Long time no see.Kinda.Maybe, maybe not. Anyways, nice to see you again, I suppose. I wanna talk about something I keep close to my heart when it comes to cooking.Textured vegetable protein. It is kind of a favorite of mine. Both chunks and the smaller stuff.You agree? Good.
What is TVP? Well, despite what some may have you think, it is not created by black magic, but is actually made from high (50%) soy protein soy flour or concentrate.I could go into the whole fancy science-y talk about how they are made, or you could simply just go and have a look at the wiki page.
But, let me just say that Percy Lavonn Julian should be a hero to anyone who enjoys TVP.Hive fives, Mr. Julian.
It can be really useful, really affordable, and as you have probably noticed if you have read any of my prior posts using TVP, I use it quite a bit.I find it is best used if you do a bit more work than what the manufacturers suggest you do with it. Just adding it to hot water will not give it any added flavor, so whenever you have a chance to add flavor, you should. Right? Well, I would say so.
If you do listen to me, and you may want to, I try and make a bunch at a time, and then you can have some TVP chunks ready to go for whatever dish you wish to use them in. Or, you can just make some with water, and have bland TVP. Your choice, possibly lazy person.
My broths I make for TVP can vary, but they basically follow something along these lines.
TVP Broth Ingredients.
- 4 cups of veggie broth.
- 2 teaspoons of sage.
- 2 teaspoons of thyme.
- 2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning.
- A few dashes of salt.
- Fresh ground pepper.
- 1 tablespoon of celery salt.
- 2 teaspoons of rosemary.
- 2 teaspoons of paprika.
- 2 tablespoons of Braggs Liquid Aminos.
- 2-3 cups of dry TVP chunks.
Basically just put everything in a pot, or a large wok like I happened to use, and heat over low-medium heat. A gentle simmer is okay, but nothing too wild here , folks.
I let it cook till most of the liquid is gone, times can vary. Stir occasionally.
As for the B-B-Q Fried rice, I suppose I should get to that.
B-B-Q TVP Fried Rice Ingredients.
-Cooked brown rice, at least three cups.
- 1 small to medium yellow onion, chopped into one inch pieces.
- 1 good sized green pepper, chopped into one inch pieces.
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- 4 tablespoons of barbecue sauce.
- 2 cups of TVP chunks, see above.
- Salt
- Pepper.
- Green onions diced. (optional)
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan, adding the green pepper and onion.Add some salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium/high heat, making sure not to burn.Lower heat to medium.Toss in the TVP chunks and barbeque sauce, stir, and cook for 3 minutes.Add the rice, mix well, and cook another 8 minutes.
Plate, and top with green onions, if you want.
I have always wanted to go to New Orleans.No, not to bare my bare chest in hopes of getting lots of beads to wear around my head.Though, I would look rather ravishing with lots of beads wrapped around my neck.I think so anyways.Sure, that little spot in the world, perhaps in another time of the year, would be a great place to visit.Between The French Quarter and Bourbon street, I am sure it is quite a lot of fun.Maybe.
I have always wanted to go and see the creepy graveyards they have down there, and some other the more stranger sites. No, I loathe Ann Rice books, so don’t think that about me, please.I just think it would be fun.Sue me.
The region, the city, are not just known for their flashing bead seeking Mardi Gras party folk.They are also know for their Creole food.
Creole food is kind of like the mutt food genre. I do not say that to offend anyone from the area, and if you are offended, well stop being so sensitive. It just happens that Creole food is made up of a lot of other styles.French, African,Spanish,[1] Portuguese, Italian, Native American, and so on.
There is a difference between Cajun cooking and Creole cooking. That difference being something that someone with a better clue than I would be better at explaining.But, there are differences.Just take my word on it.
Remember in the 80s or 90s that cook that cooked Cajun and Creole food, and you needed a translator to understand him? His name escapes me, but he was like some kind of Creole Colonel Sanders of KFC fame.I am not making this up, and if I was not lazy I would go and find out who he was.Look, it takes moments out of my life to go and google something.
