tvp "cheesy" quesadillas (was "tvp flavoring issue" now with my solution!)
I made a bowl of tvp with the hope of making it "beefy" and good for a taco or quesadilla (only veggie in the house but i like to share!). I added Kitchen Bouquet, fajita seasoning, onion salt (maybe a bit too much of this it turned out a bit saltier than i expected), soy sauce (tiny bit), and black pepper. It needed a bit of zing so I added a bit of chipotle sauce from a can of chipotles. at first it didn't seem enough so i added double the amount. now it's um...a bit too spicy. i suspect there is little that can be done about the spiciness..maybe mixed with some canned chopped tomatoes or fresh tomato? and then mix with "cheese"? oh and maybe add some nutritional yeast to the tvp? i'd like my kids to like it too, but if it's too spicy they won't touch it. maybe mash up some black beans (or maybe i have a can of refried in there somewhere) and mix a little bit of that in (i have A TON of beans in my house but I can seldom make them taste palatable).
i suppose i should have just looked up a recipe but usually i can do this on my own. haha. just looking for any additional ideas or advice? i'll browse recipes to see if there are some ideas i can use. :) ( i think the reason it's not working out quite as planned as I don't usually try to take a mexican route with tvp, i usually make it more "asian" or for pasta)
thanks guys and gals! *hugs*
oh! one more question. my mom also sent me bags of several different sizes of tvp (like "chicken" chunks, etc). however most of them are unflavored. i've been vegetarian for 12 years however i have NEVER tried to make tvp "chicken like" in flavor. any tips on how to do that? thanks!
If you have access to the "un-chicken" broth granules, mix some of those in.
For the spice, yeah, serving with something really bland like plain beans or potatoes or rice would help.
If your kids are picky and yet contrary, like my hubby, serving it and saying, "I don't think you'll like this" will usually assure clean plates. Because people love to prove you wrong! LOL
hrm i haven't ever seen "un-chicken" granules here. :( maybe i can find a place to order them.
for the tvp, i came up with a solution that made everyone happy. when i get the recipe down I will veganise it for the website! however, here's a brief run down of what i did. i'm not vegan (ovo-lacto) but i was vegan for a couple of years so i KNOW this can be easily made vegan! the kids were so INCREDIBLY thrilled with what i came up with that they rushed to help me make this again this morning. :) this can easily be made to suit your tastes. i'll go ahead and go with vegan standards as i write this:
i put a BIG spoonful of cream cheese in a bowl (tofutti should work)
then I put it in the microwave just long enough to make it a bit saucy (10-15 seconds, but watch it).
took it out of the microwave and stirred in half a chopped roma tomato (obviously any tomato works here)
added a few big spoonfuls of the prepared tvp
added shredded cheese (insert your favorite vegan melty cheese here)
if it still isn't "saucy" enough, add either more melted cream cheese OR a spoonful or two of vegenaise, or (i haven't tested this out i just assume it will work) your favorite vegan sour cream.
mix together really well. if too saucy, add some more tvp and/or shredded "cheese"
(at this point my oldest was trying to eat the filling right out of the bowl. i would also say that the filling would make an incredible dip at this point for some good tortilla chips! very decadant. especially if using vegenaise).
place a tortilla on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. spread the mixture on the top of the tortilla (enough to cover but don't make it TOO much filling because when it melts it gets very saucy and you don't want a super hot mess falling all over you when you eat this! unless you are into that sort of thing.) put another tortilla over the top and press down to stick them together.
put in the oven at 350 until the filling is warm and the cheese melty (took around 7 minutes or so for me).
take out of the oven, use a spatula to press the tortilla down again to make sure it's all stuck together. cut into pieces with a pizza cutter. let cool for a few minutes and then pig out!
(this can also be put together and then cooked in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat until the cheese melts, turning over from time to time to make sure the tortilla gets nice and toasty!)
like i said, i will measure this out to be more accurate for those who need to follow a recipe to a T. for those of you who don't mind guesstimating your food a little, give it a shot!
other ideas to add into the mix:
sauteed chopped peppers (any color you like, i prefer red, yellow and orange)
sauteed chopped sweet onion or red onion
baby spinach
maybe some whole black beans or smashed up beans of choice (or a bit of canned refried beans if that's all you have)
sauteed jalapenos (adjust to spiciness)
my 6 year old had NO clue that this didn't have real beef (funny since i don't ever make him anything with real beef, but other family members do). he was also HORRIFIED when he found out it had fresh tomatoes, but when i asked him if he wanted me to leave them out of his portion, he quickly said "no that's ok, put them in!"
also, if you choose to make this a cold dip, be SURE to include vegenaise, because that gives it the rich dip-like flavor and makes it taste very evil!
oh, one more thing. the tvp that was so spicy i just let sit for about an hour, and once i added it to this recipe, it was no longer hot. if you want super spicy, add more chipotle sauce, or some jalapeno, or other hot sauce of your choice. :)