Beans & Legumes -
These are the easiest foods to store, they are full of protein, nutrients, and
other good things that you need to survive. There are hundreds of different
types of beans. They can be bought dried or canned. Dried beans last longer,
however they are a bit more difficult to cook because most of them need to be
soaked ahead of time. Besides having to plan 24 hours ahead (or so), beans are
easy to cook. For cooking directions see here. And click here
for recipies.
Texturerized
Vegetable Protein (TVP)- A food product made from soy
beans, It is produced from soy flour after the soybean oil has been extracted,
then cooked under pressure, extruded, and dried. It can then be rehydrated (in
flavour sauces) and has the consistency not unlike ground beef. If stored in
a dry air-tight container it will last indefinitely. TVP can be purchased in
bulk at most health food store, however the best source is the Mail-Order
Catalog, they carry several types (flakes, granules, chunks) and you can
buy it in varying quantities (example - april/99: 1 lb for $2.99, 5 lbs for
$10.95, 25 lbs for $46.95). Shipping is inexpensive ($13 max). Note, they also
carried flavored TVP (beef/chicken) however it's shelf life is only a year.
To make your own flavors, reconsitute it in a broth of soy-sauce and spices
(eg poultry seasoning/garlic/steak seasoning). You can get cookbooks that specialize
with TVP, or subsitute it for ground beef in any recipe. 1 lb of TVP will make
about 12 servings, equal to 3 lbs of ground beef.
Gluten
Flour- makes seitan. Gluten is the protein from wheat,
used in Asian countries for centuries for making meat subsitutesT. It is also
called seitan (gluten cooked in soy-sauce based broth). Unlike TVP, gluten does
not come in preshaped sizes, it can be shaped into any form, including giant
roasts or mock poultry. Gluten can be made by kneeding flour under water, or
by adding water to 'instant gluten flour'. Click
here for directions. he gluten is then baked (like bread), chopped into
pieces, and cooked in a flavourbroth.
Instant Gluten Flour can also be purchased from the Mail-Order
Catalog (1 - 25 lbs $4 - $63). I make my own 'chicken flavour' by mixing
spices (poultry seasoning/ sage/ garlic/ nutritional yeast) in the dried flour
before reconsitution.
