The Gourmet Mama

While my husband would be thrilled to eat meat every meal of every day, I try to be a little more conservative and on occasion, I even sneak a little TVP (textured vegetable protein) past him. Now, the TVP that we have access to here is very basic, dried nuggets of protein that have a slightly odd taste, so you need to really know what to do with it to make it edible.

These patties were born out of necessity and surprisingly, my husband didn’t even realize that I had used “fake” meat in them! The trick is to use other flavors which cover up any remaining soy taste. Whether you want to save money or just need a vegetarian substitute for hamburger patties, these work very well.

Quick and Easy TVP Patties

Makes 1 dozen

3 c. rehydrated TVP (rehydrate using vegetable broth if possible)

4 eggs

1/2 c. flour

3 T. red pepper, minced

1 small onion, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 c. carrots, finely grated

1/4 c. spinach, minced

salt and pepper

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Toss everything except the eggs and flour in a large bowl. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

Add eggs and beat the mixture until well mixed. Stir in flour. It should be about the consistency of pancake batter.

Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Drop 1/4 c. of batter into the hot frying pan and spread out slightly with a spoon to equal thickness. Cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook until golden on the other side. You can break a patty open to check if the egg is cooked in the middle. If not, lower your heat slightly.

We ate these with tortillas and guacamole, but you could easily substitute them for hamburger patties with bread and ketchup.