Tempeh Time

I finally had time to cook over the weekend! I have never tried tempeh before and now I think it could become one of my favorite foods. The weather is getting colder (19 degrees on Friday morning) which means it is time to make some chili. The chile was just the thing to bring me into the could winter months.

Chili

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 medium yellow or white onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1or 2 cans of beans (I prefer kidneys, but any will do)

3/4 Cup prepped textured soy protein (TVP)- will explain below

2 tablespoons Cumin powder

2 tablespoons Chili powder

1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, diced (more or less, whatever you prefer)

1 28 oz. can stewed tomatoes, crushed with juice and all

olive oil

Prep the TVP: simply add the 3/4 cup of textured soy protein to 1/4 cup very hot water, and stir. When the textured soy protein fluffs up and absorbs the water, you're ready.

Heat large stock pot over medium heat, and pour in a few tablespoons of oil. Add the first four ingredients, and saute for about 5-7 minutes (the more you saute here, the less time it will take to simmer later).

Add the tomatoes, beans, spices, hot pepper, and textured soy protein. Stir all the ingredients, and add water if it gets too thick. Let this simmer for an hour, at least, and more if you have time. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes! You can adjust the spices as you wish, I usually just eyeball the quantities so these are best estimates.

Tempeh

I used seasame tempeh and sautéd it in a cast iron pan with a little bit of soy sauce. I ate it on whole wheat bread spread with sesame tahini.