Tempeh - it's the new Tofu

Has it really been a month since I posted anything? Oops. I have no real excuse - unless laziness counts. I'll try to be more regular with this... As for your chicken shwarma request Heather, I'm afraid I can't help you out there, what with the chicken and all. I'm sure there are some good recipes online though:)

So today's lesson in vegetarian cookery involves tofu's lesser-known cousin: tempeh. It's basically a cake of fermented soy beans - sounds tasty doesn't it :)- well it is. It can be used in a lot of places you might find tofu or some other soy "meat" replacement; stews, stir fry, sandwich filling, or whatever. I like it a lot and have been experimenting with it over the past few months. I'm going to post two tempeh recipes here today (I made both yesterday, so I think I can remember what I did).

Tempeh "Chicken Salad"
This is another one of Scott's favourites. When I make this, he will actually bring a lunch to work (believe me, that is saying something).

1 cup cubed tempeh
1/2 cup mayo (vegan or not, your choice)
1 tsp mustard
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 dill pickle, diced
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp cayene pepper
2 tsp Braggs* or soy sauce

Steam the tempeh for about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile mix the other ingredients in a bowl. When the tempeh is cooled to room temperature, mix into other ingredients. Serve in sandwiches, pitas, wraps, or as a stand-alone salad.

*Bragg Liquid Aminos is a soy-based sauce that is often a nice replacement for soy sauce or tamari. I use it a lot.

Roasted Vegetables with Marinated Tempeh

The brussel sprouts were my inspiration for this dish. I was excited to find the mini cabbages at the co-op on Tuesday but was not sure how Scott felt about them (for some reason a lot of people dislike brussel sprouts!). I knew I had a few root veggies lying around and thought that a nice bowl of roasted veggies would be very tasty indeed. I figured Scott could 'work around' the brussel sprouts (turns out he likes them just fine). I like to make sure there is some protein in all of our meals, so decided that I would add tempeh into the mix. It turned out really well.

1 cup cubed tempeh
1 Tbs Braggs (or soy sauce)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
2-3 cups brussel sprouts
1 med sweet potato, cubed
1 med onion, cut in chunks
1/2 yellow squash, cubed
1/2 large beet, cubed
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 Tbs dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
2-3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F. Steam the tempeh for 15 min. Mix Braggs, apple cider vinegar and sesame oil in a bowl. Mix in steamed tempeh and set aside to marinate. Using the same water, steam the brussel sprouts for about 3 min (just enough for them to turn a deeper green). Rinse the brussel sprouts under cold water after steaming them. Toss all the veggies in a large bowl with seasonings and olive oil. Mix in tempeh and remaining marinade. Transfer to a dutch oven or baking dish and cover. Bake at 375 for an hour or so, stirring a couple times.