Lemony Asian Tempeh

DH: Hey! What's for dinner?
ME: Don't know. We need to use some peppers, how about a sweet and sour?
DH: We have mushrooms, too. Why don't we use some of those?
ME: Don't usually put mushrooms in Sweet and Sour.
DH: What about that dish with the oranges?
ME: Uh, maybe.
DH (waxing nostalgic): Remember that great Chicken Bird's Nest we used to get with the lemon and mushrooms? Can you do something like that?
ME: Sure. Just so you know it won't have either chicken or a bird's nest

So you see why my husband wanted to call this post "Chicken Bird's Nest without the Chicken....or the bird's nest".

I based this dish on another favorite, an orange-y General Tang style tempeh dish.

Lemony Asian Tempeh

4 oz of tempeh, sliced
6 hot dried red peppers

the zest from 1 lemon- I used a microplane for a finely grated zest
2 cloves of minced garlic
About 3/4-1 cup of roughly chopped onion
one red pepper and one green pepper chopped in large bite sized pieces
2-3 carrots sliced
Optional, but good, broccoli florets
One large jalapeno, finely chopped
Mushrooms, sliced. I used three very large ones which yielded at least a cup sliced
Juice of one (juicy) lemon
2-4 T Chopped cilantro


For the sauce, mix together:
1/3 cup vegetable stock
1 T sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 T sugar

Set aside 1 T cornstarch mixed with  2 T water

This will be served over rice, so start your rice.  Parboil and drain the broccoli if using. It should be al dente.

Saute the tempeh in a very large pan or wok until nicely browned. Remove from heat. In the hot oil, cook the dried hot peppers until they look black, but do not burn them. Reduce the heat if they seem to be burning.

Throw the onions and mushrooms into the hot pan and cook them until the onions start to go translucent. Toss in the jalapenos and the carrots, cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the garlic, and finally the peppers.  Keep stir frying until the veg is nearly tender.

Give the sauce ingredients (from veg stock through sugar) a stir, and throw in the pan. Bring it to a bubble.  Add the lemon juice.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and let the sauce thicken a little, throw in the broccoli to heat it up. Before serving, stir in the lemon zest and top with cilantro. Serve over rice.

Notes: Do use a washed organic lemon when you are making your lemon zest.
Also use organic cornstarch in order to avoid GMO corn products.
I try to use organic everything because I don't like eating pesticides and frankenfoods.

Chili!

Chili has been one of my favorite things since I was a kid. My husband does not usually share my enthusiasm. But sometimes the time is right for chili. Like when you have lots of lovely cilantro, pepper and cherry tomatoes growing on the porch, a bit of leftover tomato paste in the fridge, but very little energy and are feeling like a little comfort food.

Cilantro, basil, red pepper, celery, orange peppers, sage, rosemary,
parsley and thyme, off camera, there are some jalapenos

 This is a vegetarian chili, made with finely chopped tempeh to stand in for the meat. The "fixin's" or condiments add freshness and texture. Sour cream and cheese are good toppings too, if you eat dairy. Sometimes I do go for a bit of vegan sour cream.

Chopped cilantro, onions, black olives and cherry tomatoes

Vegan Chili

About 6 oz of tempeh, chopped into a 1/4" dice
one large chopped onion
one chopped bell pepper, any color
2-3 finely chopped jalapenos
2-3 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
3-4 T olive oil
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder, I used a combination of ancho and chipotle
1 t. smoked paprika, because I like it
1/2 t. turmeric, because it's good for you
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
a dash of liquid smoke
6 oz of tomato paste
1-1-1/2 cups of water (or veg broth or beer)
Salt to taste, I stared with about 1/2 t.
Juice of one lime
If you want it hotter, add some pepper flakes or hot sauce

This is easy, peasy. Start with about 2 T of olive oil in a medium hot pan. Cook the tempeh. It will probably break up a bit more. This is good. When the tempeh is nicely golden brown, add the onions and saute. As you are cooking the tempeh and the veg, add more olive oil and adjust the heat to keep things from burning. A little golden brown is OK, dark brown or black, not so good.

Add the jalapenos, bell pepper and last of all the garlic. Keep an eye on the garlic so it doesn't burn. Add the spices and all seasonings, then the tomato paste and water. Simmer until everything is well blended. Serve over organic Blue Corn Chips with condiments everyone can add at will.

This is usually when I work on the condiments. all are optional, use what you like and add your own:

• Finely chopped onion
• Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• sliced black olives
• chopped cilantro
• Vegan sour cream, (regular)
• grated cheese, vegan or regular
• salsa

Kung Pao Noodles

This is a dish I have made many times. It is a nice spicy way to use a mixture of fresh vegetables. It all began after I had a pretty good meal in a restaurant in Northern VA. I had never had a kung pao with noodles before. So when I came home, I wanted to try to replicate the dish.

