I cooked with TVP for the first time today and am thrilled! The results exceeded my expectations. I am not paid for reviews and get no money from blogging. So my motivation is just to share and save you money from my experimenting.
The product I tried was from Emergency Essentials. I purchased a #10 can of this stuff (3 lbs 11 oz) in a group order for $10. You add 1/3 cup water with 3 tablespoons of TVP. I used 18 tablespoons / 2 cups water for a pan of “beef” enchiladas. And it was a pantry dish. They have it again this month for $10 with a minimum purchase of 6 cans, which is their group order deal…. and no shipping costs. I’ve received some damaged items from emergency essentials and they were great about resolving the issues.
You can also buy this product (with different packaging name) from Shelf Reliance and Honeyville Grain. Shelf Reliance has the Taco flavor. I believe Honeyville just as beef flavored and you would add seasonings. I am not loyal to any of these companies and go for the best deals. If you have a preference for any one of these companies (or buy from others), please share with your reasons.
Taste: The product I tried had just enough Taco spice for me, not enough to make it too spicy for the kids to eat.
Texture: It had a texture very similar to ground beef, not did not have the oil. I did notice a texture difference when I chewed, but not enough for me to care. If I served this to someone, they would probably know it was not beef. However, it is a great substitute.
Uses: It would be good on a taco salad, in real tacos, taco soup or other Mexican casseroles. If you have corn tortillas in your freezer, velveeta in your pantry and this Taco TVP, you have the base ingredients for many dishes most Texans love. I recognize that velveeta is not the most healthy food in the world, but a little for flavor won’t do too much harm. Of course, if you have good cheese in your fridge then use that. I’m just trying to develop dishes I can create at a moments notice when I don’t have fresh in my fridge. I’m out of cheese, so velveeta allowed me to make beef/cheese enchiladas today.
Cost: My can cost $10 / no shipping costs. I used one cup dry TVP which gave me about the same amount of “meat” as one pound of ground beef – about 2 cups. The can I purchased makes 48 1/2 cup servings. I translate this to 12 pounds equivalent ground beef… or 83 cents a pound. It is also economical because requires no refrigeration and you only cook the amount you need… so waste is minimal if you plan. It also requires less fuel to cook than ground beef. If you’re in Houston, there is a group ordering from Emergency Essentials this month. If you want in the group order so you don’t have to order 6 cans, leave a comment and I’ll email you.
Here’s the recipe for my TVP enchiladas, although not much of one.
Hydrate your TVP. Heat corn tortillas in small amount of oil until they will roll without breaking, but not too long or they will become crisp. Roll TVP in tortilla and repeat until you have about 8 in your pan. Sprinkle remaining TVP on top of enchiladas. I topped with velveeta from my pantry. Heat until cheese is melted and bubbly. Cost for 8 large enchilada was about $3.00. If you’re serving to adults, add hot pickled peppers on top. You could also add sour cream to the TVP for a creamier texture.
Kid review. We had for lunch today. This kids ate it pretty good. Maggie liked it and Bethany ate it. Shea was distracted and will suffer from hunger pains later. Keep in mind that casserole dishes are not a hit in our house, so this dish being liked/tolerated was a big deal for me. I’m working on retraining bad habits “I” created and today was a step forward.
I’ve been stocking my pantry with dried fruits and veggies the last 6 months. Now that I have these supplies, I am learning to use them in my everyday cooking. It is easy to be a good cook with fresh dairy, produce and meats. It is harder to make “just as good” dishes from your pantry. However, after Ike I became determined to learn. I want our family to have some normalcy during times when / if we can’t get groceries. The time to learn these skills is before the event… not during the event.
Being a good pantry cook can bring comfort to family, friends and neighbors who have lived off cans of high sodium soup and chips. I have a gas stove top and had fuel during our 2 week elect outage during Ike. Had I had these pantry cooking skills before the storm and my pantry been better prepared, life would have been more pleasant. Instead, we lived on canned green beans, canned chili, prepacked pasta mixes and freezer items as they thawed. This may sound OK, but it was very different than our normal meals. Packaged stuff is not the same as home cooked. And the ingredients are different – more preservatives and salt. So you have stress from the situation and your body is also reacting to a change in diet. Not good.
