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These TVP tacos will completely change your mind about using alternative proteins!! The filling is a mixture of textured vegetable protein, mushroom, and walnuts seasoned with a savory marinade, then cooked until golden brown. Serve on corn tortillas topped with chopped cilantro, onion, and your favorite salsa.
Street tacos bring back so many memories of stumbling home after a night of drinking, then deciding to stop by the taco stand instead. There’s something about street tacos that just hits the spot every time. I don’t know if it’s the shiny tortilla that has been dipped in grease, the crunchiness of the onion, the aromatics of the cilantro, or the creaminess of the avocado salsa that makes them so irresistible.
As a vegan, now whenever I visit Mexico, I’m a little bit saddened that I won’t be sitting on a tall stool hunched over a plate of tacos on the closest street corner. So what’s the next best thing?? Recreating them at home of course!! This is where TVP comes in but….
What is TVP?
TVP stands for textured vegetable protein. It is a processed form of soybeans (the protein is separated from the whole soybeans) that is used as a meat substitute. It has the texture of ground beef but has no real flavor itself. This is actually a good thing because it means that it absorbs the flavor of the marinade or seasoning.
Where can I find TVP?
You can find it at your local grocery store. Bob’s Red Mill produces TVP 
and it is usually in the aisle with the other Bob’s Red Mill flours. If you have access to a Mexican market you can find it there too, usually sold in bulk bins.
The Recipe: TVP Tacos
- I decided to add mushrooms and walnuts to this to add a more meaty texture and flavor, that being said, both are optional. You can make this recipe with only textured vegetable protein.
- If you want this to be truly authentic you need to add a little bit of oil to your griddle or comal when you heat up your tortillas.
- I used street taco corn tortillas which are smaller than your regular sized ones, but you can also buy regular-sized corn tortillas, and cut them with a cookie-cutter into a smaller size.
- Check out these recipes for Vegan Baja Fish Tacos, Vegan Rajas con Crema Tacos, and these Potato-Chorizo Tacos.
- Enjoy!
TVP Street Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 cup Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- 3 cups Water
- 1/4 cup Lime juice. fresh
- ½ Onion, white
- 1 Bay leaf
Seasoning Sauce
- ¼ cup Soy sauce
- 2 Garlic cloves
- ¼ Onion, white
- ¼ tsp. Smoked Paprika
- ¼ cup Water
Tacos
- 1 tbsp. Oil
- 1/2 cup Finely chopped walnuts or pecans
- ½ cup Finely chopped Mushrooms
- Small corn tortillas
- ½ cup Chopped white onion
- ½ cup Chopped cilantro
- 2 Limes
- Salsa of your choice
Instructions
- Rinse TVP in cold water. Place TVP in large pot with 3 cups of water, lime juice, onion, and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the TVP is simmering place the soy sauce, garlic cloves, onion, smoked paprika, and water in the blender and process until smooth.
- Drain, rinse, and squeeze out all of the water possible from the TVP.
- Heat a large sauté pan to medium-high heat add 1 tbsp. of oil (optional). Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes, stir often. Add the TVP and the chopped walnuts.
- Continue to cook for 3 – 4 minutes in the pan. Add the seasoning sauce and stir to combine.
- Cook until the meat is golden brown and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 more minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper.
- Heat up tortillas on a griddle or comal coated with a small amount of oil. To assemble the tacos place two tortillas on top of each other place filling in the center and sprinkle with onion and cilantro. Add a splash of lime juice, and your favorite salsa. Repeat this with the rest of the tortillas and filling.
Notes
- I decided to add mushrooms and walnuts to this to add a more meaty texture and flavor, that being said, both are optional. You can make this recipe with only textured vegetable protein.
- If you want this to be truly authentic you need to add a little bit of oil to your griddle or comal when you heat up your tortillas.
- I used street taco corn tortillas which are smaller than your regular sized ones, but you can also buy regular-sized corn tortillas, and cut them with a cookie-cutter into a smaller size.
- Street tacos in Mexico are made with two tortillas each.
Nutrition
Although dorastable.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
This is my first time at your site, and I have to say “thank you!” I was searching for a tvp taco meat recipe, and this exceeded expectations. I’ve sort of stopped being interested in meaty tasting things, but this did taste really meaty, which is a plus in my husband’s book, he was so happy with dinner. It was also my first time making tortillas, which was so much fun. Looking forward to trying many of your other delicious looking recipes!
This one is also a hit with my husband! Thanks for commenting.
These sound great. Just wondering if I can use soy curls in place of the TVP.
I’ve never tried it with soy curls but I think it will work.