TVP? Otherwise known as Textured Vegetable Protein. It's a food, a meat substitute to be precise that is high in protein. Yesterday I went to the store hoping to pick up frozen Boca Burger Crumbles, which is technically TVP colored and molded to look like scrambled hamburger, to put in some veggie chili. My store didn't have any, but much to my surprise, I was in the health food aisle and saw a bag of dry TVP. I'd never heard of it!
Dry TVP is rehydrated by soaking it in hot water, and then can be used in chili, soups, whatever you want to increase the protein in a vegetarian meal or stretch a meat meal making it healthier. A 1/4 cup serving has 80 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 4 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein. It sounds like a dream food. The ingredients are simply defatted soy flour that is mixed with water to make a dough and then dried. No preservatives, no colors, no nothing. And if that isn't enough... it's cheap. A 10 ounce bag cost me $2.89, and I'm guessing I'll be able to get at least 8 meals out of that little bag.
I brought home my little bag and plumped up my TVP. It smelled like soy, no surprise there, and was pale in color. Like tofu, it takes on the flavors of what you cook it in. I used it in my chili, and then made taco meat with lean hamburger and used the TVP to double the volume. I won't lie to you, it's different, but you'd be hard pressed to find the difference when mixed with the hamburger. Ben and Alanya gobbled down the chili and didn't say anything other than it was good. I never lie to the kids about food or try to hide things in our food. They didn't say anything, so I didn't offer it, but after we ate I told them. Some kids would have announced they didn't like it after all. Not these kids. Ben shrugged and today asked for a thermos of it in his lunchbox! Tonight's taco meal was just as successful, and it all got eaten.
TVP, my new discovery. I'm excited. And hopefully I didn't offend anyone with the title of this post. When I wrote it, it made me giggle, and isn't that what this blog is all about? My parents just figured out LOL and TTYL, so I should be safe that they haven't yet figured out WTF. Tee hee hee.
**Editing this to add** My mom emailed me and said "WTF you are CRZ!" Next thing you know she'll actually start texting people!!! You go Mom!
2 comments:
Sounds good, I am always trying to get more cheap protein in my kids, especially emma, since she can't have dairy, eggs or beef. this would work great!
I learned about TVP some years ago in a (surprise) food storage and emergency preparedness lesson through church. We sampled it with chili and taco meat and it was just fine. But I have never ventured out and bought it on my own! Thanks for the tip on where to get it! :) I will bulking up my own hamburger meat dishes soon!
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