Trying TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
In the interest of cutting down the grocery bill, I recently bought a bag of TVP (textured vegetable protein).
It cost about $5 for a 12 oz bag (ab. 3 3/4 cups) of dry TVP. Just eyeballing, that's probably the equivalent of about 3+ lbs of ground beef once it's rehydrated. Since ground beef is about $7/lb where I'm at, this is a pretty good deal. I'm not vegetarian or vegan, so I've never used the stuff before, but I read that TVP is primarily used as a substitute for ground beef.
I tried making sloppy joes with it--do not recommend. I ended up throwing out most of it. I couldn't get around the texture.
But I tried again tonight with bean chili, and it was really tasty! It'll go in the regular dinner rotation.
So I think the moral of the story is TVP isn't great in beef-forward dishes, but in dishes with a lot of competing textures/flavors, it works really well. I think maybe lasagna, or a chili mac casserole would work too?
Now, if anybody set up a taste test between a bowl of regular chili to chili made with TVP, everybody would 100% be able to tell the difference. (Maybe if you blindfolded a heavy smoker, they might be fooled.) But TVP is a good enough substitute that you don't really miss the ground beef--it's not fake beef, but a beef substitute (if that makes sense).
Why I'm posting about it here is because after I put the chili together, I realized that it was made exclusively out of pantry ingredients that can be stored for months/years. (It's better with diced fresh onion and some bell pepper, but I didn't have any, and it turned out fine.)
My recipe is probably a travesty among those serious about chili, but it's basically how I've always made it. My Mom always put corn in our chili (probably to stretch it), so I do too.
TVP Bean Chili
Boil ¾ c water
Add:
1-2 tsps beef better than bouillon (or whatever bouillon you have)
1 c dry TVP
Mix until broth is incorporated. Remove TVP from pot and allow to sit and rehydrate 5 minutes minimum.
Add ab. 1-2 TB vegetable oil to pot
Bloom spices in oil for just a minute (Sorry, I measure with my heart. Go light if you're unfamiliar and you can add more to your own taste at the end. Or just buy a packet of chili spice mix instead):
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cumin
Chili powder
Cayenne red pepper
Oregano
Celery salt
Black pepper
Then add to pot:
rehydrated TVP
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15.25 oz) corn (drained)
2 cans (15.5 oz each) kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can (4 oz) mild diced green chiles
Ab. 3 TB tomato paste (you can use a small can of tomato sauce if you don't have paste--you might need to cook a little longer to evaporate some of the moisture)
Ab. 1 TB brown sugar (I usually use a big glug of molasses, but I’m out)
MSG/Accent
Salt
A couple glugs of Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
Water (ab. ½ a cup?) to get chili to desired moisture
Let simmer for a bit for everything to meld.
Remove bay leaf before serving. If desired, serve with shredded cheese or sour cream, chopped green onions, and crushed corn chips. (Those aren't pantry staples, I know, but the chili is tasty and edible without refrigerated accoutrements, but better with them.)
Here's a photo of my dinner tonight, and a photo of dry TVP for those unfamiliar.
I had no idea what TVP looked like when I was searching for it at the store. I kept looking where the tofu was stocked in the refrigerated section, but it was actually stocked in the same aisle as flour and sugar.
I included a photo comparing the nutrition info of TVP (left) to a packet of tuna (right) since it's another common protein that can be stored long term. TVP's a good source of protein, iron, and potassium. Cheaper than tuna, too.
Pros:
relatively cheap
long shelf life
light weight
no refrigeration required
high protein
zero sodium (most canned/preserved meats are super high in sodium)
Cons:
pale, so not very appetizing looking
requires heating (it's technically uncooked, so it needs to be rehydrated with hot water/broth to be safe to eat)
tastes not great on its own
texture is odd on its own
it's not actually beef, so don't expect it to be beef
TLDR: Consider adding TVP to your deep pantry because it's cheap, light weight, and has a long shelf life without refrigeration, but learn to cook with it first because it's not 100% the same as ground beef.