New Orleans seems like a pretty cool place, I guess. I am not payed by them to say as such, but it seems like it. From what I have seen, which is not all that much.Mainly just clips from the news and the few minutes a Girl Gone Wild infomercial popped onto my television. But, yeah, it looks alright.
Anyways, you could go and make this dish by just tossing the TVP chunks into the pot, but then you will lose out on some additional flavors in the end.So, be lazy, or actually care about what you are making for dinner.For once.Geeze.
Pickled TVP Ingredients.
- 2 cups of TVP chunks.
- 2 cups of water.
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar.
- 1/4th a cup of kosher salt.
- 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke.
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika.
- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
- 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds. Yellow ones.
- 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns.
- 1 teaspoon of celery seeds.
- 2 tablespoons of hot sauce.
- 1 teaspoon of juniper berries.
Okay, this is really simple. I swear.Ignore the long list of ingredients, and don’t be scared.Well, do not ignore them as then you will have no idea what to use.
Anywhooo, place everything in a pot, bring to a boil, and bring down to a simmer, and cook for about an hour.Normally, I like to cook tvp down til most liquid is gone, but not this time. Remove from stove, let cool, and then store in fridge for at least a day.
Yes, if you want the pickled TVP for your beans and rice you will have to wait a day or two. Life is cruel, sometimes.
Beans & Rice Ingredients.
- 1 yellow onion, chopped and diced.
- 1-2 green peppers, depending on size, chopped up.
- 4 stalks of celery, diced.
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- Kosher salt.
- Ground Pepper.
- 3 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- 4 bay leaves.
- 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves.
- 1/4th a cup of hot sauce.
- 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper.
- 8 cups of water.
- 3-4 cups of red kidney beans.Washed and cleaned.
- The TVP.
- 2 cups of Brown rice.
- 3 tablespoons of Earth Balance butter. I used the stick kind.
- Salt.
- 3 cups of water.
So, if you do not like heat, subtract some of the hot sauce, and/or cayenne. I was once like you, but I have seen the light, and I want heat.That light I saw being a flaming ball of fire.
In a large pot, heat up the oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is heated up, toss in the onions, peppers, and celery and cook for 7 minutes or so, then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.Stir frequently or you will burn your garlic, and burnt garlic is horrific.Toss in the water, tvp*, beans, thyme, hot sauce, cayenne, and of course the beans. Turn the heat up to high, as high as the sky, and bring to a hard boil.Let it boil for 6 minutes, stirring every few moments.Lower the heat to a really low simmer, lid, and let it cook for an hour and 45 minutes.
*Oh, and before you toss in the TVP, make sure you it is just the chunks, without anything else.
Now, you can remove the lid, and bring the simmer up a little higher.The longer you cook on this simmer, the thicker your sauce will be.I went another 30 or so minutes.
During that time, you should cook your rice. You can use whatever rice you want, or use your own method. I used Alton Brown’s Rice method, as it seemed fairly easy, and I tend to sometimes mess up cooking rice. I know, terrifically sad.
Heat the butter up in a skillet, and bring the water to a boil in a pot. Once the butter is melted and kind of bubbling, toss in the rice, and kosher salt.Stir and cook for a few minutes, then pour in the boiling water.Cover with a lid and let it cook for about 25 minutes over medium low heat till the water has gone bye bye.
Plate some rice, top with some of the beans mixture, and there you have it.
See? Easy peasy.
I do not know Spanish, at all.Not a word.Well, I can say taco, enchilada, words like that.You see, in high school, when grunge and alternative was king, I took Latin.But, I do know one thing,or two.One chilli con carne basically means peppers and meat, and there is no Spanish word for seitan.Nope, or else the name of this dish would really have sounded exotic.Yeah, ten times fancier.
Oh, well.That will have to do.I would have been nice though, no?I do know this is kind of a Mexican-y stew, and it was really good.
You know what is not that good? No rapture.That could have been fun, too.I just dated this post, so that when someone reads it a year or so from now, they will have no fucking clue to what I am talking about.Fuck.
