Taco Meat With Hidden Veggies OAMC

Chef #1085588's Note:

Taco meat has so many spices that you can easily hide veggies. This recipe is really low fat, has a lot of protein and all the nutrients of your veggies. Yes, you can see the beans and potatoes and even a little green, but it tates great. Once you get used to the idea, you can make lots of substitutions. When we have fresh veggies or potatoes left over, I just chop them up and throw them in the freezer for next time I make a big batch of taco meat. After we cook a big batch, we freeze meal-sized portions in Ziploc bags. This recipe lasts us about 4 months.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 75

Yield: 15.0 pounds

• 6 lbs extra-lean ground turkey
• 12 cups textured vegetable protein , dry
• 4 potatoes , baked, chopped into small bits
• 3 onions
• 3 carrots
• 2 green peppers
• 4 zucchini
• 3 sticks celery
• 12 ounces salsa
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans , drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can jalapenos , drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies , drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can spinach , drained
• 4 cups taco seasoning
• 2 tablespoons chili powder

Directions:

1. Put the meat in a large pot along with several cups of water (enough to make it like a thick stew).
2. Boil the meat until it is all browned. (boiling makes it easier to make sure that it is cooked all the way through and also gives you smaller chunks of meat).
3. Strain off the extra water.
4. Use a food processor or a cheese shredder to shred onions,carrots, green peppers, zucchini, and celery. Throw the veggie mix in a frying pan and let it cook on low until all the veggies arevery soft.
5. Soak TVP in water to reconstitute according to the directions.
6. Combine meat, TVP, veggies, potatoes, salsa, beans, jalepenos, green chilies, and spinach in the large pot.
7. Add water according to taco mix directions.
8. Add taco mix and chili powder.