it, but it still needs a little work. Garro's chile verde recipe is on for sometime this summer.

[Bkat]

How about seitan? Chock full of protein and it's pretty adaptable for a range of recipes. Upton's Natural makes seitan bacon too. Darn good stuff.

[Too Tall]

The next VSalon cat who is swinging thru NYC please grab some Grown In Brooklyn Home Barry's Tempeh and report back. He has a solid reputation and might be worth it for me to drive there and lay in a supply. *They do not ship outside NYC.

[simple]

TVP makes me fart. I still eat it.

Tempeh is good, but sometimes if not cooked right tastes terrible. Dry and overly fermented tasting. Bleh.

[GonaSovereign]

I can take it or leave it, but when I do cook with TVP, I find it's best in big savoury dishes.

[miwuksurfer]

I'm currently experimenting with young jackfruit. I nearly got an excellent pulled "pork" sandwich out of it, but it still needs a little work. Garro's chile verde recipe is on for sometime this summer.

Tell me more please. Born again vegan here. Going to a bacon festival as my last hurra.

[pdxharth]

You nailed it, big man. Funny thing is, Kate and I already ate tempeh at times when we first moved in together, but mostly in chunks in stir fries. Then, Sacha moved in with us about 11 years ago and started doing this super thinly sliced tempeh browned in olive oil and it became a family favorite and has been ever since. Who knew that Vanilla Vegan would change our diet permanently? (With all that olive oil and salt, it's not that I actually believe it is healthy, of course, but it's so good I don't care). Throwing some very thinly sliced onions over the top to caramelize doesn't hurt it, either.

I eat that stuff coated with Marie Sharp's Fiery hot and it could be a meal of itself. Well, that and a pitcher of tasty IPA. LOVE it.

No, I've had it at a restaurant and apparently was made well but the stuff does not do it for me.

If you are looking for something with firm texture, nutritious as all get out and will take caramelizing than look no further than some Tempeh. Shino gave us the clue, use a hot cast iron skillet with some oil salt and lots of pepper. Give it a good browning than build the ultimate burger or cool, cube and add to soups or pasta..whatever.

Wild rice tempeh is my fav.