Tempeh Helper - Just like Mom's

As a child, I remember with great fondness the casserole combos my mom would make so often for our family's dinner. And why not, everyone knows that One-Dish meals are a mom's best friend.  One casserole that came into our weekly rotation quite often was Mac & Cheese, a pound of ground beef and a box of frozen spinach, all tossed together with some shredded cheese melted on top, a kind of "knock-off" Hamburger Helper.

Now, the dish below happened entirely by accident; the result of combining several random recipes all into one.  The outcome: a delicious dish of comfort food that unintentionally pays tribute to the homey casserole from my childhood!

Here's how it's done...  Let's go back

I have tried the Tempeh Helper from the PPK blog:



This was delicious, and truly mimicked the Hamburger Helper from a box (circa early 80s), which was a steadfast staple of my childhood.  One thing I also remember is picking all the meat out, and wishing just once, mom would make it with just the noodles and veggies, and forget the lumps of ground meat.

SO...  I had an entire batch of Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh that I was just dying to crumble into something, AND a fresh batch of homemade "Mac & Cheese" powder from this lovely blog: Our Veggie Kitchen.  Great stuff... Try it out.  It's pretty fantastic!

I cut the directions for the Mac & Cheese four (4) servings in HALF, to make the perfect portion for my casserole.  To make sure the cheese sauce is extra smooth, I pureed the powder with the liquid in my blender before boiling and adding the noodles.  When noodles are cooked, stir in 1 10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed, and 4 triangles of Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh, crumbled. Toss in a small handful (or two) of shredded Daiya cheddar, and you're good to go. ^_^

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh

Cookbook Challenge Week 2 - Veganomicon

Now, if you know anything about me at all, you know I'm a hot sauce fiend.  I have been meaning to try this recipe for some time now...  A.  because it's hot sauce  B. because it's GLAZED.  anything glazed is okay in my book

So, here it is:  Triangles of steamed tempeh, marinated in a tangy, spicy liquid, then grilled to perfection.  I used my super-cool non-stick grill pan! (aren't the grill marks nice)?

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz (VEGANOMICON)

Ingredients

8 ounce package of tempeh
1/2 cup wine (whatever kind you've got on hand, just nothing sweet, or use vegetable broth and a touch of wine vinegar)
1/4 cup hot sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions 

1. Bring a pot of water to boil.
2. Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl large enough to fit the tempeh slices.
3. Cut the tempeh in half width wise then cut each of those squares diagonally to form 4 large triangles. When the water is boiling, add the tempeh, lower the heat and steam for 10 minutes.
4. Use tongs to remove the tempeh and then immediately place them in the marinade bowl for 1 hour, flipping them every now again to cover with the marinade.
5. Preheat a greased grill pan over medium high heat. Brush lightly with olive oil
6. Grill each side for 5 minutes. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let cook for 30 more seconds.

Now, for a chili-head such as myself, one would think this would be my dream recipe.  But, alas, it was not.  I fear I am loosing my taste for whole pieces tempeh, and that makes me very sad.  I am, however, still a HUGE fan of crumbled tempeh (IE Better-Than-Tuna Salad sandwiches)!! 

Let's crumble these triangles up, and make something spicy!!  (All is never lost... Crazy Casserole to follow...)

Bacon with a Vegan - Part II

  

At long last, I have finally made Tempeh Bacon! My bacon adventures began back with Tofu as the main ingredient. This time, I decided to use the new, and slightly improved, Tempeh Bacon recipe found in Vegan Brunch (If you haven't checked it out yet, is probably one of the best cookbooks EVER)!

The ingredient list for the marinade is very basic: soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, garlic and some veggie broth. I sliced my tempeh nice and thin, and mixed up the liquid carefully, letting the strips marinate overnight. I then fried the stips in a little olive oil, adding a bit of the marinating liquid as I went.  The strips browned up nicely, but made one MESS of my stainless steel pan, probably from the maple syrup in the marinade, and the fact that I used ketchup in place of the tomato paste.  Carmelized sugars are nothing to fool with, but it was nothing a bit of simmering warm water and vinegar couldn't fix. 

Anyway... the jury is still out with me on whether I like these tempeh bacon strips on their own. I can't say that the flavor on these, (straight out of the pan), blew me away like the tofu bacon did.

BUT, but, but...

the leftovers make a MEAN BLT sandwich!!! It actually ended up being a B&L sandwich, as I was fresh out of tomatoes, but you get the idea! There was something about these smokey, crispy tempeh strips on top of crunchy wheat toast which had been spread with Veganaise and topped with some nice romaine lettuce...

I think I'm in love... I had one for dinner every night until the strips were all gone ;)

Better-Than-Tuna, Tempeh Salad

My vegan version of a classic lunchtime treat! 

For those of you who have never tried it, tempeh is a made from fermented soybeans that have been pressed into firm cakes. It has a "nutty" and meaty texture, and, like tofu, it absorbs flavors of surrounding ingredients really well. Tempeh is a very popular "meat" alternative for vegetarian and vegan cooks. The first step in this recipe has you poach the tempeh in boiling water, which mellows out the flavor, and makes it a bit more digestible.

Better-Than-Tuna, Tempeh Salad

Ingredients

8 ounces tempeh, crumbled into tiny pieces

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup scallion, finely chopped

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I prefer Vegenaise)

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon celery salt (or to taste)

fresh black pepper, to taste

Steam the tempeh in a saucepan filled with just enough water to cover the tempeh.  

• I usually add a few splashes of soy sauce to the water for some extra flavor. Drain, and cool in fridge.
• Mix remaining ingredients into a bowl, add cooled tempeh and mix well
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• This salad is amazing between two slices of toasted (or grilled) whole wheat bread. Feel free to substitute minced red onion for the scallion too.