To finish off the month of September, as promised, I bring you another tempeh recipe. This one was suggested to me by my good friend and fellow vegetarian Beth: Tempeh and Blue Cheese Salad. This being the first time I have ever made it, I stuck with the recipe's specifics. Next time (as there will be a next time because Matt and I thought this salad was fabulous and it was easy to make) I will make a few changes, and these changes have been noted in my post.
To start the recipe out, I cubed half of a tempeh log. An easy enough first step for sure!
This particular tempeh recipe called for steaming the tempeh for 20 minutes. I am not exactly sure what the point of this step was... The finished product didn't taste any different than my normally sauteed tempeh, and had a similar consistency. Next time I will skip the steaming step and just go straight to the skillet!
While the tempeh was steaming, I began to prepare the dressing. Naturally Light Ranch dressing (the absolute best - you don't even know it's light!), milk, garlic, and dried dill is all this takes. Honestly, I don't think it would change the flavor all that much to cut out all but the milk if you are short on time... The garlic and dill adds a nice touch, but aren't necessary!
When the dressing is done, I move onto the salad fixing's. Diced celery, red peppers, red onion, and a half a can of garbanzo beans get mixed in with the dressing. Next time I will cut down on the garbanzo beans. Though they are a great source of protein, the salad already has tempeh (also protein) and it left me rather full! I couldn't even finish it all! So, yeah - next time less garbanzo beans for me!
Once the tempeh is done steaming, I remove it, pat it dry with a paper towel, and then put it into a preheated skillet with a bit of olive oil. Turning the tempeh every-so-often, once it is browned, I remove it and let it cool for a bit before adding it to the salad.
As the tempeh cools, I mix roughly chopped romaine lettuce into the salad mixture. Next time I will use more of the leafy-green-stuff! Not only was I full by the end of the meal, I was left with a pile of salad filling on my plate...
Finally I mix in the tempeh and crumbled blue cheese. It is now ready to be enjoyed!
I like tempeh, I like salad, and I like blue cheese! All three things together make for a really tasty dinner! I hope everyone has enjoyed September's adventure with tempeh! Don't be afraid to try it! Honestly, the easiest way to try it is as a ground beef substitute for taco night! Simply crumble the tempeh, fry as you would ground beef, add your taco seasoning and water - and you are good to go!
I have no idea what is on the agenda for the next post. Unfortunately I don't have any new food photos, so it seems as though I must get on that mission! We'll see what we cook up this week at the Luckey-Meyer pad!
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