Meat Free Everyday - Food for Thought

Cooking with TVP

TVP aka textured vegetable protein has been around for a long time. It's a boon for vegetarians in that it is a wonderful low fat source of protein. Per 100g, soya mince comes in with 48g protein and only 1.5g of fat. It also has 35g carbs and 15g fibre per 100g. It's incredibly cheap. So what's the catch? It takes a bit of getting used to.

Much like tofu, it hasn't got much flavour. You have to add it to tangy sauces or flavour rich stews or it will be tasteless. You buy it either as chunks or granules/mince varieties. You can also buy convenience packets of soy mince complete with sauces and seasonings. You only need add water and boil for a few minutes for a quick meal. Only thing I find with those, is they are full of salt, MSG and other nasties.

I prefer to make my own yummy stews. Fifteen minutes before serving, I add soy mince to soak up the extra juices and add protein to the dish. The soy chunks take about 30 minutes to soak up liquid and soften.

TVP is best used as a vegetarian "mince". I saute a few red onions till soft, add marmite, soy sauce or a strong savoury vegetarian stock and water to the pot. Then I add the soy granules. You can add tomato paste, chilli, mushrooms, cream, oregano, whatever you want, to suite your taste.

With the "mince" you can stuff vegetables, roll it in par boiled cabbage leaves, use it in burritos, add it to pastas or noodles, make a vegetarian moussaka or eat it on it's own. Think chilli non carne. TVP it's not as vesatile as tofu but still a handy and quick way to "beef" up your protein intake.

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