Vegetarian Jerky

Bet you never thought this existed.

1/4 cup water

1 1.5-ounce instant oatmeal package

1 1.25-ounce dry onion soup mix package

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 forkfull minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 cup boiling water

1 cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

Pour boiling water over TVP. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Mix water and oatmeal together.

Mix dry soup mix and water together.

Combine oatmeal and onion soup mixes. Add olive oil, sea salt, garlic, and liquid smoke. Allow flavors to blend for at least 15 minutes. I am not sure how this jerky can be considered fat-free if it has oil in it. All well--I guess it will just be "low fat."

The liquid smoke is really cool stuff! And it is made of smoke!

Add TVP.

 Marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. I let it sit overnight.

Form into shapes. Notice that this is done on a plastic dish that sets on top of the dehydrator ring. Otherwise the crumbles would have fell through.

Allow to dry.

 

So how was it?

Not like jerky at all. It did not stick together. It was more like granola. The thing I like most about jerky is it's chewyness, so this product was disappointing. 

But the flavor was good. Really salty--but I am not surprised by that.

My socks for today are only pretty on the bottom. So someone gazing upon them from above would mistakenly find them plain.

Recipe adapted from Just Jerky