Ingredients.
- 2 tablespoons of oil.
- 1 onion, chopped!
- 3 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- A couple cups of chopped up seitan.
- 2 large tomatoes, diced, with any juice that came out while chopping.
- 2 medium green peppers, chopped.
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- 2 cups of beans soaked,cooked, rinsed.Pinto, red kidney, whatever.
- 3 tablespoons of chili powder
- 2 teaspoons of cayenne.
- 3 teaspoons of paprika.
- 1 teaspoon of cumin.
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- 1 teaspoons of salt.
- 1 teaspoon of pepper.
- 1 bay leaf.
- 2 cups of vegetable stock.
Ole! Find a large pot and heat up the oil,over medium heat, and cook the onion and minced garlic for about 5 to 7 minutes.Toss in the cut up seitan.Cook for another 5 or so minutes, stirring once in a while.The seitan should be starting to brown.
You may now toss in every other ingredient, mixing it all up , well.I should probably note that I mixed all the seasonings together, in a bowl.Then added them.Just make sure it is all stirred well, lid it, and bring the heat down a bit, and let it simmer for at least an hour.
Don’t you just love one dish meals? It means I get to be lazy, and only have one pot to clean.To me, that is the ultimate reward of a good meal, an honor to me and my laziness.
I topped mine with Daiya cheddar, olives, and soy sour cream, with some rice.You could do that, or do whatever your little crazy mind wants to.Or, you could just read this, say to yourself ” Oh, that looks good” and never ever make it.Whatever, not my concern.Keep eating your boring food, asshole.
I am sorry, that was not called for.It must have been all that Rapture stress that got me, or something.I was also thinking how if chilli means pepper, does that mean you really sound like a moron when you order a chilli pepper? A pepper pepper?
I suppose that a dyed in the wool pizza fanatic would be outraged over someone making a pizza with polenta.I suppose that a polenta lover may be quite happy about making a pizza out of polenta, or perhaps they too would be offended by this hybrid.
Maybe, I have just supposed far too much, and should not worry about it.Well, frankly, I was not all that worried about it.I was simply just thinking about it, and wondering also if there were polenta fanatics or polenta obsessives such as you see with pizza.
This is also how I tend to begin my recipe posts, so you should know they begin with me inquiring, wondering, pausing for deep thought, before I get to the recipe.You really should know this by now.Really.
Ingredients.
- 4 cups of water.
- 1 cup of polenta.
- 1/4th cup of Cheddar Daiya.
- 1/4th cup of Mozza Daiya.
- 4 tablespoons , or more, pesto sauce.
- Tablespoon of olive oil.
- One tomato, or a bunch of plum tomatoes, sliced.
- One green pepper, sliced.
- Half a cup of Mozza Daiya
- Salt.
- Pepper.
Let us being this exciting journey.Well, let us just being cooking.You will need to bring the water to a boil, then add the polenta.Stir occasionally till the spoon nearly stands up on its own.Now you will stir in the 1/4h cups of the two Daiya flavors, some salt, some pepper, and mix well.
Pour the polenta in a deep dish pizza pan.Let it cool, and solidify.While you are awaiting this , please preheat your oven to 400 degrees.Once the polenta is cool and settled, brush it with the olive oil, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and layer the pesto, tomatoes, pepper and finally a layer of the mozza daiya.Return the pan to the oven and cook for another 20 minutes, or so.
Let it cool a bit, slice it up, and serve.This is, by the way a pizza you may wish to eat with a fork and knife.Try and be classy.
I still wonder if there is any polenta fanatics out there.I doubt it.Maybe this will make some, maybe not.
Ah, crepes.Crepes are good.Very good.
Though, I am not sure these are crepes, or not.They very well may be, and that is what we will call these.See, I am a simple man.Older, wiser, neither apply to me.
What am I talking about? No idea.Oh yes, I am talking about crepes, crepes made with chickpea flour.
I made up the sauce, I am not sure what I had in mind, but it seemed to work well, could have been pureed a bit more, perhaps.
The filling; A combination of roasted vegetables and tomatoes.
