Photo by FotoosVanRobin

The Other Taco Meat: Tempeh

By Pete Nielson
Food Editor

Sunday dinner was a success, if I must say so myself. I also had the confirmation of an appreciative dinner companion. The meal was based off of the use of temphe. Tempeh is an Indonesian soy product made from fermenting soy beans into a cake form. With the use of some fresh veggies from Heather’s garden, we made a full meal out of some very healthy ingredients. I will say that the tacos I had in mind and the tacos that we ate were not quit the same thing. I made more of a burrito then a taco. This was not a bad thing. Rather, it was a pleasant surprise. 

Heather, Lucy (Heather’s dog) and I started the evening with a walk down to the garden to grab a few goodies and get started on dinner. This time of year, the garden produced some fantastic veggies for a taco/burrito platter. Fresh tomatoes, corn, peppers and onions with the addition of a few dry spices make for a great salsa. Tomatoes and fresh corn are key to a good black bean salsa. The fresh vegetables were gathered and we headed back to the apartment to get started on dinner. 

Tempeh makes a great burger replacement and soaks up flavor as well as tofu - its much more plain cousin. The crumble of fermented soy beans browed nicely in just a touch of oil. As the tempeh brown, I diced up some onions and a couple of tomatoes to add to the pan with two cloves of minced garlic. Once the onions have sautéed and become almost translucent, I added a home made taco seasoning consisting of paprika, oregano, chili powder and cumin. The seasonings were left to bloom for just a minute or so before I added a few cups of water to the pan to deglaze and help incorporate the flavors into the tempeh. The last ingredient that we used was chopped kale for some greens.

The black bean salsa was started while we let the water reduce for the taco meat. Black bean salsa can be basic or really complex. I went with basic and simple so we could taste all the fresh ingredients we had just collected from the garden. We sliced the kernels off of three ears of corn and simmered them in salted water. We diced up 3 tomatoes and mixed them into two cups of black beans that were cooked ahead of time. If you like some kick in your salsa like we do, try a few hot peppers and a selection of dried spices. 

Tempeh Taco Recipe

Two 8 oz. packages tempeh
2 tomatoes (skinned and diced)
3 cloves garlic
1 cup diced red onion
2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. cumin
4 tbsp. chili powder
3 tbsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 cups water
Fresh goat cheese feta
5 whole wheat tortilla
Black Bean Salsa
2 cups black beans
Kernels from three ears of corn
3 tomatoes diced
3-4 jalapenos
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
Salt to taste

Eat well; your body will appreciate it.

Questions or comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)