Tacos

Tacos are one of the foods I missed when Rach and I became veggies. We found a way to duplicate the ground beef texture...well, actually it's more like Taco Bell meat texture.

You will need:

• Old El Paso taco meal kit (includes taco shells, spice mix and taco sauce)
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cumin 
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup TVP
• vegetable oil
• shredded cheddar  
• 1 tin of black beans

Marinate the beans:
Rinse the black beans and put in a bowl.  Mash a few of the beans.  Add cumin, chili powder, garlic and olive oil.  Stir until all the beans are coated.  Let stand for at least half an hour.

Make the veggie/TVP mix:
In vegetable oil add onion, red pepper, jalapeno, and chili flakes.  When softened add the re-hydrated TVP.  Stir in bean mixture.  Add the spice seasoning mix from the taco kit.  Add some water (about 1/2 cup) and let it simmer down. Add the taco sauce from the taco kit. 

Assembly:
Heat the taco shells in the microwave for 30 seconds.  This makes them nice and crunchy.  Spoon in some veggie/TVP mixture and top with cheese.  You can add any other toppings you might like such as lettuce, chopped tomato and sour cream.  For a vegan version use soy cheese.

It was amazing to bite into a taco and have that meat-like consistency without the guilt.  You won't be disappointed with these!