Vegan Almond Buffet Casserole

4-1/2 cups water

1 cup rice

2 cups reconstituted TVP

2/3 cup slivered blanched almonds, divided

2 tbsp veggie "chicken" seasoning

1-1/2 cups chopped celery

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Bring water and seasoning to boil in a large saucepan. Add rice, cover and reduce heat, boil gently 25 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Combine TVP, onion and green pepper. Saut� in small amount of oil until tender.

Add rice and 1/2 cup almonds to the vegetables. Mix well. Pour into 2 quart casserole. Sprinkle with remaining almonds.

Bake at 350� for 30 minutes.

Serves: 8

Note: TVP stands for Textured Vegetable Protein. It is made from defatted soybeans. It comes in chunks, slabs, or more commonly, granules (which look like Grape Nuts cereal). It is extremely nutritious and has almost no fat. It comes dry, so it may need to be rehydrated before use in some recipes. Use it wherever you would normally use hamburger meat (chili, sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce)