Lunch Time

This is probably one of the ugliest meals I've ever made, but undoubtedly it's also one of the tastiest. I take it with me to school most weekdays, just because it's a basic and flavourful way to get some high-quality protein into my daily food intake. Essentially, I make a sweet, spicy and ever so slighty tangy mixture with some dehydrated TVP granules, spices and BBQ sauce, then I stick it in a tupperware container on an ice pack. Another container carries an embarrassingly large amount of leafy greens (either lettuce or baby spinach) that I crack some garlic pepper all over before sealing it up. At school, I dump the TVP onto the lettuce and eat away - boom: insta-meal! I've given this recipe out to a few people along the way, and heard good things, so I figured it was blog-worthy, even though it's not the belle of the ball in the looks category.

Sloppy Joe Salad

Serves 1
1/3 cup TVP granules
pinch salt
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 tsp hickory-flavoured liquid smoke
black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp low-sugar BBQ sauce
2 tbsp low-sugar ketchup
1 tbsp water
pinch ground ginger
pinch cayenne pepper
Lettuce, for serving

1. In a small bowl, combine TVP and salt.
2. Stir in boiling water, liquid smoke, pepper and garlic powder, let sit 10 minutes.
3. Combine BBQ sauce, ketchup, remaining tbsp water, ginger and cayenne powder, stirring smooth.
4. Add to rehydrated TVP and allow to sit 15 minutes.
5. Refrigerate until needed, or serve immediately.
6. Serve chilled or room temperature over a bed of lettuce.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 121.0

Total Fat: 0.0 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 477.4 mg

Total Carbs: 13.4 g

Dietary Fiber: 4.8 g

Protein: 15.1 g

On a slightly prettier note, check out Andrew's lunch today: grilled cheese a la carrots (with purple carrots, too!!). I wonder if it tasted as good as it looked?? More carroty goodness tomorrow though, as I begin to massacre the haul!