Spiced & Crumbled Tempeh
This spiced and crumbled tempeh can be prepared in advance, refrigerated and used all week long to complete a meal. Use it to top your salads, fill your tacos and wraps or enjoy warmed up in a pan with leftover roasted veggies. It’s flavourful, versatile, and an excellent source of plant based protein, a good source of plant based iron and calcium, and a rich source of gut healthy prebiotic fiber.
You could replace the tempeh with tofu and if you don’t eat soy, chickpeas work well here too. Alternatively, they now make black bean and chickpea tempeh and hemp tofu, so if you’re avoiding soy, look for those alternatives, they all work well in this recipe.
The trick to cooking tempeh is to simmer it in water or broth on medium heat for about 10 minutes before using it in any recipe. It ensures that the tempeh is cooked properly when your recipe calls for a shorter cooking time (like a quick sautée in this case), but it also softens the tempeh and opens it’s pores so it can absorb any marinade or spice mixture better, and takes away some of the bitterness. This trick works for tofu as well, so the next time you’re making something with either tofu or tempeh, drop it in a pot of water first, and let it simmer for a good 10 minutes, then you can remove it, pat it dry and proceed with your recipe.
Spiced & Crumbled Tempeh
Author Nissrine Boufawaz @ HolisticNiss.com
- Time 30 minutes
- Difficulty Easy
- Servings 4
- Diet vegan, gluten free
- Category Dessert
Ingredients:
- 1 Block (250g) Tempeh
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Dehydrated Onion Flakes
- 1 Tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Turmeric
- 1 Tbps Tamari
- 1 Tbps Filtered Water, or more as needed
Method:
- Add tempeh to a small pot and cover with filtered water. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the tempeh from the water, pat it dry and let it cool until you can handle it.
- In the meantime, add oil and dehyrdated onion flakes to a pan, and sautée over low-medium heat, being careful not to burn them.
- Once the tempeh is cooled, crumble it with your hands and add it to the pan with the onion flakes, then add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and sautée on medium heat, stirring often, until the tempeh begins to brown slightly.
- Add a few drops of water as needed to prevent the tempeh from sticking and cook until the mixture is completely dry.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and serve as a filling for tacos and wraps, or as a topping for salads.
