Guest guest Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Okay, so I marinated my tempeh (folks, understand I am a novice here -- I'd never SEEN tempeh before) in vinegar and olive oil and an organic spice mix I have that I like. I cut up lots of wonderful veggies -- potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, rutabagas and garlic and roasted everything at a low temp all afternoon in a clay pot. Mmmm, smelled really good. It tasted -- well, let's just say it was nothing to write home about. Wouldn't get rave reviews in Bon Appetit. Needed ketchup to make it palatable, actually. But it was a first attempt. And I would buy it again and try it again. I realize now when you said it needed flavor added, you were serious. Next time I would cut it into little chunks first and then marinate it and use a lot more marinade than I did this time. And since it looks like left over meatloaf I think I'd add quite a bit of sage and kind of capitalize on that look. Also, I didn't look at protein content and one block has only 16 grams of protein and no way could I eat two blocks. I supplemented with cottage cheese and a little power milk. I'm sure I'm sounding like our newbies who wonder how they are going to make their food taste like it has sugar in it even if it doesn't. I'm wondering how to make tempeh taste like meat, lolol. Okay, I'll learn. I will also say that between the tempeh, cottage cheese and power milk, it held me well. Also all those good root veggies. And together they made a very big meal which left me feeling like I wouldn't need to eat for a very long time. What do you think, not bad for a first try? Verla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Brava, Verla! Good for you for trying it -- you get a high five for sure. Your basic recipe sounds delicious. Yah, I find that most tempeh is too dense to absorb much marinade unless you: 1) cut it up into chunks or strips first; or 2) steam it (for about 15-20 mins; chunks work best) and then marinate it. I do like it steamed then crumbled into tomato sauce, but you'd have to eat a lot of the sauce to get a good protein amount. But you could always try patties of crumbled tempeh...that way, you could get a lot more spicing in there. Also, I find that there are some brands of tempeh that have less carbs and/or a lot of fiber; I prefer those because then I don't need to eat quite so much volume. The reuben recipe that Deb just posted sounds like a winner...I think JoEllen posted one some time ago that sounded similar. I love your adventurous spirit, Verla! Cinzia , " joysday2000 " <verlavester wrote: > > Okay, so I marinated my tempeh (folks, understand I am a novice here -- I'd never SEEN tempeh before) in vinegar and olive oil and an organic spice mix I have that I like. I cut up lots of wonderful veggies -- potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, rutabagas and garlic and roasted everything at a low temp all afternoon in a clay pot. Mmmm, smelled really good. > > It tasted -- well, let's just say it was nothing to write home about. Wouldn't get rave reviews in Bon Appetit. Needed ketchup to make it palatable, actually. > > But it was a first attempt. And I would buy it again and try it again. I realize now when you said it needed flavor added, you were serious. Next time I would cut it into little chunks first and then marinate it and use a lot more marinade than I did this time. And since it looks like left over meatloaf I think I'd add quite a bit of sage and kind of capitalize on that look. > > Also, I didn't look at protein content and one block has only 16 grams of protein and no way could I eat two blocks. I supplemented with cottage cheese and a little power milk. > > I'm sure I'm sounding like our newbies who wonder how they are going to make their food taste like it has sugar in it even if it doesn't. I'm wondering how to make tempeh taste like meat, lolol. Okay, I'll learn. > > I will also say that between the tempeh, cottage cheese and power milk, it held me well. Also all those good root veggies. And together they made a very big meal which left me feeling like I wouldn't need to eat for a very long time. > > What do you think, not bad for a first try? > > Verla > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Thanks Cinzia, I appreciate the tips. I am looking forward to trying it again because I think there is definite potential there, lol. Can someone tell me what the difference between tofu and tempeh is? I've had tofu before so I know that color and texture are different, but is there anything basically different about them? Are they different nutritionally? Verla , " cinziatre " <cmarchesani wrote: > > Brava, Verla! Good for you for trying it -- you get a high five for sure. Your basic recipe sounds delicious. > > Yah, I find that most tempeh is too dense to absorb much marinade unless you: 1) cut it up into chunks or strips first; or 2) steam it (for about 15-20 mins; chunks work best) and then marinate it. > > I do like it steamed then crumbled into tomato sauce, but you'd have to eat a lot of the sauce to get a good protein amount. But you could always try patties of crumbled tempeh...that way, you could get a lot more spicing in there. > > Also, I find that there are some brands of tempeh that have less carbs and/or a lot of fiber; I prefer those because then I don't need to eat quite so much volume. > > The reuben recipe that Deb just posted sounds like a winner...I think JoEllen posted one some time ago that sounded similar. > > I love your adventurous spirit, Verla! Cinzia > , " joysday2000 " <verlavester@> wrote: > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Tempeh is a whole-soybean product fermented with a mushroom culture. The fermentation makes the protein easier to digest, for one thing. And it has a broader nutritional profile (more vitamins, fiber, protein). Tofu doesn't actually use all of the soybean, and plain tofu is not fermented (you can buy some fermented tofu products at Asian specialty stores, but they're not readily available otherwise). cheers, Cinzia , " joysday2000 " <verlavester wrote: > > Thanks Cinzia, I appreciate the tips. I am looking forward to trying it again because I think there is definite potential there, lol. > > Can someone tell me what the difference between tofu and tempeh is? I've had tofu before so I know that color and texture are different, but is there anything basically different about them? Are they different nutritionally? > > Verla > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Very informative, thanks Cinzia. Verla I keep my tempeh in the block. None of this crumbling or dicing. Oh one thing I neglected to mention is that the type I buy has seaweed already woven into it & that's pretty lovely. Mel , " cinziatre " <cmarchesani wrote: > > Tempeh is a whole-soybean product fermented with a mushroom culture. The fermentation makes the protein easier to digest, for one thing. And it has a broader nutritional profile (more vitamins, fiber, protein). > > Tofu doesn't actually use all of the soybean, and plain tofu is not fermented (you can buy some fermented tofu products at Asian specialty stores, but they're not readily available otherwise). > cheers, Cinzia > > > , " joysday2000 " <verlavester@> wrote: > > > > Thanks Cinzia, I appreciate the tips. I am looking forward to trying it again because I think there is definite potential there, lol. > > > > Can someone tell me what the difference between tofu and tempeh is? I've had tofu before so I know that color and texture are different, but is there anything basically different about them? Are they different nutritionally? > > > > Verla > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.