Happy Monday!!!
Although, is it ever really a “happy” Monday? Blah.
So anyway, now that we are back in the swing of things over here at purelicious after an Epic-ly Long Break filled with many Non-Food Related Hobbies, I thought I would share another one of my tried and true recipes that I make ALL the time – marinated tempeh. This recipe is soooo super easy, and SO delicious, and so very versatile as you can then add your marinated tempeh to ANYTHING! I often bring my tempeh for lunch as it is a very cubicle-friendly lunch along with a salad or in a sandwich, and I always get inquisitions from co-workers once they catch whiff of its lovely marinated scent drafting through the kitchen.
But let’s back up a hot second, cuz I know many people might be wondering what the heck tempeh is. Well, it’s another non-meat vegan protein substitute, much in the vein of tofu. But do not be put off!! I hate when my friends and family hear me say “non-meat protein substitute” and start rolling their eyes at me, like “Ohhhh Hilary, again with your freaky wiggly protein products”. But tempeh doesn’t wiggle (no offense, tofu)!!! And it’s not slimey. And you don’t have to press it! Yay!!! I rarely make tofu cuz I don’t have a fancy pressing apparatus and I hate having to get out like 12 plates and a heavy hardcover dictionary to make dinner. Call me old-fashioned. Or lazy. Tempeh is also more awesome than tofu because it contains whole soy that has been fermented, which is the healthiest way to eat soy, and it is not heavily processed, as opposed to tufu which is pretty heavily processed. I found an awesome article about the differences between tempeh and tofu here. Not that I’m bashing tofu at all, you can do some great things with it… I just prefer tempeh. 
ANYWAY, tempeh is really very awesome and very easy to deal with. It’s a great source of healthy protein, and has a hearty nutty texture and very mild flavor that picks up anything you cook it with, hence the amazing-ness of marinating it. So if you’ve ever been wondering to yourself, hmmm, maybe I should branch out and try a non-meat centered protein, but tofu scares me, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE! Go buy some tempeh and hop on this recipe ASAP. Raw tempeh may not be exactly very pleasing to the eyes, but don’t let that hold you back!
Awesomely Simple Marinated Tempeh
(Vegan, Gluten-Free)
You will need:
- 1/2 block tempeh (My favorite is the 3 grain tempeh from good old TJ’s)
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Cut the tempeh into about 1/4″ strips like so…
I usually then wrap up the remaining half block of tempeh in seran wrap and then in a ziplock bag and store it in the freezer to save for another time. Or you could double the recipe and make it all at once if you have multiple mouths to feed. Set aside cut strips.
SUPER EASY RECIPE ALERT: Now just take a ziplock baggie, and add in your soy sauce, balsamic, syrup, and OO. Smoosh around the bag a little bit until you feel as though they are thoroughly mixed. Now, place cut up tempeh strips into baggie:
TA DA!! Now, just place your tempeh baggie into your fridge and let it marinate 8-24 hours. You can flip it a few times throughout the process to make sure both sides of the tempeh get evenly delicious-ified. When you are ready to cook up some tempeh lovin’, you can just throw it in a saucepan and cook it up!
Or bake it in the oven… or grill it… whatever floats your boat. As TJ’s tempeh is pre-cooked and ready to eat (as I believe most if not all of the packaged varieties are?) the specifics of how or how long you cook it are really irrelevant. I like it browned a bit on the outside but find what suits your personal taste! I find I usually get 2 servings out of each 1/2 block of tempeh (so four servings in a whole block), so I’ll usually grill it all up at once and eat half, then save the other half in the fridge for lunch the next day… such as just tossin’ it on top of some greenery to bring to work for lunch:
That particular day I had it on some spinach, broccoli slaw, and cherry tomatoes and I popped this whole foil packet in our toaster oven in the kitchen so I had a warm and tasty veggie-licious and protein-licious lunch! Yummers! Tempeh is also AMAZING in a wrap with say some lettuce and hummus…. MMM! Or in a stir fry…
Perhaps the stir fry was suspiciously similar in ingredients to the toaster lunch meal above, but what can I say, when I find a combo I like I stick to it!
So that’s that! Super easy, and I bet you already have most of those ingredients in your fridge!! Give this tempeh a try and you won’t regret it. My friend Hawley liked it so much she tweeted about it… which makes it very, very special indeed.
Ta-ta for now!!! Check in later this week for a lovely Pumpkin Protein Cake Bars recipe…. I made these over the weekend and FINALLY wrote down ingredients and they are such a fabulous high protein breakfast treat that I just must share!
xoxo
Hilary
Nutritional Facts
Marinated Tempeh
Svg Size: 1/4 block tempeh. Svgs per Recipe: 2. Calories: 233, Total Fat: 12.5g, Sat. Fat: 2g, Carbs: 18.4g, Fiber: 3.5g, Sugar: 8.3g, Protein: 11.1g
*Please Note* All calorie and nutritional information is approximate and based on the exact ingredients I used. Any changes or substitutions to the recipe will result in changes to nutritional information. As measurements and nutrients vary from ingredient to ingredient, the exact accuracy of this data cannot be guaranteed.
[...] hope some of you have made the leap into non-meat and tried some lovely Marinated Tempeh!! If you haven’t, you need to do it. [...]
[...] all meat, which was when he saw the biggest decrease in cholesterol. Duh. One more reason to try my Marinated Tempeh. Then it says he reintroduced meat and his cholesterol starting going back up – also to be [...]