summer wild rice potato salad

Equipment:

microwave or oven to cook potatoes

big mixing bowl

2 big mixing spoons

cutting board

french knife

saucepan to cook wild rice

Plan this a day or two ahead of serving in order to prepare the potatoes, rice and "bacon"

Ingredients:
*   7 small-medium red skin potatoes, cooked and cooled to cold (hours or overnight) in frig, then cut into bite size pieces
*   1/2 small white onion (or use chives or both if you have them)
*   1 1/2 - 2 cups vegan mayonnaise or make your own
*   2 TBL dijon mustard
*   2 cups of wild rice, cooked and cooled
*   2 cups of small cubed tempeh bacon
*   1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or cider, white or rice vinegar)
*   1/4 cup washed, minced flat leaf parsley
to taste....salt
to taste....black pepper

Method...
•   combine the potatoes, rice, tempeh "bacon", parsley, onion in big mixing bowl
•   add the mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar, salt and pepper and mix with 2 big spoons until well combined
•   keep bringing up the bottom and mixing well so that everything is covered with dressing.
•   cover and store in refrigerator
•   before serving taste to see if the salad needs salt or vinegar, you can refresh this salad with a little salt and vinegar and serve as a summer side dish

slab tempeh "bacon"

Equipment:

sauce pan

sauté pan

strainer / colander

heavy duty spatula

big bowl for mixing

stovetop smoker (use liquid smoke if you do not have)

applewood and hickory chips for the smoker

Makes great "BLTs"

Ingredients...

•  1 8oz. package of tempeh of choice (or make your own, under “tempeh” on this blog)

•  1/2 cup rice flour

•  1 tsp salt, or more to taste

•  3 TBL liquid sweetener (I use agave nectar)

•  oil or vegan shortening for frying

Method: (wash hands)

* crumble up package of tempeh with your hands, place in saucepan and cover with water, bring to boil and turn down to simmer for around 5 minutes

* strain tempeh of all water and place in mixing bowl

add rice flour, salt and sweetener to bowl and mix with hands thoroughly

Cut into tiny pieces for salads, dips or any recipe that calls for "bacon"

Fry:

* heat up sauté pan, add around 1/4 cup  oil or vegan shortening until nice and hot

* form tempeh mixture into flat patties and place onto hot pan to brown and crisp up

* turn heat down to medium and let brown and crisp, while flipping with spatula

* when you are all done frying/crisping set aside

Smoke:

•  get your smoker ready (or make your own) (I have a small electric burner that I plug in outside, using an extension cord, then place the stovetop smoker on the burner.  You do not want smoke in your house or apartment).

•  set-up your smoker, mixing the wood chips, then place the tray on top

•  place the patties on the smoker tray (if you do not have enough room, slice each patty in half)

•  smoke on medium heat (or use direction from your particular smoker) for around 10 minutes, turn burner off and let sit in smoker until cooled down to warm

•  taste a piece of the slab for flavor and if you agree with the flavor, cover and store.  If not, you might need a little salt or sweetener on top (the picture has a little agave nectar on top of the slabs)

tempeh mushroom burger

Equipment:

Mixing bowl

Sauce Pan

Sauté Pan or outdoor grill

Heavy Duty Spatula

low fat, gluten free, healthy vegan grilling burgers

Ingredients...
16 oz. package of tempeh (I use 5-grain)
2 cups of washed, cut small slice, sautéed mushrooms with the water pressed out and pat dry (I use crimini mushrooms)
1/3 cup soy sauce (I use tamari)
1/3 cup water
1 TBL molasses
2 TBL onion powder
2 TBL brewers yeast
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
2 TBL potato starch
to taste, salt (I use herbamare)
to taste, liquid sweetener
2 vegan burger buns (I used bread)
condiments for burgers, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup or salsa

Method, (wash hands)

• mix water, molasses and soy sauce, then place crumbled up tempeh and bring to a light simmer
• press down on crumbled tempeh until the tempeh absorbs the water mixture
• place tempeh mixture in mixing bowl and add mushrooms, onion powder, yeast, thyme, pepper and combine with hands and taste for salt and sweet
• add some liquid sweetener if needed, then add potato starch (if mixture needs a little more starch to become thick, add it) and mix thoroughly with hands until the mixture forms dense, thick patties
• sauté on high heat with oil spray for low fat or 1 tsp or 2 of oil, until nice and brown

seafood tempeh cakes

Equipment:  Saute pan, spatula, mixing bowl

Ingredients:
8-12 oz.              tempeh purchased or pinto bean tempeh
2 TBL                nutritional yeast
1/4 - 1/2 cup       bread crumbs, or 1/4 cup corn mesa
2 TBL                old bay seasoning (salty)
3 TBL                dulce flakes or seaweed dried (this will turn your cakes black)
as needed           water
1 TBL                fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup               fresh, minced green onion
2 TBL                vegan mayonnaise or homemade mayo
1 tsp                   dry mustard
to taste                flat leaf italian parsley, or dried parsley
as needed           oil for frying pan


Method:
break apart tempeh and place in frying pan with a little water and the dulce flakes, boil, then turn down to a simmer until tempeh soaks up all the water
--TIP...these cakes should be firm enough to stay together, you may have to add a little more breadcrumbs or mesa if they are too soft
After the tempeh has soaked up ALL of the water, place in mixing bowl, add all of the other ingredients and mix with your hands, then form cakes, taste to see if you would like more salt, fat, dulce flavor, etc.
Heat saute pan up till hot and put in oil, then place your cakes in and saute and flip until brown

Enjoy with tartar sauce or vegan cocktail sauce

pinto bean tempeh

Tempeh recipes to follow

This was my first attempt at tempeh, after purchasing the tempeh starter online at cultures for health.  I also used the recipe from that site. Used pinto beans because they are what I had on hand.  Read all about preparation before attempting.

The hardest part was finding the right temperature, but I found it...in my hot water heater room in the basement (its such a small room that it holds the heat to always be at around 83-86 degrees)  The problem most folks write about is the area being too hot.  Another highly recommended incubation set-up, would be a heating pad, under a wet bamboo steamer (with lid on), and keep your tempeh making in the steamer.  Keep a kitchen candy thermometer sticking out of the steamer to make sure it is between 80 and 90.  Too hot ruins it.
Make sure you "dry" the beans in a little saucepan before pressing and placing in your plastic bag (or banana leaves).  Also read that wet beans make for spoiled tempeh, you want the mixture very, very dry, but then it goes in a humid environment.

I was convinced that my attempt would fail because the mixture just seemed like a bunch of dry beans in a plastic bag, also, I did the "shortcut" for removing the hulls of  (spliting in food processor,then letting the hulls rise while soaking.  I had many whole beans, but the website said don't worry about it, so I didn't.


Its a little unnerving and scary seeing the actual fuzzy white mold, but, thats the good stuff, its delicious, much better than purchased!

Best of luck if you want to take on tempeh making.   Very easy and low-cost, once you have the set-up and the correct temperature environment.