buddha quesadilla and dolphin tacos

So I haven't stopped making things. I have just made things these past few days that I have already made, such as that hippie grass smoothie, tofu scramble, and DELICIOUS pumpkin spice muffins. Friday night I was way too wiped out from creating bad puns for captions for the newspaper that I decided to make an easy as vegan pie quesadilla. Whole wheat tortilla with vegan cheddar cheese. I added some spinach and spices as well. Here is the picture:

BORING. But what's NOT boring are the TVP tacos I made for lunch today. Textured vegetable protein (TVP) is made from defatted soy flour that's been cooked, extruded, and dried. Basically, it replaces ground beef. This was an excellent recipe--a little spicy, but nothing I couldn't handle. Really, this was very good.

TVP Tacos

1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 TB. garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 (14-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup TVP granules
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. tamari
12 corn taco shells
Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes (or salsa of choice), shredded vegan cheddar cheese (or other flavor of choice), or other toppings of choice

1. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, saute onion and olive oil, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne, and saute for 1 minute.

2. Add crushed tomatoes, TVP, water, and tamari, and stir well to combine. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed and TVP is fully rehydrated. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, bake taco shells according to package instructions. Remove from the oven and set aside.

4. Fill warm taco shells with TVP filling, and top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded vegan cheese, or other toppings as desired. Serve hot.

Variation: You can replace the TVP with 1 cup frozen or refrigerated meatless crumbles or 8 ounces tempeh, crumbled, and only add 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes.

Yield: 12 tacos