Today I experimented with dried apples for the first time and they were great. You toss a couple of handfuls of dried apples into boiling water and they plump up / become soft. I drained the water, added butter, brown sugar and cinamon. Used this as a fruit compote to top whole wheat pancakes. I made the pancakes from whole wheat, buttermilk powder, sugar, baking powder/soda and an egg. I have egg powder I could use if we don’t have fresh eggs. I wrapped the apples in a pancake and it tasted just like apple pie. So so good.
These required no prep except boiling water. Much easier than using fresh. And I could not taste the difference. I could tell from the texture these will be great in apple crisps and apple pie. We also eat them dried as a chip snack.
Here’s a couple of pics: one of the apples cooking and one of hubby’s plate to take to work.
Last week I made a meal that my whole family raved over, which caught me by surprise. I was surprised b/c they usually don’t rave over soup. This one was a hit. I’ll be using this again. I’ve been looking for quick meals b/c we’re about to start school. This year I’ll be formally teaching 3 instead of 2, so I’ll be busier than last year.
I had a leftover steak that would have served one. I needed a meal and didn’t have anything else thawed, so I had to stretch this steak to five people. At first I was going with stew. But then I decided to give it an Italian flare instead. I had a carton of beef broth I had purchased on clearance, three roma tomatoes that were very ready to be eaten and steak. I heated up the broth, added a handful of dried onions, Italian seasoning, dried chopped garlic and dried parley, then brought to a boil. Then tossed in small cubes of beef and spiral pasta. Fresh spinach tossed in at the last minute would have been a nice addition for green food, but I was out.
My family likes soup better with fewer ingredients. When I make something that has a ton of different colors and textures, they pick at the food. Simplicity is best in our home… when it comes to food. Tip number 2: don’t think you have to make 5 gallons of soup. I tend to make too much and we don’t eat it leftover. Usually b/c the soup is from a leftover. So I started making mine in a smaller pot so I don’t waste
The part of the meal that kicked it to the top was fresh bread. If you don’t have time for a loaf, skip to a flat or peasant bread and dipping sauce. I made a rosemary peasant bread that was wonderful. It is very similar to the bread they serve at Macaroni Grill. I also made a dipping sauce with grated parm cheese, olive oil, dried herbs and course black pepper.
We’ve been in our house 2 years and the built-in pantry shelves were about to fall down. We finally decided to take them out and put up steel shelving. We had three freestanding steel shelves custom made by a guy in Brookshire Texas for $240. They are huge and simple to put together.
This weekend we are taking out the old shelves. Now I know why they didn’t hold my can goods. They are made from compressed cardboard…..no joke. I can easily snap the support boards across my knee. Since I’ve been cooking with wheat berries and other bulk foods, our pantry has been a mess. I’ve had most stuff on the floor b/c the shelves would collapse under the weight. And I couldn’t find anything without a major search endeavor. Not anymore. I’m getting 46 sq feet more in shelving and will be able to stack like never before.
My other shelves were only 11 inches deep. Take a look here: http://houstonmom.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/img_0436.jpg . One of the new is 24 inches deep, and the other two are 18 inches deep. Too much of my pantry was walk around space . Builders are not designing houses for people who cook, but for those who keep a few light weight boxes of cereal and bags of Doritos on hand.
Here are the in-progress pics. Don’t drop by this weekend, things are all over the place!
One trick I use to keep our grocery bill down is eggs. This is not a new idea and has been around for years – see video below. Grocery stores run eggs on sale fairly often. At costco you can get 18 eggs for a little under $1.50. I like eggs b/c they are satisfying and don’t leave you empty feeling 30 minutes later. Our family of 5 eats at least 18 eggs per week. Many people don’t eat eggs b/c they think they’ll gain weight. I’m not a nutrition expert or medical professional, but can say (for our family) eggs do not put on the pounds. Eating an egg mcmuffin will add weight, but a boiled egg with homemade wheat toast does not.
I know there are egg Nazis reading this. I don’t eat free range organic eggs or eggs fresh from the farm. And eggs have cholesterol – yes I said that dirty word. If you have the budget to spend $3 plus for a dozen eggs with special omegas, go for it. If you don’t have the money, then eat the eggs on sale at the store and cut out the processed Eggos or packaged nutrigrain bars that have more sugar than wheat. I have a problem with people who refuse to eat eggs b/c of the calories / cholesterol, but then eat processed food or stop at McDonalds on the way to work b/c they don’t have anything healthy in their fridge.
