It’s Monday once again. Back to school, back to work, and back to the eternal question: “What the heck am I going to make for supper that I can get on the table before someone gnaws a hole in the couch?” “Oh. And yeah. I’d like to get a vegetable in there, somewhere.”

My answer? Taco Salad.

Surprise! It’s vegan! Wait! Don’t run away! First the recipe, then my notes (which includes non-vegan/vegetarian substitutions).

Vegan Taco Salad
(makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup ground beef-flavored TVP (textured vegetable protein)

2 cups hot water

1 16 oz. jar of your favorite salsa (I used Oxford Falls Fried Green Tomato Salsa – a tomatillo-based salsa)

1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Mixed salad greens

Riceworks Sea Salt Brown Rice Crisps

1 large tomato, diced

Tofutti “Better Than Sour Cream”

Preparation:

In a large frying pan over high heat, pour the water and TVP, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Add the salsa, canned diced tomato, and beans, stir well, and allow to cook until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 10 – 15 minutes.

Assembly:

In a large bowl – I like my flat soup bowls – place a bed of the salad greens. Take a large handful of the chips (count out a serving size, if you like), and crush in your hands, sprinkling them over the greens.

Spoon the chili over the salad greens/chips. Top with a tablespoon of the Tofutti “Better Than Sour Cream” and the fresh diced tomato.

Notes:

No, we haven’t given up meat. I guess we’ve always been “flexitarians” before there was actually a name for it. All that means is that we have vegetarian meals a few days a week. That’s just the way we’ve always been, without giving it any thought. Our use of TVP actually grew out of a desire to find non-meat substitutions for dishes we wanted to cook in which you can’t get around the dairy ingredients, in my kosher kitchen.

This is one of the variations of my 15 minute chili / sloppy joes. Okay, so you don’t have to make it vegan, but in the spirit of environmentalism and the movement to eat more meatless meals, I urge you to try it. All of the ingredients are easily available in natural foods markets or online, and this is one painless and delicious introduction to that exercise.

If you keep kosher, feel free to use dairy sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. TVP is certified kosher / pareve.

To make this with meat, substitute the TVP and water for one pound of ground beef. Brown the ground beef and then add the rest of the ingredients as indicated. You can use any tortilla chips and dairy sour cream for your toppings.

To quote the old commercial: “Try it, you’ll like it!”

*Disclaimer: I have not been paid or otherwise induced to use the named products. I use them because I like them. So there.