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I created this dish as a healthier alternative to the packaged vegan taco meats that I’ve used in the past (like Yves Meatless Ground Taco Stuffers and Soyrizo). For sure, they are delicious (YUM!), but they’re also highly processed (BOO!). I’m striving to use more whole foods.
Tempeh is a fermented, whole soy food. My favorite brand is Turtle Island Foods. The Organic Five Grain flavor contains (organic) non-GMO soybeans, millet, brown rice, sesame seeds, apple cider vinegar, and rhizopus oligosporus starter culture.
Tempeh can have a bitter edge, so it’s best to cut and steam the pieces of tempeh for about 10 minutes before using. I like tempeh best when it has a chance to soak up flavors from a liquid-based marinade or sauce. The black spots are molds that are supposed to be there.
Steaming the tempeh.
Chopped steamed tempeh.
INGREDIENTS
1- 8 0z “block” or “cake” tempeh, thawed, steamed and chopped
20 crimini mushrooms, chopped or sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
Dash garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2-1 t chili powder
1 t oregano
1 t cumin
1 1/2 t salt-free fajita seasoning blend (contains paprika, onion, garlic, black pepper, oregano & cumin)
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T tamari
1/4 C tomato paste
3/4 C water
Chopped Crimini Mushrooms
ASSEMBLY
While you’re steaming the tempeh, chop the veggies. Keep the mushrooms separate, but you can combine the garlic, onion, carrots, jalapeno, and red pepper in a bowl. Combine the spices. Combine the wet ingredients (vinegar, tamari, tomato paste & water.) After the steamed tempeh cools, chop it.
I used 2 large saute pans, each on medium heat with a little coconut oil.
In the first pan, saute about half of the veggies, half of the spices and all of the mushrooms.
Sauteed crimini mushrooms, veggies & spices.
In the second pan, cook the other half of the veggies and spices with the chopped tempeh and wet ingredients. The liquid marinade will soak into the tempeh. Cook down some of the liquid, but not all.
Tempeh, veggies, spices and liquid marinade.
Finally, combine the two. Portion in 1 cup sized wide mouth freezer jars. Makes 6- 1 cup servings.
Tempeh Mushroom Taco Filling
Eat this filling with your favorite taco fixings, in tortillas or as a salad.
Don’t forget the Pinto Bean Dip!
NSNG = No Sugar No Grain
Mates, I think I’ve discovered a secret to really good vegan cheese. My hunch is yet untested, but I think I’m onto something BIG! Let me explain…
I bought some Marmite today. I’d never tried it before, so I said “What the heck!” and grabbed a jar while shopping at my local food Co-op.
Ingredients: Yeast Extract, Salt, Carrot & Onion Extract, Spice Extracts, enriched with B Vitamins – Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1), Riboflavin (B2), and Cyanocobalamin (B12).
Before trying Marmite for the first time, the only thing I knew about it is that it’s very salty. Just like umeboshi paste…a little goes a long way. The jar states “Delicious when spread thinly on toast or for a treat try Marmite on a crispbread with cottage cheese.”
I put some on a piece of toast. Hmm…Salty, yes. It’s hard to describe, but I would use the words salty, smoky, and bitter. It was okaaay…not repulsive (the Marmite website says you’re either a lover or a hater), but I felt it just needed something else in order to satisfy me. (I think it could grow on me, though…)
Of course, I didn’t have cottage cheese in my fridge, but I did have some vegan cheese. Last week I made homemade vegan Muenster cheese, from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook (page 164), by Jo Stepaniak.
Marmite + Vegan Muenster on toast = Ding, ding, ding! (Wedding bells!)
Marmite by itself..it’s okay.
Vegan Muenster by itself…it’s quite good.
Marmite and Muenster…better together!
The Marmite gave the Muenster that little somethin’ somethin.’ It amped up the flavor; it gave it depth and richness.
That little “somethin’ somethin” has a name: Umami. It’s that little-known fifth taste sense. It’s not just salty. It’s not just bitter. It’s savory but obscure. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know it when you taste it. Ooo-mommy!
Apparently, it’s the glutamic acid in the Marmite that imparts the umami sense. Glutamic acid is associated with fermented or aged foods of plant and animal origin…aged meats, fish, soy sauce, certain vegetables (mushrooms, tomatoes & others), and aged cheeses.
So here’s what I’ve concluded:
Animal-based cheeses have a distinct sharpness of flavor. It can be difficult to find this robust flavor burst in a plant-based cheese. (Difficult, but not impossible!)
So, if glutamic acids contribute greatly to the pungent taste AND if Marmite adds that umami quality, then it only makes logical sense to add a little bit of Marmite to vegan cheese recipes.
I’m going to try that.
So…Whereas, the recipe for Muenster Uncheese calls for:
Paprika, water, agar flakes, tofu, cashews or Brazil nuts, nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, tahini, onion powder, salt, dry mustard, garlic powder, and ground caraway or coriander
…I’m thinking it would be wise to add a drib or a drab of Marmite, too. Just a wee. What do you think?
(Paprika makes Muenster Uncheese pretty and smoky)
(For more on using umami in the vegan cooking arsenal, read this blog article by Ginny Messina, the Vegan R.D.)
Freeheel Vegan 