TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE MEATLESS NACHOS

There is some information to know before using this recipe. It calls for TVP, which is Textured Vegetable Protein; it is a great source of Fiber and has NO fat, IF you buy the correct one.

Read labels, what you want to see is TVP and at the most, caramel color, if you can find the white or blonde color, all the better!


On average, TVP per cup has about 250 Calories and that’s one cup DRY, before re-hydrating it. It has 50g of Protein, 28g of Carbs and 16g of Fiber. Also, the best TVP for this recipe is the fine granule type, as it closely resembles ground beef, it also comes in chunks.

So when you use it in recipes that I provide here on the Blog, they are DRY measurements.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE MEATLESS NACHOS 

This Recipe is based on a Serving for ONE… to adapt it, measure the ingredients prior to hydrating.

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 Cup (approx. 40g) TVP (dry)
2/3 Cup Boiling Water
20g Calorie Reduced Cheddar Cheese
**Nacho Chips – (no more than 200 Calories)
Black Olives Sliced thin (Optional) 2 Tbsps
3 tsp of Plain Organic Yogurt (replaces Sour Cream)
1/3 Cup of Salsa
Iceberg Lettuce Chopped (FREE FOOD)
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
½ tsp Garlic Powder

INSTRUCTIONS:
Slice Olives, grate cheese, and chop the lettuce. Put each into separate bowls. Based on the information below for your nacho chips, lay them out in the plate, you can layer or put them all on the bottom.

Boil the kettle. Put the seasonings and TVP into a mixing bowl and when the water is boiled, pour 2/3 cup over the seasonings and TVP. Stir well and then cover with a plastic wrap and let stand for about 10 or so minutes.

Stir again and if you need to add a bit more water, do so and stir again and serve.

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I use the Yogurt in place of Sour Cream, it has no where near the amount of fat found in Sour cream, even in the reduced and there is no taste or texture difference.

** Regarding Nacho Chips, use as Natural, a blue corn or yellow corn that is low in sodium and fat. The caloric intake should be around or less than 8 calories per chip. To figure this out, take the amount of chips listed for the serving and divide it into the calories.

ADAPTATIONS: you can add onion flakes prior to re-hydrating and you can use a single flat bread under 100 Calories to make Burritos as well. Just cut the bread in 1/2. (Pictured below Nachos)

EXAMPLE if the bag/box says that 30 chips is 360 Calories, then each chip is worth 12 Calories. This is too high, again, you are looking for about 7-8 or less per chip.

RE-HYDRATING INSTRUCTIONS: Equal parts of TVP and equal parts of Water or Liquid, if you use seasonings, they will take a bit of the water as well so you might want to add a bit more, adjust slowly and after about 5-10 minutes. If you keep it covered while it rehydrates, it locks in the heat which provides some condensation back into the TVP. TVP can be re-hydrated with any liquid and it will absorb that flavor because it has no flavor of its own. It can be used to create Meatless dishes such as; Meat Balls, Hamburgers, Soup, Chili, and Stew. Experiment and have fun!

*Layers in this picture: chips, the meat, the lettuce, salsa, yogurt, cheese and black olives.*