VegCooking is now holding a contest where you can win free copies of Robin Robertson cookbooks, including Vegan Fire & Spice, so I decided to take a few recipes from the book for a little test drive.
One of the best that I tested was the Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets. The recipe calls for boiling the tempeh for 30 minutes, which really helps soften the tempeh and make it slightly less nutty. I must warn that if you've never tried tempeh, you shouldn't expect this to taste like tofu or frozen faux chicken nuggets you buy from the supermarket. Tempeh has a very unique taste that you may need to learn to love.
After boiling, you then brown the tempeh in a skillet until there's a nice golden color on all sides. Next you're supposed to toss the tempeh with the jerk seasoning, but I feared the nuggets might be a little dry for my taste, so I added another tablespoon of oil and then the seasoning. Perfect.
I'll stop giving you the play-by-play of my tempeh nugget experience so that you can head on over to enter the contest. Hurry and enter now because the contest ends on April 30! Good luck!
Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets
From Vegan Fire & Spice by Robin Robertson
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sugar or natural sweetener
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, cut into cubes
2 Tbsp. cold-pressed canola oil
•Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt, allspice, pepper, ginger, cayenne, and thyme in a small bowl and set aside.
•Place the tempeh in a saucepan of boiling water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the tempeh and pat it dry.
•Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh and cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
•Sprinkle the spice mixture over the tempeh and toss until fragrant and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Serve hot.
Serves 4
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Comments ( 6 )
Sounds great! I can't wait to try it :)
Posted by May | April 18, 2008 2:07 PM
Posted on April 18, 2008 14:07
that looks delicous!
Posted by joel | April 18, 2008 9:49 PM
Posted on April 18, 2008 21:49
you just can't replace the amazing taste of 100% beef jerky
Posted by jimbo | April 21, 2008 2:20 PM
Posted on April 21, 2008 14:20
Just curious... I am having a little trouble finding Tempeh in Houston... where am I most likely going to be able to get my hands on it?
Posted by Danner | April 22, 2008 5:26 PM
Posted on April 22, 2008 17:26
Hi Danner,
You should definitely be able to find tempeh at your local Whole Foods. Here in Atlanta some Kroger and Publix locations carry tempeh too, but not all.
Hope that helps!
amy
Posted by Amy | April 23, 2008 9:14 AM
Posted on April 23, 2008 09:14
Nice website, Amy!
I'm wondering if you or anyone reading this can recommend a really good book, website, or other source of high protein, low glycemic index recipes for vegetarians? I saw such books on Amazon, but gave up after reading descriptions and reviews of several because they weren't really low GI since they used pasta, rice, and many high GI fruits. One description even admitted that adding "low GI" to the title was a last minute idea of the publisher to pick up on the new hype.
I used to be trim and ate everything except meat, but now I'm in my 40s and so embarrassed how I could be a vegetarian, low-fat and moderate- portion eater, yet 30 pounds overweight! (Well, sweets, even though they were low fat, were a passion...)
I just read descriptions of insulin resistance symptoms and they fit me to the T, so I need to make the second major diet shift in my life by going low GI.
Posted by Ginni | July 2, 2008 5:03 PM
Posted on July 2, 2008 17:03