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"Inhabitants of underdeveloped nations and victims of natural disasters are the only people who have ever been happy to see soybeans." -Fran Lebowitz
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When I started preparing my meal for tonight I was really quite thrilled to see the cubes of tempeh that I had started marinating 24-hours prior. Thus I have concluded that Fran Lebowitz is completely full of shit.
To be fair, I must admit that I wasn't always this excited to add tempeh to my meals. When I used to put very little to no thought into preparing my tempeh, it usually ended up tasting like soft nutty cardboard chunks. Okay, that may be a little harsh, it wasn't that bad...but it wasn't anything to blog home about either. Quite simply, finding the key to preparing really good tempeh took a little bit of research and a lot of trial-and-error in the kitchen.
After experimenting with a few different types of marinades, I think I finally discovered one that I am confident in recommending to others. I catered this particular marinade to accompany my South America-style dishes, although I am sure it can be tweaked to accommodate your own palette and preferences.
But before I unveil this tempeh marinade recipe, I think it is pertinent to discuss the question: "Why tempeh?"
Some may be surpized to discover that the origins of tempeh are actually quite ancient, first appearing in Japan sometime during the 16th Century. Like my best friend quinoa, tempeh is a complete protein...meaning that it is a great option for all-varieties of herbivore. Tempeh is high in fiber, low in sodium, and since it's fermented it's easy to digest as well. Tempeh may not be as sexy or garner as much attention as it's silky fair-colored cousin tofu, but as far as nutritional values go it's numero uno. If you are interested in learning more about tempeh, or even how to make your own tempeh, I would highly recommend these articles (article one, article two) by Barbara Minton.
Okay, I've tortured you long enough...my South American tempeh marinade:
Ingredients
organic tempeh (a 4" by 6" sheet will work great)
1 cup filtered water
4 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime juice), preferably organic and fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons organic nama shoyu
1-2 teaspoons organic cilantro, chopped or minced
0.5 teaspoon organic paprika
0.5 teaspoon organic ground cumin
0.5 teaspoon chili flakes
0.25 teaspoon organic oregano
Equipment
1 large bowl
1 refrigerator
Steps:
1. Add one cup of filtered water to a large bowl.
2. Add all ingredients to the bowl of water, stir or whisky gently for several seconds or until all ingredients have equally dispersed.
3. Slice up your organic tempeh into 0.5" by 0.5" cubes (or larger if you prefer).
4. Place your cubes in the marinade so that all but the very tops of the tempeh cubes are covered.
5. Place in your refrigerator and leave it there overnight. ( I usually flip all of the tempeh cubes over in the morning as so both sides get the flavor goodness.)
6. To cook, simply heat some organic safflower or organic grapeseed oil in a pan. Add the tempeh cubes to the pan, and slowly turn and baste each cube every few minutes while cooking.
7. Once your tempeh turns a beautiful golden brown (or rugged dark brown for those of you who like it crispy), add it to your burrito, salad, quinoa bowl, or on top of whatever bizarre concoction you came up with in an attempt to use up all those refugee items that were on the verge of spoiling in your pantry.
End notes: Although it requires a little bit of preparation and planning ahead, properly marinated tempeh can be a completely rewarding addition to a variety of dishes. When you factor in it's high-quality nutritional value, there is no real good reason to continue avoiding it. Unless, of course, you're allergic to soybeans or something like that...which would really suck.
"Playwrights are like men who have been dining for a month in an Indian restaurant. After eating curry night after night, they deny the existence of asparagus." -Peter Ustinov
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Sometimes I like to get creative with my food. There is something to be said for throwing some herbs and spices together for the first time and seeing how it turns out. I remember the first time I attempted to mimic an Indian dish...I tried to harness the greatness that is Aloo Gobi. It smelled good. It looked good. It tasted like crap. That is the beauty of blogs like this one...I'm only going to post up the ones that actually turn out well.
Lately I've been experimenting with organic apple cider vinegar. A lot of vegetarian/vegan recipe enthusiasts probably noticed that it tends to be used in a lot of herbivore dishes. I would highlight it as a key ingredient to this very simple quinoa side dish.
Ingredients
0.5 cup organic quinoa
2-4 tablespoons organic olive oil
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
1-2 cloves organic garlic
0.125 teaspoon organic turmeric
1 teaspoon organic ground cumin
0.25 teaspoon organic paprika
1-2 pinches celtic sea salt
Equipment
1 Stove
1 Large saucepan with lid
Steps:
1. Pour 0.5 cup of quinoa into the large saucepan. Add 1.25 cups of filtered water, and gently stir so that there is no dry pockets of quinoa that won't steam well.
2. Mince or press the garlic cloves, then add all ingredients to the saucepan. Stir gently for a few seconds so that the spices are even distributed throughout the pan.
3. Cover the saucepan with a lid, and turn on the stove to medium or medium-high. Once the quinoa starts boiling, stir it a few times, and the cover it back up and set the stove to low.
4. After all the water as steamed out, turn off the stove, keep the cover on and let it sit and steam for a good five to six minutes (the longer you wait, the softer your quinoa).
