Meet Jo’s Superfood of the Month: Tempeh!

I am on a total tempeh kick lately.  Meat lovers, don’t get all disgruntled; bacon had it’s day in the sun.  That might actually be an understatement… I was cooking with bacon  so much that a co-worker asked me if I had a bacon cookbook (I do not) and Holly got me bacon bubble gum as a gift (“your two favorite things Jo!).  So it’s tempeh’s turn.

If you haven’t had tempeh, it’s similar to tofu, but the fermentation process uses the whole bean, giving it a much nicer texture and higher content of protein, fiber and vitamins than its mushy, often flavorless counterpart.  I bought pre-marinated tempeh a few weeks back, and that was delicious.  This week, I’ve been using Trader Joe’s organic tempeh and marinating it myself to make lunches for the entire week!

Sunday afternoon, I marinated half of the tempeh in ginger teriyaki sauce and half it in Trader Joe’s Curry Simmer Sauce (my blog really could be a Trader Joe’s commercial).  The teriyaki tempeh I combined with soba noodles, edamame and broccoli and the curry I mixed with whole grain cous cous, bell peppers and chick peas.  Both made great lunches to bring to work, but the soba noodle combo definitely stood out!

I also made this Vegetable Quinoa Curry dish for my parents last week, subbing in tempeh for the tofu.  I really must say that I was quite disappointed with this one; it was a ton of work for what turned out to be a very bland dish.  If I try this recipe again (which I doubt I will… there are a lot of fish in the sea) I would probably cook the veggies first, drain most of the broth, and then combine with the spices.

I think next week I might try tempeh on pita bread with feta, cherry tomatoes, black olives and a cucumber-yogurt sauce… stay tuned!

Johanna