Who says eating healthy is expensive. TVP is the great equalizer. The problem is where to get it? Dominick’s may have it but nobody seems to know what it is. The Devon Market? Of course they have it. I  was on hold listening to Ambrosia’s “That’s How Much” while they found it. It’s 14oz of Soy Salud, “Textured Soy Strips” for $3.99  which hydrates to 3-4 pounds?  It’s the most cost effective substitute out there. You read online about it and unfortunately get sci-fi descriptions…

From Wikipedia:

Upon exiting the die, superheated steam escapes, rapidly
producing an expanded, spongy yet fibrous lamination of thermoplastic
soy flour which takes on the various shapes of the die as it is sliced
into granules, flakes, chunks, goulash, steakettes (schnitzel), etc.,

Doesn’t
that sound appetizing? It’s structure gonflable similar to popular veggie products: Smart
Ground, phoney baloney, veggie dogs, etc. the difference is that it
costs much less.  We made the standard Lawry’s chili packet recipe and
while in the past we have substituted ground turkey or Smart Ground for
the beef, this time we used TVP. You mix equal parts TVP and water and
soak for 20 minutes. I think I’ll start messing with this a bit to add
some flavor at this part. Then we simply threw it in. Next time it’ll
be fried up with onions, paprika, s&p, and some chili powder first
and then added to the mix. I guess the comparison is adding boiled beef
to everything. Eeew.