Coconut-Crusted Tempeh with Pineapple Sticky Rice and Mango Chili Cream

 I used to do a lot of fishing several years ago and I would love to cook coconut-crusted snapper fingers with my little grunt catches. I would bread them in some coconut and serve them with a little orange marmalade/horseradish dipping sauce. Yum! I decided to make a Vegetarian/Vegan version using Flaxseed and Soy Tempeh and the result was crunchy, coconut-y goodness!

 

Tempeh is also a great fish substitute because is it doesn't fall apart when you bite into it like the normal snapper fingers would. I used egg for the breading since it holds better but you could easily substitute to make this dish Vegan. And for those of you non-aspiring vegetarians like myself, you could make this recipe with Tilapia or Snapper and it would be just as delish!

 

 

Coconut-Crusted Tempeh with Pineapple Sticky Rice and Mango Chili Cream

  

 

 

Prep Time: 15 Min

Cook Time: 50 Min (Brown Rice takes 50 Min)

 

Ingredients

 

- 1 package of Tempeh, sliced into 1/2 in wide pieces. I used half Flaxseed Tempeh, half Soy Tempeh

 

For Marinade

- 1/4 cup of soy sauce

- 1 lime

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 2 tsp ginger

 

For Mango Chili Cream

- 1 can of pineapple or 1/2 of a whole pineapple (if you buy canned, be sure to save some for the rice)

- 1 mango, chopped

- 1 plain yogurt cup. I used soy yogurt.

- 3 tbs Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce (found in ethnic/oriental food aisle at grocery)

 

For Pineapple Sticky Rice

- 1 cup of Sweet Brown Rice (if you can't find sweet rice, regular brown rice will work)

- 1/2 cups of coconut milk

- 1/2 cup of water

- 1 tsp of olive oil

- 1/4 cup of chopped pineapple

 

For Breading

- Coconut. I used dried unsweetened, however sweetened coconut would also be good

- Panko breadcrumbs

- Flour

- 1 Egg. I used egg but you can substitute a mix of flour and water to form a paste to make Vegan

- Salt/Pepper to taste

 

Directions

 

- In a sauce pan, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and oil to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Once boiling, reduce to low and allow to cook for 50 minutes until tender. If you substitute white rice you should be able to reduce your cooking time down to 20 minutes.

- Slice Tempeh and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the marinade ingredients and then add just enough water to cover the Tempeh. Place in the fridge to marinate while you prep.

 

 

- When the rice is about 20 minutes from completion start the rest of the cooking.

- Make the Mango Chili Cream by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Place in a small bowl in the fridge until dinner is ready.

 

 



- Remove the Tempeh from the fridge and drain the marinade. Place Tempeh on paper towels and pat dry.

 



- Setup your breading station with flour on one plate, your egg in a bowl and then the coconut and breadcrumbs combined on another plate. Dip the Tempeh in the flour, then egg, then the coconut/panko mixture.

 

 

- In a large pan, saute the Tempeh in a little olive oil until golden brown, turning at least once. About 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set on paper towels to drain some of the oil.

 

 

 

 

- When the rice is done, add the remaining pineapple and stir.

- Serve the Tempeh over the rice and place the Mango Chili Cream in a small bowl for dipping. I would season with a little salt and pepper. Enjoy!

 

 



Pan Seared Tempeh with Lime, Coconut Milk and Avocado Dressing

I am becoming a Tempeh Aficionado. A few weeks ago I barely knew what it was and now it is one of my favorite things to cook with. Not only is the taste and texture great, I also love how easy it is to whip up a quick meal. I had some leftover Soy Tempeh in the fridge from the Tempeh Bacon I made last week. I sliced it into filets, marinated it with a little lime and soy sauce, pan seared it with some coconut milk and then served it over black beans with an avocado dressing. Delicious and ready in no time at all. I had (or at least I thought I had) a can of black beans in the pantry and I also had two ripe avocados. It turned out, I had some Amy's Organic Black Bean Vegetable Soup not black beans, but it worked out just the same!

 

 

 

Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 15 Min

 

Ingredients

 

- 1 package of Organic Tempeh (be sure to buy organic because soy is one of the top GMO foods!)

