A Cheap and Healthy Meat Substitute

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My family loves TVP! We make all kinds of things with it: Tacos, Spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, chili, stir fry, even chorizo. It can be purchased in ground beef size granules and even chunks or strips. I buy it in bulk at a local Farmers Market/Health Food Store. It's very cheap in bulk and goes a long way. My son and I are vegan, so it is an inexpensive, great source of protien for us.

Posted by Brenda on March 11, 2009 7:00 PM

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My husband and I used to cook with TVP all the time for the many many years I was a vegetarian. We too would buy it in many different shapes (some more like ground meat, other like small cubes of chicken)

Posted by anonymous on March 17, 2009 7:08 PM

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where can I find tvp? I live in colorado.

Posted by anonymous on March 18, 2009 3:15 PM

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I'd check out whole foods if there is one near you. that's probably your best bet.

Posted by anonymous on March 18, 2009 4:16 PM

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How do you make it taste like anything? Like in sloppy joes or chili, how do you get it to taste like something, or does it have a taste??

Posted by anonymous on March 20, 2009 11:03 AM

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I actually prefer fake ground meat to the real. It has a great texture and a nice, mild flavor. I like it sauteed with hot sauce.

Posted by DogMama on March 26, 2009 4:16 PM

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You can flavor TVP by soaking it in hot water flavored with broth or bouillon.

I've made my own TVP-like crumbs by freezing tofu, thawing it, squeezing out all the water like a sponge, and drying it. (I refrigerate it and use it soon, though).

Posted by Nance in GA on March 26, 2009 4:41 PM

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Does TVP have no protein compared to meat? I am suppose to not eat much meat because my protein or BUN is so high. Does it come with directions of how to re hydrate it and is it hard to find?
Thank you for your help

Posted by Vicky on March 26, 2009 6:16 PM

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Yes it is a very quick dinner helper, but I also injoy my home made Meat Substitute that is called Gluten you can make steaks from it.

Posted by Marcia on March 26, 2009 8:52 PM

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VICKY HERE IS AN ARTICLE I COPIED AND PASTED

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Soy protein is generally regarded as the storage protein held in discrete particles called protein bodies, which are estimated to contain at least 60�70% of the total soybean protein. Upon germination of the soybean, the protein will be digested, and the released amino acids will be transported to locations of seedling growth. Legume proteins, such as soy, and pulses belong to the globulin family of seed storage proteins, called leguminins (11S) and vicilins (7S), or glycinin and beta-conglycinin, in soybeans. Grains contain a third type of storage protein called gluten or "prolamines." Soybeans also contain biologically active or metabolic proteins such as enzymes, trypsin inhibitors, hemagglutinins, and cysteine proteases very similar to papain. The soy cotyledon storage proteins, important for human nutrition, can be extracted most efficiently by water, water plus dilute alkali (pH 7�9), or aqueous solutions of sodium chloride (0.5�2 M) from dehulled and defatted soybeans that have undergone only a minimal heat treatment so that the protein is close to being native or undenatured. Soybeans are processed into three kinds of modern protein-rich products: soy flour, soy concentrate, and soy isolate."

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_protein

HOPE IT HELPS ALSO VEGE PROTIEN IS HANDLE DIFFERENT IN THE BODY THEN MEAT IS.

Posted by Marcia on March 26, 2009 9:38 PM

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TVP is high in fiber and protein, but has no cholesterol or fat. It has no real taste, but adopts the taste of whatever you season it with. The texture is similiar to ground beef, but a little softer or "mushier". We use it in tacos and spicy foods by itself, but in spagetti I usually use 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 TVP to get that "meaty" flavor we like. I find it at our local Krogers grocery store in the "health food" section. It's also good to "stretch" a meatloaf, chili, hamburgers, soups, etc. to serve an extra person or two. Bonus is that it doesn't need refrigeration so it's a great pantry staple.

Posted by alice on March 26, 2009 10:37 PM

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Arrrggghhhhh, soy?? Has anyone ever read "The dark side of soy"? Soy is actually toxic in the bean form and they acid wash it, and do other nasty things, to make it edible at all. It's used as a filler, just like all the chemicals and such in our foods. Soy washes away all the good stuff in our digestive tracts, plus mimics estrogen in our bodies.

Beware you gals who have had breast cancer or have a family history of it. My personal experience with soy was a bad one. I was bleeding so profusely all the time, and still have a messed up belly from it. I was VERY estrogen dominant. Just a tip for you.

Don't believe what they tell you out there, they are not out for our health and the government, the FDA, and the Medical field is all about keeping us sick. The only way "some" say it can be used safely and might have benefits, is when it's "fermented" soy. However, there are still those who will argue it's not safe at all.

If you want to be healthy, cook from scratch, avoid most of the aisles in the supermarkets (I don't do my shopping at regular food stores) delete sugar from your diet, don't buy processed foods, but if you must, never buy anything with a label that has a huge list of ingredients on it. If you can't pronounce it, and don't know what it is, don't put it in your body OR on your skin. It's amazing to me, what people view as healthy. But if you are just wanting to save money and fill a belly, well, just know you will eventually suffer the consequences AND make the big Pharma rich. : - )

Posted by anonymous on September 27, 2009 1:02 PM

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For the past 30+ years, I've spent one or two days a week in my bathroom, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. I've had myriad tests done and the medical profession finally said that I had irritable bowel syndrome and a spastic stomach.

I'd heard about the wonders of TVP and decided to try it. I made meatloaf with it, using half hamburger and half TVP. I almost died. Turns out, all of these years, I've had an allergy to soy. Eating a large dose of it just about finished me off. Much to my surprise, soy is right up there with dairy and peanuts as a known food allergen.

I've discovered that soy is ubiquitous in the American diet. Store bought bread, crackers, soup, cereal, even canned tuna, you name it, is enriched with soy. I've been forced to adopt a "clean eating" type of diet. Since I began eliminating soy from my diet, I've not spent one day locked in the bathroom, sick as a dog.

I'm not saying soy is a bad product but I want to alert you that it is highly allergic for some people. If you decide to introduce soy to your family, please be careful to watch for signs of illness in your children or spouse. Most of you won't be negatively affected but you never know.

Posted by Serena on January 28, 2010 9:25 PM

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