Here’s a few uses for eggs at our house:
Breakfast. I send Dave breakfast to work each morning. (see pic below) If I send him a huge breakfast, then he doesn’t need to spend $$$ on a large lunch. I’d rather pack breakfast than lunch because it is so easy and doesn’t take much time. I usually send 2 eggs with a bread and a fruit. If I have extra time, I’ll make him an omelet packed with veggies. My 5 year old also loves eggs for breakfast and gets to practice using a knife with this dish. I let her cut up her own fried egg with a dull butter knife. I’ll eat 2 eggs for breakfast at least once a week, maybe more.
weekend quiche. About once a month, I’ll make a quiche for the fridge. It is great for mid-morning breakfast or late night snack. And better for you than processed chips. It is our fast food. My husband trains for marathons, so on the weekends he needs the extra calories. This is a quick fix without me being in the kitchen all weekend.
Stretching casseroles. I use eggs as a glue in many of my casseroles such as meatloaf or fried rice. It helps stretch my meat and acts as the glue.
Baked goods such as muffins or pancakes. I like baked goods with lots of eggs to add protein. You get the whole wheat carb and the protein in one bite.
In the depression they used eggs as a meat replacement. Have you see the video of 91 year old Clara making depression egg soup. It is fabulous.
Here’s a pic of Dave’s breakfast this morning. Included: 2 fried eggs, 2 blueberry banana wheat/oat muffins and fresh cantelope. I try to send on a plate he can toss. I line with foil so the plate doesn’t get soggy and the egg stays warm. I also save my plastic containers from butter spread / etc and use from fruit.
Today I’m joining frugal Fridays. Pictures at bottom of post…
One thing I’m incorporating into our meals is pantry cooking. It is economical and rotating your pantry items keeps you from tossing expired food. It also is an option when you don’t have fresh items on hand, but want a home cooked meal. There are so many frugal reasons to cook using your pantry items.
With couponing and getting ready for hurricane season, I have a plethora of pantry items. However, I’m not accustomed to cooking from the pantry, but have relied on fresh items for my recipes. That is changing and I will be a gourmet cook with canned items soon. One recipe that inspired me was the Prudent Homemaker’s Creamy Chicken Enchiladas. I modified this recipe for seafood enchiladas. A couple of months ago I stocked up on canned crab and shrimp at a Walgreens sale. I also purchased a large bag of corn tortillas and rebagged into smaller portions for future use -storing in freezer.
The thing I like about the Prudent Homemaker’s recipe is that it does not call for sour cream and is still creamy. Since I didn’t have any thawed meat and was out of sour cream, it was a good time to experiment.
Rating: Hubby liked it and would have this dish again. I also enjoyed the meal. Little kids who are picky would not enjoy this. It was not as good as using fresh cream and fresh seafood, but for using mostly items from my pantry it was 4 stars.
Recipe:
I combined 3/4 can of chicken soup and a can of evap milk into a bowl. I added about 2 tablespoons of dried onion flakes and a dash of garlic powder. Then I soaked 4 tortillas in this mixture. You could stretch this to make 6 enchiladas.
In another bowl combine shrimp and crabmeat (both drained). Add 1/4 can of cream of chick soup. Season with parsley, garlic and pepper.
Wrap seafood mixture with tortillas to make enchiladas. Place in baking dish. Pour sauce mixture and top with cheese. I used fresh cheese, but also have freeze dried cheese I could use if my refrig was out. Bake for about 20 minutes. It would also be good topped with fresh chopped green onions and cilantro.
Do Cheetos count??? Really this is scary – info about GM food. It hits home with me b/c our daughter has severe eczema and asthma. I can’t help believe stuff like this is part of our problem. Read full article here. Below is the first paragraph.
On May 19th, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.”[1] They called for a moratorium on GM foods, long-term independent studies, and labeling. AAEM’s position paper stated, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They conclude, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation,” as defined by recognized scientific criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.”
Here’s a new video of my friend who runs a veggie coop. I’m not a vegan or vegatarian, but I still love this coop. The food is fabulous and the cause is worthy. She is trying to increase the demand for local farmers to grow food close to home. It tastes different. A bell pepper tastes like the one my grandpa used to grow.
The food in the supermarket is just not the same as what used to come out of my grandparent’s garden. I grew up in a small town in deep East Texas. Back then, many people gardened, canned, hunted and fished for their food. I could have cared less and couldn’t wait to get out of the “back woods.” I hated picking green beans or pulling weeds in the hot Texas sun. Now I would love to be back in that life. I can remember running purple-hull peas through the sheller and the kitchen smelling like fresh peas and ham. Yum. Yum.