Kung Pao Noodles with Vegetables and Tempeh
1/4 c. minced onion
1/2 T. finely chopped fresh ginger
2-3 cloves of finely minced garlic
6-10 small dried red peppers
3-4 sliced scallions
1/2 cup peanuts
peanut oil for stir frying
Tempeh, cut into slices, approxiamtely 1/4" x 2" 
up to 2t. Szechuan Peppercorns, ground in a motar and pestle (or spice grinder)
1T cornstarch mixed with 2T water (set aside)

Vegetables of your choice:

green beans, cut into 2" sections
green or red bell pepper sliced or cubed
sliced carrot
water chestnuts
mushrooms

Mix together for the sauce:

1/3 c. light soy sauce
2 T vinegar
4 T dry sherry
3t. sugar
3/4 t black pepper

In hot oil stir fry the tempeh until golden brown. Remove from pan and reserve. Add additional oil if needed. Roast the dried red peppers in the oil over medium heat. When they begin to turn black, begin to stir-fry the vegetables, except for the green onions, in the same pan for 2-3 minutes. The vegetables should be crisp. Add the ginger and garlic, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add cornstrach mixture and as the sauce begins to thicken, return the tempeh to the pan. Finish by adding the peanuts, green onions and Szechuan pepper. Stir these in and serve with brown rice.
Variations:
You can adjust the heat on this dish in a few ways. If you like it milder, use only 3-4 dried peppers and reduce the amount of black and Szechuan Pepper. If you like it hot, increase these ingredients. I use about 8 dried peppers and 3/4-1 teaspoon of black pepper which makes it quite spicy but not painful.

Meat eaters can certainly add chicken or other meat to this.

The General's Tempeh

I created this recipe as I tried to find a recipe I liked for a General Tso Sauce. It morphed into more of a General Tang because of the orange. It is a slightly sweet, tangy sauce with a touch of heat and  nice orange flavor. You can adjust the seasonings to suit your palette. 

This sauce can be used with Tofu, Tempeh or even chicken if you roll that way.  I know it is probably not exactly the General Tso you are used to, which is why I am calling it just the General's Tempeh or maybe it should just be called a pseudo Asian dish I made up. Whatever it is, it is tasty.

Serves 2 generously
Vegetables
Use your favorites. Broccoli is traditional and can stand alone, but I often use onion, broccoli and carrots. I like mixed veg, but use whatever is on hand to equal about 3-4 cups of prepared vegetables. 

• one julienned carrot (cut into 2"-3" x <1/4" sticks)
• 1/2 of a red onion, sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 of a zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise, then into 1/4" slices
• 1/4 cup diced red pepper
• one head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 cup or more of green beans, cut into 2" pieces (or whole if small)

Sauce and Tempeh

• orange peel: carve off the peel in large strips or chunks, cut into 1" lengths
• fresh orange juice, from one orange (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 T chopped ginger root
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic (or 1/2-1 teaspoon of roasted garlic)
• 6-10 small dried red chili peppers*, the number will depend on how hot you like things and the kind of chili you are using, 4-5 is a mild version, 8-10 gets hotter
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T mirin
• 4 T rice (or white)vinegar
• 4 T sugar
• 2 T honey
• 1 T sriracha*
• 1/4 t. red pepper flakes*
• 2-3 T. cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 6 oz thinly sliced tempeh
• 2-3+ T of (organic) canola or sunflower oil
• 1T cornstarch mixed with 2T of water
• 1/2 cup cashews or peanuts, optional, but adds some nice crunch and protein

* vary the amount of these ingredients to control the heat. The amounts I have listed make a medium HOT sauce. If you want a milder sauce, leave out the siracha, and use less red pepper flake.

Mix the sauce ingredients (from Vegetable stock to honey)together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat 1-2 T of sunflower or canola oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. You may need to add a bit more oil as you cook. Brown the tempeh on all sides until is a deep golden brown. If using Tofu, you can pre-fry it now or stir-fry it before you add it with the vegetables.

Next, in the leftover oil cook the dried chilies until they are quite dark in color. Remove them from the pan and reserve.

Cook the orange peel until it begins to brown around the edges. Remove it from the pan and reserve with the chilies.


Cook the vegetables using your choice of three methods:
1. Easy Blanching method: I cut my broccoli into small florets and put them in a metal bowl. I heat water in my electric kettle and pour the boiling water over the veg. I leave them in the hot water while continuing to sautee some of the other items. This methods parboils the broccoli, but it really cannot get over cooked. This method also works well for green beans. You will drain the veg before adding to the pan at the end of cooking time.

2. If you are inexperienced with stir-frying, sautee/stir fry each ingredient separately until almost done. Reserve each, to be added back into the sauce at the end of cooking.

3. With more experience you can stir-fry the vegetables to the correct doneness by adding each to the pan in succession. Begin with the vegetables that take longer to cook. Finish with those that do not take as long. This last method takes a bit more experience to master.

Just before the vegetables are done, add the reserved sauce, heat until it bubbles, then return the chilies, orange peel, cashews and tempeh to the pan. Stir the cornstarch and water mixture to combine and add to the sauce. When everything is heated through and thickened slightly, sprinkle the cilantro and nuts on top.

Serve over brown rice. Enjoy!