Roasted Vegetables Filling
- 2 cups of diced eggplant.
- 2 cups of summer squash, diced.
- 1 green pepper, diced.
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- 1 teaspoon of marjoram.
- 3 teaspoons of thyme.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
First, you will want to preheat your oven to 400 degrees.Toss, mix, whatever, the vegetables with the oil and other ingredients.Oil a baking pan, and place the vegetables on said pan and place in oven.Cook for 30 minutes, or till they are cooked, not burnt.Every ten minutes, remove the pan and stir the vegetables.
Almond Garlic Sauce
- 1/4th a cup of almond slivers.You could roast them first, I thought of that after the fact.Oops.
- One piece of toasted bread.
- 3 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- 1/4th a cup of soy unsweetened milk.
- 3/4th a cup of vegetable stock.
- Dash or two of salt.
- Dash or two of pepper.
Place all ingredients into your processor and process till it is a puree.I left mine a bit chunky, but perhaps it being more pureed could be better.I liked it.Once done, set aside.
Chickpea Crepes.
- 2 cups of chickpea flour.
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 2 and a half cups of water.
- Teaspoon of salt.
- Additional oil.
You know that large bowl I mention often? You will need it, again.Combine the salt and flour in this infamous large bowl.Now, mix in the oil, followed by the water.Mix well, I used a whisk, and that worked just peachy.Meanwhile, brush a skillet with oil, and heat the skillet, between medium and high.Once the skillet is heated up, pour about 3/4th a cup of the batter into the skillet.While it is cooking, add salt and pepper to it.They should only take a few minutes to cook, you will know they are ready when the top side is no longer wet.Repeat till all your batter is cooked, and you have some crepes.
Boy, oh boy.Easy, I promise.
I should said I am sorry for that.I mean, saying ” Boy, oh boy” is fairly lame, and if there is one thing I try not to be, it is that.Clearly.
Now, you will want to build your crepes,this should be fairly easy for you.I diced up some tomatoes, and layered them out on top of a layer of the roasted vegetables, rolled them up, and topped with a bit of the sauce I created for the crepes.
Easy.
They are almost as easy as I am.Though, I am not, or something.Forget that, and just enjoy the crepes.
So, I made crackers, then I made brownies, and suddenly realized sometimes.I had not made any dinner.Well, I could have just ate brownies for dinner, I could.But, I felt I should be a good boy, or as good as I can be, and make some actual food for dinner.I wanted chickpeas, and I wanted vegetables.
So, I chopped up this, chopped up that, and took it from there.Yeah, if you had not already guessed; I am a bit of a wild guy.Watch out for me.
So, I went into chopping frenzy.Well, once I picked out of the fridge what would be cooked, and more importantly: What I would be eating.
That is the frenzy of the chopping, and such.Colorful, isn’t it?
Ingredients.
- Cup of Chickpeas, cooked and rinsed.Ready to go.
- 3 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- 1 green pepper, chopped into rings.
- 1 red pepper, chopped into rings.
- 1 onion, yellow, chopped into half moon rings.
- 1 zucchini, chopped into coin shapes, I do not fucking know.Look at the photo.
- Mushrooms, chopped up.I would say about a cup and a half.
- 1 tomato, chopped into medium sized cubes.
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable stock.
- 2 tablespoons of cooking sherry.
- Tablespoon of thyme.
- Tablespoon of oregano.
- 1/3 cup of sliced black olives.
- Salt
- Pepper.
Get yourself a big pot, with a lid.I am not sure the order matters, but I placed the garlic, followed by all the vegetables.
I then added the chickpeas, paste, thyme, oregano,vegetable stock,sherry, and put the heat on to medium.lid it, and let it come to a boil.Mix frequently.Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer, still mixing frequently, for about a half hour.
Now, salt and pepper, and add the olives.Mix it once more, and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve with some parsley.
For something I kind of just made up in my strange little mind, it was not half bad.Well, I guess it would have to be for me to be writing this.Maybe.I suppose you will never know, unless you made it.Or, whatever.