Tempeh Facon and Pan-Fried Tempeh

At several restaurants in New York we found on the menu one version or another of facon, vegetarian bacon, made from tempeh. As a general rule, I am quite repulsed by vegetarian food that tries to taste like meat. If I were to ever desire to eat something that tastes like meat, I'd rather actually eat meat. Anyway, pictured above, from Sacred Chow, is Roasted Indonesian Tempeh. It had a crispiness and smokiness that was reminiscent of bacon, without actually feeling or tasting like bacon. So, I liked it in concept, but it was served at room temperature, and so that diminished it. Below, Pedro and I recreated the features in our pan-fried tempeh. We cut the tempeh thin and marinated it in sesame oil and tamari (wheat-free, traditionally brewed soy sauce). Then we pan-fried them on our cast iron skillet in just a bit of oil until they were crispy.

On the other hand, we also had the Orange Barbecued Seitan at Sacred Chow (pictured below), and we thought it was disgusting. It had been a while since we had eaten seitan, and it was much meatier in texture than we find appealing. Maybe we would have liked it better if we had it in a Hero Sandwich, as was an option. Also, I should mention that we had the Sliced Ginger Soba Noodles with spicy peanut sauce and those were served refrigerator-cold, which we didn't expect. But it was Pedro's favorite thing there. My favorite was the Four Seasons Salad, containing seasonal greens, shredded beets, carrots and apples, and crunchy yuba strips, with a Dijon vinaigrette.

Curry Tempeh with Green Beans in Garlic Butter and Cucumber Salad

Sometimes when we are cooking, we don't know what we'll be eating until dinner is ready. This evening, I started putting together a cucumber and tomato salad and was washing some green beans when Pedro walked into the kitchen. He asked what he could start cooking. I suggested that he do something with tempeh and shitake mushrooms. As I went about preparing my green beans and making the dressing for the salad, Pedro decided on how to prepare the tempeh dish. He didn't use a written recipe, he just improvised. It turned out delicious! At dinner he explained how he made his dish. This is not a formal recipe, but it will give an idea:

Curry Tempeh with Shitake Mushrooms and Peas

1 can of coconut milk, minus one cup (which Pedro thoughtfully reserved for me to use in another recipe I'm planning to make)
1 teaspoon of Thai red curry paste (you can find Taste of Thai brand at grocery stores)
1 or 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
1 to 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
salt
1 package of tempeh, sliced
1 small package of fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean
1 cup of frozen peas

1. Whisk together the coconut milk with the curry paste and syrup. Stir in the sesame seeds, a dash of salt, the tempeh, mushrooms and peas.
2. Heat a skillet over medium high heat until the pan is very hot. Pour in the coconut milk mixture and saute until the mushrooms and tempeh are cooked and the peas are defrosted. Serve.

And, for what it is worth, here is how I made the green beans:

Green Beans with Garlic Butter

1 pound of fresh green beans, washed, trimmed and sliced
1 tablespoon of organic unsalted butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil water in a saucepan. Add the green beans and simmer until tender to your liking. Drain the beans from the pan.
2. Melt the butter in the hot pan and add the garlic. I have an electric stove, so I just put my already hot pan on my still hot, but turned-off burner, and this is enough heat to do this. Saute until the butter is well flavored with the garlic, but be careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in the drained green beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Sauteed Squash and Onions with Garlicky Collard Greens

I have finally gotten around to trying a couple of recipes from the May 2007 Vegetarian Times magazine. Featured here are the Sauteed Squash and Onions and the Garlicky Collard Greens. I had substituted the kale for the collard greens this time. The recipes for both were very easy, and they were delicious. They nicely accompanied our meal of Cilantro Lime Tempeh and Black Wild Rice with Shitakes and Red Onions seasoned with fresh sage, basil, rosemary, and thyme.

Garlicky Collard Greens

1 lb. chopped collard greens (or kale)
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
(a dash of red pepper flakes, optional)

1. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add collard greens and simmer about five minutes. Drain. (Rinse with cool water and then when no longer too hot to handle, gently squeeze out excess water).
2. Heat olive oil in same pot over medium heat. Add garlic (and optional red pepper flakes) and saute one or two minutes or until fragrant. Add greens and saute five minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

Sauteed Squash and Onions

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into a one-inch dice
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
1 small onion, chopped (one cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat baking pan with oil or spray.
2. Place squash in a bowl with 1 Tbs olive oil and the salt and toss to coat.
3. Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute longer. Then add the squash and cook 5 minutes.
4. Spread the squash mixture in the baking pan. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Bake 5 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. (I actually roasted the squash for at least a half hour.) Remove from pan immediately to prevent sticking, and serve.

Thai Tempeh Satay with Peanut Sauce, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Greens

Last evening Pedro and I prepared sweet potatoes and greens using recipes I learned during classes at Conscious Gourmet. I used ginger, lemon and cinnamon in the sweet potatoes, and the mixed greens have kale, chard, onion, garlic, and ume plum vinegar. We had opened a can of coconut milk earlier in the week, and so we decided to use the rest of the coconut milk in a Thai peanut sauce and to serve it with marinated and roasted shitakes, zucchini and tempeh as a variation on the recipe from the March 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times, Thai Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce. I was concerned that the meal was lacking in grains, even though there is brown rice in the tempeh, but we were satisfied and didn't get hungry for snacks after eating. We had eaten a whole grain-heavy breakfast plus grains with lunch. Vegan.

Below is the meal we prepared during our first class at Conscious Gourmet. It is Curried Split Pea Soup, Brown Rice with Parsley Garlic Sauce, Coleslaw with Plum-Mustard Dressing, Sweet Potato Mash, and Sauteed Greens with Mushrooms. Lacto-vegetarian due to use of butter.

Cantonese Green Bean Stir-Fry

Here is the latest Vegetarian Times recipe I have tried, from page 30 of the April 2007 issue. It was a great success! Pedro keeps raving about it. The recipe calls for green beans, mushrooms, tempeh, a yellow bell pepper (I didn't have one, so I used a little bit of hot xkatik pepper), garlic, ginger, green onions and an easy-to-prepare marinade/sauce. Actually the pepper substitution was why the recipe was such a hit with Pedro, as xkatik chile is abundant in Yucatan. It's a pepper that Pedro loves, and we happened to find it at the farmer's market. I'm sorry but I do not know the name of the pepper in English or even in Spanish, only in Mayan. Makes for an interesting life here! Anyway, the tempeh absorbed the flavors of the marinade very well. Served on short grain brown rice. Vegetarian rather than vegan, due to content of honey in marinade.

Here is the chile I used. Maybe someone knows what it is. It's hot, much hotter than a banana pepper.