Tempeh Enchilasagna

I enjoy eating enchiladas, but making them can be really time consuming. I came up with a fast way to enjoy the flavors of an enchilada, but baked like a lasagna. This version is super simple and doesn't take very long to prep. 

Heat oven to 350 - 375 degrees

Here's what you'll need: 

~ 1 large, deep skillet

~ 1 large baking pan (rectangular, lasagna type)

~1 large can of vegan enchilada sauce 

~ 1 pack of small corn tortillas

~ 1 pack of tempeh (crumble or chop into little pieces)

~ 1 sweet onion (chopped)

~ 1 red bell-pepper (chopped)

~ (optional) 1 to 3 fresh hot peppers to taste (I like to use 1 red, yellow and orange to add more color)

~1/3 bag of frozen sweet corn

~ 1 can of black beans (remove liquid)

~ 1/2 block vegan cheddar cheese (shredded)

In your skillet, saute (with a little oil):

~ 1st: add onions (you want these to get soft and brown)

~ 2nd: as the onions are getting soft add the tempeh, red pepper, hot peppers and frozen corn

~ 3rd: To give it flavor you can use all or some of these: taco seasoning, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, chipotle sauce, cayenne pepper, habanero powder, black pepper, crushed or roasted garlic, salsa

~ 4th: add black beans - stir thoroughly and remove from heat. 

In your baking dish:

~1st: Pour in a little less than 1/4 a can of enchilada sauce. You want just enough sauce to coat the pan with a small layer of sauce.

~2nd: Make a layer with the corn tortillas. No need to overlap, just rip them into 1/2 or 1/4 pieces to allow full coverage. 

~3rd: Pour in 1/2 the contents from skillet, making a nice layer. 

~4th: Make another layer of tortillas.

~5th: Pour a layer of enchilada sauce, covering the tortillas. Use around a 1/4 to 1/3 of can. 

~6th: Add another layer of the skillet contents. If you want the enchiladas really cheesy, add a layer of shredded vegan cheddar cheese.

~7th: Add another layer of the tortillas, cover with the remaining sauce and add shredded cheese. 

Bake around 20 to 30 minutes (depending on your oven). 

TIPS: Serve topped with a dollop of vegan sour cream and guacamole. It tastes great with a side salad topped with salsa, guacamole and a few blue corn chips.  

Tempeh, Lettuce and Tomato

I finally found hamburger buns that are free of whey and high fructose corn syrup, from a company called Rudi's Organic Bakery. These delicious buns were my inspiration for a vegan twist of a BLT. 

I really like the 5 Grain Tempeh from Turtle Island Foods. I cut it into thin slices and pan fried them. I lined the pan with extra virgin olive oil.  Then seasoned the slices with coarse ground pepper, cajun spices and seasoning salt. Once they started to get crisp, I flipped them and seasoned their other side (I added a little more oil to the pan). I flipped them one last time to get them crisp and coated with flavor. 

On a lightly toasted bun I spread a little veganaise. Then I stacked the tempeh, sliced tomato and lettuce. Simple yet REALLY tasty. 

UPDATE (06/01):  My husband and I LOVE these sandwiches. I've been making them lately with Dave's Killer Bread (Good Seed - toasted slices). I've also made these with vegan cheddar slices added and/or avocado slices. Soooooo yummy!!! 

Vegan Kitchen Staples

To make my life easier in the kitchen, I typically have the following on hand at all times:

Brown Rice

TIP: Brown rice is a great source of fiber and has a rich nutty flavor. Yes, it takes longer to cook brown rice rather than white rice, but your body will appreciate the extra 20 minutes of cooking time. If you hate waiting for rice to cook, then cook a bunch at once. Cooked rice stores fine in the fridge for a few days. Whenever I incorporate rice with a meal, I always get the brown rice cooking first. By the time I'm done, so is the rice. 

Crushed Garlic
TIP: I buy this stuff in bulk too. Costco has a giant container for around 5 bucks. Trader Joes has a really creamy crushed garlic. You can always crush it yourself, but that takes extra time and effort. I use crushed garlic in nearly everything (except of course - desserts). 

Dried Mushrooms

Tip: All kinds of exotic mushrooms are available dried. They last forever and can be brought back to life with a little hot water. If the mushroom chunks are too large, break apart when they're dry, once they're rehydrated they're tougher to slice. Mushrooms can add flavor to soups, sauces, etc. I love shiitakes!! I picked up a giant bag of dried ones at Costco at a great deal. Also, Asian markets are another great place for dried mushrooms and you'll be able to find a wide variety. 

