TVP Nuggets.

A less than appetizing name for a delicious dish. Anyway, I made these on a whim a few weeks ago at a friend's house and I have to admit that the first batch may have come out better than the one featured in this post. I figured I'd post this recipe anyway because it's super versatile and easy enough for weeknight cooking. Plus, you can sneak lots of veggies into these little nuggets of joy and still feel like you're eating junk food. All very good things in my book. This recipe is always vegetarian, easily vegan (and based on this one). Wondering what TVP is? You can read up about it here.

Ingredients, steps and variations after the jump!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of Textured Vegetable Protein, rehydrated (try using veggie broth)
• 4 eggs or egg replacer
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of spinach, minced
• 1/2 zucchini, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (try Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds)
• 1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash of ground red pepper (I like things spicy)
• refined cooking spray for high heat

Steps:

1. Put the veggies and rehydrated TVP in a medium to large bowl. Add Bragg's and seasonings and adjust to your taste.
2. Add in eggs or egg replacer and mix well. All of the ingredients should be moist and coated.
3. Stir in the flour and cheese and incorporate everything together one last time.
4. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.
5. Using a tablespoon, drop a spoonful of batter into the frying pan.
6. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on that side or until golden brown, then flip it and press down slightly to even out the thickness of each nugget.
7. Once the nugget is golden brown on both sides, crack one open to make sure it's cooked in the middle. If not, turn down the heat a notch and keep cooking.

Warning: this makes a LOT of nuggets. I'd say roughly 4-6 servings. Great for dipping in ketchup or honey mustard. You can also put the leftovers in the fridge and reheat the next day (30 or so seconds in the microwave).

Also, this is just one variation. The first time I made these I used minced onion and orange pepper and curry powder in place of the spinach, zucchini, and garlic. I'm pretty sure these would be delicious just corn and cheese too.