Homemade Textured Vegetable Protein
I have revised my homemade TVP recipe. The seasoning below can also be halved and it will still be very flavorful.
After TVP crumbles reached $6 for a one pound bag, I decided to try my hand at creating crumbles from prepared tofu.
Trader Joes and Aldi currently have a pound of tofu for around $2 as does Walmart. Aldi generally beats WM by at least 0.50. This week WM was 2.22 for the least expensive and Aldi was 1.49.
For less than $3 I can make my own but it does take a full hour+ of prep (10 minutes) and baking in the oven and also the time it takes to press the tofu.
Other than dry beans, tofu is one of the cheapest protein sources per pound in this Trump-created economic crisis.
Seasoned TVP crumble from Tofu block
1 lb of firm/super firm tofu- drained dry it with a weight. 14 oz size is ok to use.
Preheat oven to 425F
Mix together
1 TBSP tomato paste
½ TSP Onion Powder
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1 TSP Mushroom Umami Powder**
2 TBSP Vegetable Oil
Couple of shakes of Liquid Smoke
1 TSP Smoked Paprika
2 TBSP of Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce**
1 crushed Veg Bouillon Cube which makes 1 cup, but do not add the water
** either/or both is fine. Reduce by half if lower sodium is needed.
Crumble in one block of tofu, either 14 or 16 ounce is fine.
Mix well to coat everything.
Sprinkle 2 heaping TBSP of Nutritional Yeast across the crumbled, seasoned tofu, adding and mixing as you go.
Cover largest baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out in a single layer.
Cook 20 minutes and toss. Lately I've experimented with removing the parchment paper at this point. I spray the baking sheet in advance so that when the paper is removed the tofu doesn't stick. This browns it a little more.
Cook another 20-30 minutes.
You want them crumbly and a little on the dry side so they hold together better.
When added to a recipe they will absorb some moisture.
If you think it may be too salty, halve the seasonings and eliminate either the liquid aminos or soy sauce and opt for just the mushroom umami seasoning. Like the smoke flavoring and liquid aminos, mushroom umami seasoning is now sold at Walmart!
.jpg)