Flax Meal

Tip: You can buy flax meal in bulk, but it can lose its nutritional potency if left out for too long. I use Bob's Red Mill brand and I keep it in the refrigerator to extend its freshness. Flax meal works great as an egg replacer. I add it to cookies, pancakes, scones, bread, etc. I've even used it in mock-meatloaf. It has a wonderful rich nutty flavor and is a great source for fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids. If you have issues with wheat, this is a safe alternative as well. 

Kalamata Olives
TIP: I get these at Costco in a GIANT jar and the price for one jar is about what you'd pay for a tiny jar at Zupans. These little olives are great in hummus, sauces and as pizza toppings. 

Margarine (Vegan)

TIP: I use Earth Balance brand; which is available in tubs and sticks (which is great for baking). This product is the perfect substitute for butter in any recipe. The margarine works great for sauces, soups, scones, cookies, dumplings, breads, etc. 

Miso

Tip: The darker the miso paste the stronger and saltier the taste. This stuff is filled with all kinds of nutrients and can add a nice kick to soups, spreads, marinades, sautés, dips, dressing, etc. Keep in mind that if you boil miso, then you will lose a lot of its nutrients. Add to soups at the very end of the cooking process. You can dissolve it in a little bit of warm water and then add it to the soup broth. 

Nori Flakes

TIP: These dried flakes of seaweed are not only nutritious but they are filled with a wonderful flavor. You can buy these at an asian market such as Uwajimaya. I love to use these flakes as a topping for soups (such as miso or wonton) or as part of a marinade for tofu and tempeh. 

Olive Oil
TIP: Never buy olive oil that comes in a plastic container; not only does it ruin the flavor but it can potentially be bad for you. I get the cold-press extra virgin olive oil from Trader Joes; around 10 bucks for a tall bottle.

Oyster Sauce (Vegan)

TIP: You can buy this through Food Fight or an Asian Grocery (my favorite is Uwajimaya - I LOVE this supermarket and they have an online store too). This is my newest secret ingredient. This stuff tastes amazing on kale, beet greens, collard greens and swiss chard. Just saute the greens with olive oil, then add a nice size dash or two the oyster sauce (you can add a couple of dashes of mushroom soy sauce for a saltier flavor). 

Paprika 

TIP: You can get a giant container at Costco or you can even buy it in bulk; either way is cheaper than the grocery store spice aisle. Paprika is rich in flavor and gives a nice zip to soups, stroganoffs, sauces, tacos, dips, dal, etc. 

Sea Salt
TIP: No need to buy an expensive salt grinder, you can buy sea salt in a container that has a twist top that grinds the salt. I've gotten them at both Costco and Trader Joes. 

Soy Milk

TIP: If you hate the taste of soy milk, try starting off with vanilla. However, if you plan on cooking with it, use plain unless you're making a dessert. Other milk substitutes such as rice and almond are wonderful as well. I get mine in bulk at Costco (they sell the organic type), but you can also get a great deal at Trader Joes. Silk makes an incredibly yummy soy milk too. Use soy milk in place of cow's milk (a.k.a cow puss) in any recipe. 

Sun Dried Tomatoes
TIP: I get these at Costco in a GIANT jar for approximately 7 bucks. They don't carry them year round, so stock up when they have them. Sun dried tomatoes are packed with flavor and can add zip to hummus, spreads, dips, sauces, etc.

Tamari

TIP: Tamari has a salty, nutty flavor that can be used in a variety of dishes/recipes. It's not the same as soy sauce and is similar to Bragg's Amino Acid. Although I use both, I typically lean more towards Tamari because it tastes less salty (at least to me).  Tamari can add flavor to stir fries, sautés, soups, dips, sauces, etc. If your soup broth tastes a little bland, add a few shakes of tamari to bring out the flavor. 


Teriyaki Sauce
TIP: I like the one from Trader Joes that contains sesame seeds. Asian markets are another great place for tasty, inexpensive teriyaki sauce. Just a little can add a lot of flavor to mock meat loaf, marinades and veggies. 

I'll keep adding to this list....more to come.

Chicken Fried Tempeh

Last night I was in the mood for a pile of comfort food love. I created a stacked concoction that had herbed mash potatoes surrounded by chicken fried tempeh, with mushroom gravy and sauteed kale on top. It was a beautiful site, but alas no pictures. I'll make this again and get snap shots to post. 

In a large bowl mix up the following dry ingredients: 

- four or five good shakes of parsley flakes

-four or five good shakes of paprika

-three to four good shakes of garlic powder

-three to four good shakes of black pepper

-four or five grinds of sea salt

-a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper

-three to four shakes of red pepper flakes

-three to four shakes of seasoning salt

-three to four tablespoons of flax seed flour (this works as the egg replacer, so if you don't use this, use 2 teaspoons of potato starch)

- approximately one cup of unbleached flour

Once this is blended, start adding soy milk and mix. You'll want a consistency that resembles pancake batter. Keep adding flour and milk to you get the balance right. You should have enough batter to heavily coat one package of tempeh. 

