TVP “Meat” With Hidden Greens

November 3, 2011 by aprilcball

After discovering the best Chipotle Dressing/Sauce recipe (from Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day), I decided to make Taco Salad! I know, I’ve been on a chipotle kick lately but I’ve made all these things with ONE can of chipotle peppers in adobo and I’m really excited about it.

You can use this “meat” to make anything that calls for taco meat. We love this filling in tacos!

This isn’t my usual loaded Taco Salad but it’s a really delicious one with minimal ingredients, great if you don’t have much time but you need something healthy. I can think of a bunch of additional toppings I could add but this is my quick version.

The “meat” ingredient is TVP – Textured Vegetable Protein.

Texture vegetable protein is a high-fiber, high-protein meat substitute made from soy flour and available in a variety of flavored and unflavored varieties, as well as different sizes, from large chunks to small flakes. It has a shredded chicken texture when cooked.

I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand, you can buy it at Sprouts for about $3 a bag – makes about 2 meals (4 servings each) with lots of leftovers.

** Here’s my Taco Salad “Meat” recipe, you can also use this “meat” for tacos or burritos.

2 cups TVP
2 cups water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil (optional)
1 package taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning (link to homemade taco seasoning recipe!)
1 bunch of chard – washed and chopped
1.2 – 1 bunch of kale – washed and chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup salsa (I like Costco Kirkland brand the best!)

Preparation:

* In a large skillet, heat the water over medium heat, and add the TVP, stirring well. Allow the TVP to reconstitute for 2-3 minutes.

* Add oil (if you are not using oil, add a few Tbsp of broth) and soy sauce, combine and cook for 30 seconds

* Add chard, kale and taco seasoning, stirring well. Cover and allow to cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring as needed.

* Mix in salsa and remove from heat.

– My Quick Taco Salad Toppings

I like to use romaine lettuce for my taco salad base, it has a nice crunch to it!

I top most of my mexican dishes with Follow Your Heart cheese – I like the Nacho Cheese flavor the best! It shreds and melts well and tastes awesome!

I also like to use Tofutti brand Sour Supreme – tastes just like real sour cream but much better for you!

Shred the nacho cheese, add to meat and romaine lettuce, top with guacamole and sour cream. Finish it off with Chipotle Dressing/Sauce (the sauce is A MUST!), chips (if you wish, not necessary) and a little salsa (if you like it spicy!) and you have a VERY tasty meal!

My husband and daughter both loved this! This is a great way to hide a few leafy greens for those who refuse to eat them!

** Leftover Alert!

We had the TVP “meat” with all the same toppings in Napa Cabbage Tacos tonight for dinner and it was delicious!

AMAZING Kale Salad topped with Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles

October 21, 2011 by aprilcball

We eat a ton of kale salad but this one is the absolute best! I highly recommend this one, you WILL NOT be disappointed. I’ve added the Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles to make it more of a meal-type salad and it’s awesome! You can make this without the tempeh too, it’s so good either way! Plus, this salad keeps well in the fridge for a few days so it makes awesome leftovers!!

AMAZING Kale Salad topped with Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles

This salad recipe is from food blog Melomeals: VEGAN FOR $3.33 A DAY, one of my favorites!

Here is her recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups kale, destemmed and cut in a chiffonade – I use Black Kale/Lacinato or also called Elephant Kale
1/2 – 1 teaspoon best quality sea salt (smoked salt would be fabulous here!) – I use Alderwood Smoked Salt from World Spice Merchants but you can use regular salt if that’s all you have (Smoked salt is best though!!)
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar – I add a little extra
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon orange zest
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped red cabbage
½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tablespoons minced red onion
½ cup chopped green olives – make sure you mince them well
1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
Pinch nutmeg
½ cup raisins
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
Salt/pepper to taste if needed

Directions:

– In a large mixing bowl, add the kale, salt, orange juice, vinegar and garlic powder. Massage well with
your hands for several minutes.

– Add the rest of the ingredients and massage well

Let salad sit for 10 minutes; taste and adjust seasonings and enjoy!

For the Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles – you can use these in a lot of other dishes too, they are great in breakfast burritos, other salads and just by themselves! You can also keep them in cubes instead of mashing them.

* 2-4 blocks Organic Tempeh – from Trader Joe’s

* 2-4 tsp Liquid Smoke (depending on how smoky you like it!)

* 2-4 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup (depending on how sweet you like it!)

– I use 4 blocks of tempeh (from Trader Joe’s) so I have enough for leftovers (I always double this salad recipe for leftovers) – you can use 2 for a single batch of this salad

** Note: I used to cook these in oil but I’ve since removed oil from our diet. You can bake these crumbles on parchment paper at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so.

– Slice tempeh into cubes

– Boil tempeh in salted water for about 15 minutes

– Drain tempeh and transfer to mixing bowl

– Mash tempeh into crumbles

– Heat Safflower oil until hot and add crumbled tempeh

– Brown tempeh crumbles a bit then add Maple Syrup and Liquid Smoke – taste and add more if you like.

Top salad with crumbles once they’ve cooled… YUMMY!!!

Raw Collard & Apple Salad

October 4, 2011 by aprilcball

I love my greens! I enjoy hearty meal-type salads and I’ve been making a few lately that we really enjoy! Kale is my go-to salad green but I’ve been trying to venture out. I came across this Raw Collard and Apple Salad from my latest favorite vegan food blog MELOMEALS: Vegan for $3.33 A Day. You can use collard greens or kale – I used collard greens. I love the spiciness of the dijon mustard with the sweetness of the raisins! I’ve been eating this with my collard wraps for lunch, it’s just so awesome that it keeps in the fridge and doesn’t wilt and sog like regular salad!