5. Serve it up and enjoy! This serving size feeds one to two people quite well.
End notes: I call this recipe "curry"...but it does not fit the description in the traditional sense. It's a simple and easy way to give your quinoa an exotic Indian-esque flavor. If your not a stickler for organic and want something quick, then you can pair this with Trader Joe's vegetable samosas and garlic tandoori naan. I believe it can also be paired with various Thai curries and vegetables quite well.
"Beans are neither fruit nor musical." -Bart Simpson
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Black beans and quinoa may be my favorite combination of any two foods...ever. As simple as they may seem, I really love them so much that I have incorporated them as a staple of my diet. Not only do they taste wonderful, but their nutritional value may be unparalleled.
Black beans provide a virtually fat-free high quality protein, t
ons of naturally occurring antioxidants, and a high fiber content that moderates blood sugar levels after a meal. It's tough to find a legume that nutritious --and delicious.
I would call quinoa a vegetarians best friend. I heard many refer to it as a "super grain"...but that would be incorrect as it is a seed, not a grain. The historical significance of quinoa and the rise of the Incan Empire is well documented, and we are quite forunate that the seed was able to survive after it was deemed "worthless" and burned en masse by Spanish Conquistadores. The beauty of quinoa is that it is a complete protein...that is, it can supply all the essential amino acids the human body cannot synthesize itself. This is a tremendous benefit for herbivores whose diets often lack many of these amino acids which are typically found in flesh/meat.
During my time traveling and living in parts of Central and South America I noticed that it is not common for black beans and quinoa to be paired together. In Central America the traditional plate "casado" (meal of the day...which literally translates to "married") consists of white rice and black beans...usually supplemented with fried plantains...and occasionally chicken or beef for the "affluent". Black beans popularity seems to drop significantly south of Ecuador...they are virtually non-existent in southern Peru and Chile. Quinoa seems to take over here where the black beans popularity wanes...with Quinoa being readily available in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. The one unifying element of this burrito is the avocado...also know as aguacate or palta. It runs the gamut and is popular across all the Americas. (These observations are largely based off of my personal experiences on the western half of South America.)
Ingredients
0.5 cup organic quinoa
1-2 tablespoons avocado oil
1-2 pinches of celtic sea salt
1.5 cups organic black beans (canned or soaked/sprouted)
0.5 cup chopped organic tomatoes (whatever your favorite variety)
2 handfuls organic spinach (chopped if desired)
1 handful fresh organic cilantro, chopped
0.5 cup fresh organic onion (whatever your favorite variety)
1 organic avocado, sliced into small wedges
2-4 cloves organic garlic, sliced...then minced/pressed 10 minutes later~1 tablespoon organic ground cumin
~1 teaspoon organic paprika
~1 teaspoon organic oregano
1 organic lime or lemon
1-2 tortillas/wraps (or chard/kale for a vegan alternative)
(optional) organic salsa
(optional) hot sauce (cholula and tabasco are my favorites)
(Most of these measurements are estimates...I usually just do it all by sight.)
Equipment
1 Stove
1 Cutting board
1 Large saucepan with lid (for simmering quinoa)
1 Medium pot (for black beans)
Steps:1. Put the half cup of quinoa in the large saucepan, and add 1 - 1.25 cups of filtered water. Add avocado oil and celtic sea salt, then turn on heat and simmer on low until water has evaporated (8-12 minutes).
2. While your quinoa is simmering, rinse your black beans well and stick them into a suitable pot and fill with filtered water just below the level of the black beans. Add the cumin, paprika, and oregano...then stir it up good so it's evenly dispersed with the beans. Cook the black beans on medium or medium-low, but don't let them boil aggressively. (You can add the onions at this point if you like them soft, or at the end of you like them crunchy...or do half-and-half.)
3. At this point I usually peel my garlic cloves and slice them three-quarters deep, both vertically and horizontally. Apparently this starts the allinase reaction which helps boost ones immunity...let them stand until the quinoa is done simmering.
4. Prepare all other ingredients...chop up your tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Prepare your spinach (or other leafy greens), and slice up your avocado. I usually season my avocado with a little celtic sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
5. Once the water has evaporated from the quinoa (the trick is not to leave your quinoa too soggy, and to not let it burn) turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and let it sit for 3-4 minutes (this produces softer quinoa). Now mince or press the garlic gloves into the black bean concoction, stir it up well, and let it cook for a little while longer.
6. If you're making vegetarian burritos, you can use traditional tortillas or wraps. I used Trader Joe's organic olive oil wraps for this one. Heat your tortillas/wraps over an open burner until it has reached your desired warmth. For vegan burritos, try using chard or kale as the wrapping device.
7. Lastly, scoop the quinoa on to the tortilla/wrap, then the black bean concoction, then add the rest. Throw on some fresh salsa, lime, and/or hot sauce to spice it up a bit. Hopefully yours turns out as well as mine did...it really hit the spot on that cold winter night.
End Notes:
I highly recommend modding this recipe to fit your own personal tastes. I'm a bit of a garlic and cilantro fiend so I throw a lot of those two into mine...find out what works best for you and your preferences. I also encourage you to return back and share your experiences and any suggestions you may have.
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