Friday, August 22, 2008

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.

5 comments:

Jaime said...

What's TVP?

Cherish said...

TVP stands for textured vegetable protein. Basically it's fake meat made of soybeans. It doesn't have meaty flavor so you add seasonings or rehydrate it in bouillon.

Anonymous said...

Sounds delicious. I think Dad would even eat it. :)
I ought to make it to serve at a ward dinner.

Amy said...

The chicken looks delicious, though I'm not to sure about the TVP. I've never actually heard of it or tasted it.

Adventure Mommy Susan said...

I love how adventerous you are with food! You are amazing.