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Tandoori Tempeh
TANDOORI TEMPEH
This is a veganized version of a Tandoori Chicken recipe that I used to make decades ago. This is waaay better for many reasons, and every bite bursts with lemon-accented flavor! To create this dish, I used the same seasoning blend of spices and lemon, but I substituted coconut milk and unsweetened soy milk for the plain dairy yogurt. I cooked this on the stove instead of in the oven.
INGREDIENTS
2 C cooked short grain brown rice (cooked with 2 t Vegebase broth powder 1/4 t turmeric)
1 package tempeh (8 oz)
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 C onion, chopped
1/2 C carrot, chopped (about 1 large carrot)
1/2 C red pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 C unsweetened soy milk
1/2 C coconut milk
2 T liquid oil (I use avocado oil)
2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t chili powder
1 1/2 t ground ginger
1 t paprika
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t salt
Oil for cooking (I use coconut oil)
Spices for Tandoori Tempeh
DIRECTIONS
1. Make a batch of rice (I use a rice cooker). I cooked short grain brown rice with 2 teaspoons Vegebase vegan broth powder and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric added to the water. Reserve 2 cups of the cooked rice to use in the Tandoori Tempeh recipe.
2. Zest and squeeze the lemon. Soak cubes or strips of tempeh in the zest/juice while you chop the veggies and press/mince the garlic.
Tempeh soaked in lemon zest/juice and the chopped veggies
3. Combine the soy milk, coconut milk, and liquid oil, then add the spices. Stir.
Spices and liquid ingredients ready to combine
4. On medium heat, using a large non-stick fry pan, saute the carrot, onion, red pepper and garlic in the coconut oil for several minutes. Push the veggies to one side of the pan. Add the tempeh and any remaining lemon juice to the other side of the pan, and saute for several more minutes.
Veggies and tempeh
5. Add the combination of spices and liquids to the pan and combine thoroughly. Cook for several minutes, until the liquid reduces somewhat.
Combining the tempeh, veggies and sauce
6. Stir in 2 cups of cooked rice.
Combining the finished meal with the rice
7. Serve up and enjoy!
I first learned about “blended salad” from Dr. Joel Fuhrman. If you don’t know who Dr. Fuhrman is, be sure to click the link! In my opinion, his book “Eat to Live” is one of the best books on nutrition. I love his “nutritarian” approach to health. It’s all about nutrient density.
A blended salad is basically another type of green smoothie. My morning green smoothie contains a lot of fruit. My evening blended salad contains mostly vegetables.
Here’s what I put in my blended salad last night (serves 2):
Parsley, spinach, zucchini, carrot, cucumber, apple, red pepper and lemon juice (frozen).
PREPARATION
These are tips for preparing lots of vegetables ahead of time. This cuts down on the amount of work involved. If it’s too much work, then you probably won’t make blended salads regularly. Not good!
1. Buy several bunches of parsley. Discard the thickest stems. (I don’t need that much fiber!) Rinse, spin dry, and freeze on parchment paper. Store in a freezer container.
2. Have dark leafy greens in your fridge at ALL times. Rotate through kale, spinach, chard, collards, etc. Rinse the leaves and remove the tough stem. Most of the time I throw the stem away, but sometimes I mince it up for soup.
3. Buy a large variety of vegetables and apples. Wash, chop (2″ pieces) and freeze most of it. Always save some of everything for the fridge. Don’t forget about tomatoes, celery, and avocado. Keep the tomatoes and avocado fresh.
4. Use a citrus reamer to juice a whole bunch of lemons at once. Freeze the juice in ice cube trays.
5. If you have a juicer, you can also juice some of the vegetables and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. Using some vegetable juice instead of all whole veggies will cut down on some of the fiber (if getting too much fiber is an issue.) Save your carrot pulp for other uses (like these muffins).
5. Blend everything in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix. Add at least a cup of water per serving.
It’s interesting to read nutrition charts showing the percentage of protein, carbohydrate, and fat found in fruits and vegetables. People are surprised to learn that fruits contain protein and vegetables contain fat.
Please repeat after me:
ALL PLANTS CONTAIN PROTEIN.
PARSLEY: 27% protein, 57% carb, 16% fat
SPINACH: 39% protein, 49% carb, 12% fat
ZUCCHINI: 25% protein, 67% carb, 8% fat
CARROT: 8% protein, 87% carb, 5% fat
CUCUMBER: 19% protein, 69% carb, 12% fat
APPLE: 2% protein, 95% carb, 3% fat
RED PEPPER: 13% protein, 78% carb, 9% fat
LEMON: 7% protein, 90% carb, 3% fat
(Protein, carb, and fat percentages are from the book, “Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets,” by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. This is another excellent book on nutrition. You don’t need to be “raw” to read it.)
Happy blending!
Freeheel Vegan 