Textured Soy Protein to Replace Meat in Your Diet

Textured soy protein helps us prepare more elaborate recipes in our diets, while replacing animal products.

A new dietary trend that is gaining increasingly more attention is the avoidance of meat and other animal products. And so, to maintain a good level of protein intake, people are looking for plant-based products such as textured soy protein. Do you know what it is?

What is textured soy protein?

Soy has entered the market as a common product nowadays. And, textured soy protein (TSP) is the latest form of this food that helps us include it in our diets.

This is the vegetable protein extracted from the soy and then it’s textured. Thereby making it an ideal substitute for animal protein, such as meat, poultry, and fish. However, its texture and taste are closer to that of red meat.

Now, let’s talk about an important aspect aside from its taste: its nutritional value. We may find anywhere between 20 to 21 grams of protein in 100 grams of soy, 21 percent of protein is a good amount. Additionally, it’s low in fat and calories, making it ideal if you want to lose weight.

This food is good for everyone, but especially for athletes, because it has enough protein content to help increase muscle mass. It comes in three different forms: fine textured, thick textured, and fillet. However, its appearance is similar to ground meat and it’s easy to cook.

Before using it to cook with, you must soak it in cold water for about 20 minutes, and then drain it. We can make many types of recipes with it. For example, you may use it as a substitute for ground beef in pasta or in burgers and “meat” balls.

Textured soy recipes

With all this information, surely you are ready to try it! And so, here are some delicious recipes with textured soy protein that you’ll love.

Spinach and soy burgers

Once you’ve hydrated and drained the soy, put it in a bowl and for every 7 ounces of soy, add:

• 1 egg
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• parsley to taste
• bread crumbs, to give it the right texture for burgers

In case you don’t want to use bread, you can substitute this for oatmeal.

Then add salt, pepper, and any other condiment you like, such as cumin or ginger and mix it all together. After that, add spinach to the mix. If you feel the need to hydrate it a little more, add plant-based milk.

Next, you’ll need to make the patties, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for at least two hours.

You could also use this recipe to make “meat” balls. All you’ll have to do is change the shape, add other vegetables and serve it with potatoes, rice or quinoa.

Textured soy with vegetables

You can choose any vegetables you like, here are some options:

• Green, red and yellow bell peppers
• Zucchini
• Leeks
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• White or Red onions
• Garlic

Sautee the vegetables in coconut oil, add salt, pepper, ginger and soy sauce. Then, add the textured soy protein and cook it for a few minutes. And finally, add some vegetable cream when serving, to give it a more tender texture.

Lasagna

Wouldn’t you love to eat a delicious lasagna that is also low in calories? Well, here it is!

Sautee some chopped onions with pepper, garlic, diced carrots, and diced tomatoes. Cook it well and make sure there is an abundance of tomato paste.

For this recipe, you only need to hydrate the textured soy protein for 10 minutes, instead of 20 minutes. Then add it to the previously made sauce.

To make the lasagna, start by putting a layer of pasta and a layer of pasta for lasagna. Repeat this until it reaches the top of the container.

Make a light bechamel sauce with coconut oil, oatmeal (or cornmeal) and plant-based milk. Add it on top of the lasagna and place it in the oven for half an hour at 390 degrees Fahrenheit.

As you can see, with some imagination and basic ingredients we can make a delicious and nutritious meal free from animal protein. You will be meeting your recommended protein intake with these recipes. Give them a try!