Pecan-crusted Tempeh

Before I decided to change my diet and eat less meat and dairy, I cooked pork tenderloin about once a week. I love pork tenderloin! Not only is it tasty and lean, it is also pretty cheap for the amount of meat you get. One of my absolute favorite recipes was from a Southern Living magazine about a year ago, a Pecan-crusted Pork Tenderloin with a Blackberry Reduction. If you love pork tenderloin, I highly recommend you make this. I served it with a truffle mac n' cheese and some broccoli on the side. Now that I have been reducing my meat intake, I have been really missing my pork tenderloin lately :'( I wasn't sure if I would ever find a "faux" meat that was firm enough to recreate this recipe, until I bought tempeh.

 I have been cooking a lot with tofu but the texture was never quite firm enough to my liking...then I discovered tempeh. Tempeh is awesome! I have seen it on menus as a vegetarian meal option at restaurants but wasn't quite sure what it was or what to do with it. Tempeh is basically a soybean cake, similar ingredients to Tofu but in a different form. It has about 44 grams of protein in one package and it is low on sodium. I decided to buy some at Whole Foods the other day, a Flax Seed variety, because it was less than $3. So cheap! When I had some guests over the other night I decided to make them my tempeh guinea pigs and I did not disappoint. I did a little research online on the proper ways to cook tempeh and what flavor profiles go best with it. When I saw maple syrup was on the list, I knew my pecan crust would go perfectly! I served it with salad and a homemade broccoli cheddar soup (look for that recipe soon.)

Pecan-crusted Tempeh with Maple Strawberry Reduction

Prep Time: 25 Min
Cook Time: 10 Min

Ingredients

- 1 package of Tempeh (I bought the flax seed variety), sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
- Salt for water
- Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Strawberries, sliced
- 1 tbs Brown Sugar
- 1 tbs Honey
- Olive Oil
- 1 cup of pecans, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg and flour for coating

*NOTE* I attempted to use just almond milk for coating instead of an egg but the pecans wouldn't stick well, so the recipe became vegetarian instead of vegan. You could potentially just use flax seed and water to make your own "egg substitute."

Tempeh straight out of the package and sliced.

Directions

- In a large saucepan, cover tempeh with just enough water to coat. Add salt and 2 tbs of maple syrup. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil to steam the tempeh for 10 minutes (turning once)
- Remove the tempeh and place on a plate in the fridge to cool, for about 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, setup your breading station with a bowl of flour, egg and panko/pecans.
- Dip the tempeh slices in the flour, then egg, then pecan mixture.
- In a large frying pan with olive oil, fry the tempeh for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, strawberries and 2 tbs of maple syrup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer. Be sure to whisk or stir frequently as the sauce will thicken and stick as it cools.
- Place tempeh on a plate with a napkin to drain some of the oil.
- Serve tempeh and drizzle with Maple Strawberry reduction.

*NOTE* If sauce thickens to much while you are cooking, you can just add more liquid (such as water, vinegar or almond milk - a couple tbs) and then turn up the heat a little. Stir frequently and before you know it the "jam" will have a saucy consistency again.

You could also easily make a sauce with fruit preserves/jam and a vinegar. For example, blackberry preserves and red wine vinegar. Just put in a saucepan, bring to a boil to reduce the vinegar then lower the heat. I love the sweetness of the maple syrup with this dish, so whatever you do, be sure to drizzle a little syrup on top :) Enjoy!