Cut one package of tempeh into 1/2 inch wide sticks and cut the tempeh once down the middle (lengthwise). Toss tempeh pieces into batter and fully coat each piece. 

In a frying pan, coat the bottom with oil. When oil gets hot, drop the tempeh pieces into the pan. Once one side browns, flip over until all sides are done. The last 2 sides of the tempeh might only need to be flipped for a few seconds. Remove from oil and serve. I used very little oil in the pan and the tempeh wasn't greasy at all. 

I would serve this with something to dip the pieces in, unless you prepare an entire meal (like I did) where all the flavors become combined. I would also suggest marinating the tempeh FIRST for a bolder taste. 

Spicy Tempeh Lettuce Wraps

I was having a hankering for lettuce wraps and decided to make my own. I used to order the tofu lettuce wraps at PF Changs, but I discovered that they're NOT vegan (the chef in Las Vegas told me that there is something in the sauce that is derived from an animal). Any-who, I wanted to make something along those lines, but rather than tofu I experimented with tempeh and the result was delicious!! 

You'll need....

- 1 package of tempeh. I used the five grain type from Turtle Island Foods.

- 1 head of lettuce (Traditionally lettuce wraps are made with iceberg lettuce, but I used a healthier variety of lettuce and it tasted great.)

- 1 lime

- 1/2 bag of fresh, uncooked bean sprouts

- a kick a** marinade (see below for my suggestion)

First I created a marinade for the tempeh, which I also used to cook the tempeh. The amounts are approximate. I put the marinade in a plastic container that had a lid, so I could shake the tempeh around and get it all nice and covered with tasty goodness.

Kick A** Marinade: 

- 1 heaping tablespoon of crushed garlic

- 1 or 2 hot peppers finely chopped (I used a red and a yellow hot pepper without the seeds)

- 2 scallions chopped up

- a few shakes of sesame seeds

- a few shakes of chili oil

- 5 or so grinds of pepper

- 1 tablespoon ( depending on your spice level you may want to reduce this amount) of chili paste (you can get this from an asian market, I used one with black beans and chili)

- 1 to 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (I used the one from Trader Joes with the sesame seeds)

- 1 to 3 tablespoons of vegan oyster sauce (I got this tasty sauce from Food Fight)

- 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1 or 2 teaspoons of ginger powder

If you want to take this up a notch....add a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes. Yowza!

Cut up the tempeh into very small cubes. Add tempeh to marinade a little at a time, fully coating the tempeh with the marinade. Store in fridge for 45 minutes to an hour.

Sauté mixture. Add one or two more tablespoons of vegan oyster sauce as you saute. 

Place a nice size scoop into a lettuce leaf, squirt a little lime on top, put some bean sprouts on top and wrap. Depending on the type of lettuce you use, your wrapping technique will vary. 

Vegan Comfort Food: Mock Meat Loaf

I've tried making mock meat loaf a few times using the fake ground meat and they always came out too wet. The other day I created a mock meat loaf by pure experimentation and I came across one tasty surprise.

I'm really not sure how much of each ingredient I used, but it filled up an entire loaf pan (that was on the long side - IKEA - got to love them).

Dry Ingredients (put in bowl first)
flax seeds
flax seed flour
spelt
rolled oats (quick cooking)
soy flour
paprika
Cajun spice
sea salt
ground pepper
basil
red chili flakes
wheat germ
seasoning salt


Wet Ingredients (blend in food processor)
1 sweet onion
5 mushrooms
vegan Worcestershire sauce
organic ketchup
soy sauce
Tamari
teriyaki sauce
hot pepper
walnuts (okay - these are not wet, but they need to be blended)
crushed garlic
cooked brown rice

Add to Dry Ingredients and stir until coated
Crumble one block of firm tofu
crumble one block of tempeh (I used the five grain type from Turtle Island Foods)

Add blended ingredients
Stir in blended ingredients, if it is too wet add more oats and flour. If it is too dry, add in more ketchup and teriyaki sauce.

Once thoroughly mixed, pour info loaf pan. Squirt Ketchup all over the top. Cook at 375 degrees for an hour. Let cool for 10 minutes and then slice.

Best part: the mock loaf tastes great the next day - even cold. You could make a yummy sandwich.

The Be-Bop Way: To prepare this dish, embrace the ingredients that you love and cook with them. If you don't like certain ingredients, then don't add them. However, keep in mind that you need a good balance of wet and dry to make this loaf otherwise it might turn out too mushy or too tough. If you don't want to add oats, be sure to add lots of breadcrumbs or something that will hold the loaf together.