Treasure of the Soya Madre [Video]

Burgers?! We ain’t got no burgers…I don’t have to cook no burgers… we don’t need no steenking burgers!!!  Vamanos, muchachos!!

Soy Crumble & Bean Burritos with Spanish Rice

The spices and flavoring of this recipe actually comes from HaveCakeWillTravel.com, but instead of using vital wheat gluten, I make a few minor changes, and do it the lazy way using unflavored TVP (Soy Crumbles). Which, as I mentoned, you can get at Carlo’s Produce on Washington Blvd. (no excuses now, this is not a difficult ingredient to find!). It comes in a cellophane bag labeled “Carne de Soya.”

Burritos:
1 to 1-1/2 C. Soy Crumbles
2-3 C. water
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. paprika (I like smoked paprika)
2 t. chili powder (I usually use a little more)
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 C. or more chunky salsa
Chopped onion (to taste)
Chopped green pepper (to taste)
Chopped chilis (to taste)
A little minced garlic (to taste)
1 can of vegetarian refried beans (optional – Frijoles? You ain’t gotta add frijoles… I’m not gonna force you to eat frijoles…)

Put a little oil in a good-size skillet and saute your vegetables and garlic. Add the spices and salsa, and cook over med heat for a few minutes, until the veggies are well-coated and everything is mixed. Add water and soy crumbles, and simmer until most of the moisture is absorbed, and the crumbles are re-constituted and “meaty.” At this point, you can add a little more oil if you want to “brown” the mixture a bit more.

You can either add the beans to this mixture, and heat through, or heat the beans separately, or omit them if you want. Whatever’s clever.  Serve on whole grain tortillas.

Spanish Rice:
2 T. oil
1/2 a chopped onion
chopped chilis and green peppers if you like them
1 cup chunky salsa
1 1/2 C. uncooked white rice
2 C. Vegetable broth

Heat the oil in a large skillet or pan, and saute the veggies until they’re soft. Stir in the uncooked rice, and continue to cook until the rice begins to brown. Add the salsa and broth, and simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. I have also made this before with brown rice (it’s healthier and a much more suitable option for diabetics) – if you want to go with brown rice you just need to adjust your cooking time and maybe add a little more liquid.

I like to garnish the whole thing with Sour Supreme (non-dairy, vegan sour cream), avocados, and more salsa.

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