ANKENY, Iowa — Americans eat more than 50 billion burgers each year, with grilled burgers being a summertime staple at picnics, parties and backyard barbecues. The Soyfoods Council reminds burger fans everywhere that Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) granules can enhance the burgers you grill this season with high-quality plant protein. The shelf-stable plant protein (also known as Textured Soy Protein or TSP) is a fiber-rich, zero-fat food. TVP has a naturally mild flavor that takes on the flavor of ingredients it is mixed with, such as ground beef, turkey or plant protein ground beef alternatives.
TVP typically supplies approximately 8.75 grams of high-quality plant protein per ¼ cup serving. In addition, other soyfoods such as miso and silken tofu can help you create memorable meals when grilling.
• Create your own burger blends using TVP. Do-it-yourself protein blends add plant-based protein and can help stretch your food budget. To make ground beef or turkey burger blends, use equal amounts of meat and TVP. You can also stretch plant-based burgers. For example, mix a package of two quarter-pound plant-based patties with ½ cup TVP, one egg, onion powder and garlic powder and 2 Tablespoons soybean oil. Chill the blend in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before forming into patties.
• Flavor your foods with miso. Add umami (savory taste) to your burgers and sides by adding miso paste—white, yellow or red. This traditional Japanese ingredient is soybean paste fermented with rice, barley or other grains and adds approximately two grams of protein per 2 Tablespoon to your recipes. Miso is widely available in the refrigerated section at many supermarkets.
For meaty mixes and burgers, discover how miso creates great accompaniments. For Mushrooms and Miso Burger Topping, sauté chopped mushrooms of choice with chopped onion in a bit of soybean oil. At the end of cooking, stir in one or two teaspoons of white or red miso. White miso offers a milder flavor, while red miso complements robust meats. Create Miso Mayonnaise for a condiment by adding 2 Tablespoons of white miso to one cup of mayonnaise. Serve grilled corn on the cob with White Miso Butter. Simply stir white miso paste into softened butter. Add fresh herbs such as basil or parsley if desired.
• Update burger side dishes with soyfoods. Tweak baked beans by making Calico Beans that combine a can of baked beans, a can of black soybeans and a package of frozen shelled edamame. Bake with maple syrup or barbecue sauce; add bacon or turkey bacon, if desired. Miso Meets Zaatar Potato Salad is a another contemporary side dish, made with cubed redskin potatoes in a dressing featuring rice vinegar, soybean oil, white miso, zaatar seasoning, fresh parsley, minced shallots, a teaspoon of honey and ½ tsp. toasted sesame oil. Alternately, for a closer-to-classic Tofu Potato Salad, stir soft silken tofu into mayonnaise.
If you’re looking for ways to incorporate more soyfoods and high-quality plant protein into your diet, The Soyfoods Council can help with its new digital cookbook, Really Fast, Really Easy, Really Good: Plant-based recipes made with shelf-stable soyfoods. Visit The Soyfoods Council website to download your free copy: https://www.
The Soyfoods Council website also provides more recipes, tips for cooking with soyfoods, research updates on soyfoods and health, and resource information about ways to incorporate more plant protein into your diet.
Calico Beans
1 (16-oz.) can baked beans
2 (15-oz.) can black soybeans, rinsed and drained
1 (12-oz.) package frozen shelled edamame
1 cup maple syrup or barbecue sauce
1/4 cup cooked pork or turkey bacon, broken into small pieces
Combine baked beans, black soybeans, edamame, syrup or barbecue sauce and turkey bacon pieces in 4- to 5 1/2-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours). If necessary, stir in 1/2 cup water to desired consistency.
IF doing in oven, combine ingredients and put into oven safe pan in at 250 F.
Stir every 20 minutes and continue to cook until heated though and ingredients are blended well.
Tofu Potato Salad
2 large, cooked potatoes, cut up into bite-sized pieces
8 oz. firm tofu, drained, crumbled
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. honey
2 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
2 T. chopped pickles
2 T. diced dried green pepper
1 c cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
Garnishes- white pepper and paprika
Mix all and garnish with white pepper and paprika.
Yield: 4 servings
— The Soyfoods Council
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