Ingredient Exposed #1 - Tempeh is Delicious!

Marinated Tempeh with Brown Rice and Steamed Veggies

Once in a while I will be blogging about a new ingredient I have explored from the health food store, either on its own or in a recipe. I will be introducing these ingredients under the title Ingredient Exposed with the recipe if there is one. 

For my first Ingredient Exposed piece I would like to focus on Tempeh, and by the way it is pronounced temp-ay, who knew? What is it you may ask? Well, before I actually experimented with it, I assumed that it is similar to tofu but somehow different. When I finally tried it out in a recipe I realized how different it truly is!!

Tempeh is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s and n-u-t-r-i-t-i-o-u-s!! When I went to the health food store I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of different flavors of tempeh available. I decided to go with Litelife's Organic Three Grain Tempeh. My husband and I are huge whole grain fans and the tempeh covered in whole crunchy grains of millet, barley and brown rice just spoke to me. Other flavors produced by the same company include Smoky Tempeh or Garden Tempeh.

Tempeh is made from soybeans. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean gives it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. Tempeh is a significant source of Vitamin B complex and folate, as well as, phosphorus, potassium and even calcium. So it taste good and it is really good for you!

The texture is very similar to a firm vegi-burger and takes almost no time to cook, unlike tofu. Now, I mentioned Tempeh is delicious and it is. Besides for the amazing honey mustard marinade I prepared to go with it, tempeh has a yummy nutty, mushroom-like, and meaty flavor. I CANNOT wait to try another flavor of Tempeh. This has really opened up a world of possibilities since I can mix and match various Tempeh flavors with marinades and come out with different results. I decided to serve my Tempeh with a side of whole grain rice and steamed broccoli with carrots (because that is what I had in my fridge), but you can literally serve it with anything. Food is about fun and creativity!

Here's the recipe:

Marinated Tempeh

Prep time: 5 minutes

Marinade Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

serves 2

1 8-ounce package Tempeh

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons honey (agave or maple syrup will also do if your a vegan)

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

3 tablespoons of your favorite mustard (I used a classic grainy Dijon)

1 teaspoon garlic

1/4 tsp pepper

• Mix ingredients (except olive oil) for marinade
• Cut tempeh into 1" chunks
• Marinate the tempeh for 30 minutes
• Heat skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and quickly stir fry tempeh until golden brown, about 5 minutes each side.

Enjoy :)