Pan Roasted Tempeh with Vegetables

When I first posted about Tempeh back in October I was still fairly new to me. (In fact, I think taco salad is the only thing I had attempted to make.) I have broadened my repertoire to include several other recipes such as the one below. (However taco salad is still one of the best!)

Tempeh is a low fat meat alternative that can be substituted for chicken or fish in many recipes. When cooked it is a mixture of soft and crunchy - almost like eating macadamia crusted halibut. Dave the meat-eater approves of this one so don't be afraid to prepare for your boyfriend or husband. And at 390 calories per serving you can both feel good about it.

Ingredients

 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1/8 cup lemon juice 

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 cup chopped parsley
1/8 chopped basil
1 tempeh patty (Trader Joes) cut in half

1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare the marinade in a small bowl by mixing together the oil, broth, lemon juice, zest, salt, garlic, parsley, and basil; whisk and set aside.

Arrange the tempeh in a 9-inch glass baking dish. Layer the zucchini on top of the tempeh and scatter the tomatoes on top. Pour the marinade over the tempeh and vegetables and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until marinade is absorbed and tempeh is browned. Serve immediately.

Barbeque Tacos

Tempeh is a great meat alternative for vegans/veggies and those trying to "Tone It Up." It's especially good in tacos and taco salad since the texture is similar to ground beef or turkey when cooked.

Ingredients:

4 oz tempeh (crumbled)
1 tbsp barbeque sauce
1 whole grain tortilla
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 sweet potato
pinch salt

Directions for Taco:

Combine tempeh with bbq sauce and heat in a small skillet coated with oil of your choice.
Fill tortilla with tempeh mixture, spinach and yogurt.

Directions for potato chips:

Cut sweet potato into thin slices
Toss with 1/4 tsp ground cumin and pinch of salt
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Tempeh Taco Salad

I had never even HEARD of Tempeh before I started Tone It Up. Now this taco salad is one of my favorite things!

Tempeh is described as "a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor" which, I admit, sounds pretty nasty. But if cooked right it can be delicious! It can be found next to the tofu at Trader Joes and, like tofu, it's a cheap meat alternative. (So you get double the benefits!)

To make this salad crumble the tempeh into a frying pan and cook with the oil of your choice. Once it begins to brown add taco seasoning following the instructions on the back of the packet. While that's cooking I make a "salsa" using fresh tomatoes & mushrooms and canned artichoke hearts. Add a little salt and pepper and it makes the perfect dressing.

Top greens with the taco filling, "salsa", low fat or soy cheese and, for sour cream fans, a dollop of non fat plain greek yogurt.

Enjoy!