Real meat and fake meat

Last week I cooked a whole chicken for the first time. It was a little creepy because it seemed like a real animal when I was washing it and the wings were flopping around and stuff. Yuck. It's easier to distance yourself when just cooking parts. Anyway, I rubbed it with lemon juice and sage (love my herb beds!) and stuffed it with sage and a quartered onion. It turned out pretty tasty.


I have #10 cans of TVP that were passed down to me and I've been scared to use them. With the crazy grocery prices though, I decided it was time. It turned out okay. I used it in a newly discovered main dish. It sure didn't taste the same as meat but it worked.

And in case you're interested in trying the dish, it goes something like this.

2 cups of dried black beans, cooked (probably makes 5-6 cups?).
1.5 cups of brown rice, cooked (no clue how much it makes).
3 cans of corn.
1 can of green chiles.
however much diced chicken or TVP you want - or leave it out entirely.
1-2 cups of salsa.
Various spices, I would recommend some combination of garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, dried red pepper, cayenne pepper, and a touch of salt, but you could just use taco seasoning if you have it.

Mix all of this in a big bowl and spread in two 9x13 pans.

Crush corn or tortilla chips on top. Grate cheese on top of that. It doesn't need a whole lot of cheese.

Bake at 350ish until it's hot and the cheese is melted.