- Lime Juice

- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce

- 1 cup of water

- 2 avocados

- 1/4 cup cider vinegar

- 1 can of coconut milk

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1/4 cup of onions, chopped

- 1 can of black beans

- salt/pepper to taste

 

Directions

 

- Slice your Tempeh in half, then slice in half again, cutting lengthwise from the side, so that you have 4 filets about 1/2 inch thick.

- In a bowl or pan, marinate the tempeh with a squeeze of lime juice, soy sauce and water. For about 5 minutes.

- Scoop out the flesh of one avocado into a bowl. Slice the other and set aside for topping.

- In the bowl with avocado, add cider vinegar, a squeeze of lime juice, salt/pepper and 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Mash and then whisk together until you reach a slightly thick dressing consistency. You can also put all ingredients in a blender and puree if you prefer. If the avocado mixture is too thick you can add more coconut milk. Set aside.

- In a small pan, heat up black beans, let simmer on low.

- Meanwhile, in a saute pan, saute garlic and onions with a little olive oil until tender. Add half of the coconut milk and bring to a low boil then reduce.

- Add the tempeh to the pan with the coconut milk. Saute for about ten minutes on medium heat, turning at least once, until slightly golden and coconut milk is reduced.

 

 

- Once tempeh is seared, plate it over black beans and top with the onions, sliced avocado and drizzle with avocado dressing. Enjoy!



 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Tempeh Bacon

I stumbled upon this amazing recipe on Pinterest, Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers. These burgers are full of nutritious veggies and fiber and were SO filling! I loved the crispy outside from the panko and the creamy-fall-apart inside from the sweet potatoes. I made a couple changes to the original recipe. I used 2 medium sweet potatoes instead of one large, organic black beans instead of white and I skipped the tahini because I didn't have any on hand. I also decided to skip the buns (and the carbs!) and turned them more into a pattie or crab cake and served them over some homemade broccoli cheddar rice. Yum!

 

I have been experimenting with tempeh lately and saw that Publix sold some Tempeh Bacon. I ALMOST bought some...then I looked at the ingredients on the back and saw apple cider vinegar and maple syrup and decided I would attempt to make it myself. The bacon was crispy and sweet and super easy to make. Save your self (and the poor animals!) some fat and sodium and try tempeh bacon over the traditional.

 

Top the patties with avocado, tempeh bacon and a drizzle of dijon and honey! Delicious!

 

 

 

Prep Time: 60 Min (includes 50 Min baking the sweet potatoes)

Cook Time: 10 Min

 

Ingredients

 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

- 2 medium/large sweet potatoes

- 2 cans of organic black beans, drained

- 2 tsp maple syrup

- 1 tsp cajun seasoning

- 1/4 cup wheat flour

- 1 egg ( recipe did not include because it is vegan, however it does help hold the patties together)

- panko breadcrumbs

- 1 large avocado, sliced

- dijon mustard

- honey

- buns, lettuce, onion (optional if you are making into actual burgers)

 

Tempeh Bacon

- 1 package of Tempeh (I only used half of the cake,) sliced thin

- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

- 3 tbs maple syrup

- 1 tbs hot sauce

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup water

- additional maple syrup for flavor

 

*NOTE* If you want to make the Broccoli Cheddar Rice, cook rice according to directions. Substitute 1 cup of water for 1 cup of creamy broccoli soup and add some chopped broccoli. When rice is cooked add 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

 

Directions

 

- Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 F

- Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake them for about 50 minutes until tender

- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the vinegar, syrup, hot sauce, salt and water. Add the tempeh and allow to marinate in the fridge.

 

Tempeh, sliced thin

 

- Scoop the insides of the sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add the beans, maple syrup, cajun seasoning, flour and egg. Mash together to combine. Batter will be very wet and sticky.

- Shape into patties and coat with panko breadcrumbs

 

 

- Pan fry patties in a small amount of olive or safflower oil. Allow to drain on a paper towel

 

 

- Remove tempeh from marinade and drain on paper towels

- Pan fry tempeh in a small amount of oil and 2 tbs of maple syrup, turning once or twice until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels

 

 

- Top patties with avocado, dijon mustard, honey and tempeh bacon. Enjoy!



 

 

 This was Nick's contribution :) I think it is a tribute to our dog Remi.

 

 

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!