Then I moved to the city and started a new life chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Married a wonderful man and have great kids. When I went back home, my grandpa called the girls the concrete kids. It is so true. Most kids in Houston are concrete kids. They have no idea how food is grown and how much work / skill it takes.
We’re in trouble because we’ve lost this good growing knowledge close to home and our country is a net importer of food. Can you believe the United States of America does not grow enough food to feed its people? That is a travesty.
Today I’m joining lifeasmom for frugal friday. Summer is great for sweets, especially cold treats. We used to visit the local ice cream shop that charges $3+ per scoop. After I left the work force, we changed to the Dairy Queen. Now we take the kids to the grocery store when there is an ice cream sale and let them each pick out their own tub, which costs the same as a trip to dairy queen but gives more ice cream. We also make this an ice cream only visit to the grocery store so the experience is a little more special than regular grocery shopping.
Another cold treat I made this week was lemon ice box pie. While we were on vacation, we ate out a couple of times. My husband ordered key lime pie, which was about $6 per slice. I can make a whole pie for less than that. I had lemon on hand so we had lemon instead of lime. Both pies are similar. It is so simple and perfect on a hot day with a cold glass of tea. I had the can of milk and other items in my pantry or fridge from sales/coupons, so this cost maybe less than $3 to make.
Lemon Ice Box pie
First start with the crust. It is much cheaper to make the crust than to buy the ready made. In addition you get a pretty pie. You can get a box of graham crackers (store band is fine) for a little over a dollar. Each box comes with three sleeves. Crush one sleeve and had 1/2 stick of melted butter or margarine and 1/4 cup of sugar. Press this into your pie plate and bake at 350 for 6 minutes.
For the pie, I used a meringue topping.
Start with three eggs. Seperate the yolks from the whites. Set whites aside. Beat yolks until creamy. Add one can of sweetened condensed milk and juice from 3 lemons. Beat these together until blended. Only three ingredients for pie filling!!! Pour into crust.
Rinse out your bowl and add egg whites. Beat until stiff. Then add one teaspoon of cream of tartar. (this is from the spice section, not dairy section. first time I shopped for it as a young bride I looked all over the dairy section for this stuff:) ) Then add in a tablespoon of sugar and beat. Keep adding sugar until it is as sweet as you like. I used about 4 tablespoons.
Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, or until top starts browning. Let cool and place in fridge. Serve chilled. Yum Yum.
Today was a bread day. Normally I make 5 loaves (recipe here) which will last my family a week, however it is so hot that whenever I heat my oven I’m trying to get the most bang for my buck. So I increased my bread production to 9 loaves. I also made whole wheat orange cranberry muffins.
For the orange muffins (recipe here) I substituted ground pumpkin seeds for flax seed. I also added dried cranberries. They turned out great.
I grind my wheat berries and make this stuff from scratch. It is not really saving money because bread is pretty inexpensive in the store. That is if you buy store brand or other mass produced brands. Of course if you get a loaf from Whole Foods bakery you’ll need to give them your first born. Since I was not getting gourmet bread at Whole Foods, my bread bill has not gone down. However, the nutrition content is gone way up. When you grind your own wheat you get all the goodness from the grain. Much of the ground whole wheat flour in the supermarket has the good parts removed. Here’s a little info about the wheat grain – see here for full article:
The three main parts are:
Bran
The outer coating or “shell” of the wheat kernel is made up of several layers. These layers protect the main part of the kernel. Bran is rich in B vitamins and minerals.
Endosperm
This is the main part of the wheat kernel and represents about 80% of the kernel weight. It is from this part that white flour is milled. The endosperm is rich in energy-yielding carbohydrate and important protein.
Germ or Embryo
This part grows into a new plant if sown. The germ lies at one end of the grain and represents only 2% of the kernel. It is a rich source of B vitamins, oil, vitamin E and natural plant fat. It needs to be removed during milling because the fat is liable to become rancid during flour storage. Wheat germ is still very valuable though and is used in many products.
Making bread from the grain can be messy. See what my kitchen looked like….
But then you have this… I loaf already eaten and one given away.
Posted by Kris 
Posted by Kris 
Posted by Kris 
