Dinner was so good last night, I just have to share!
You know the name of my game: keep it real.
What do I mean by that? I mean use whole foods often and get a little help from convenience foods. This meal is representative of that philosophy.
First, if tempeh is new to you, I recommend reading this comprehensive piece by Joe Yonan in the Washington Post: Make 2015 the Year of Tempeh.
Now, on to dinner. Here’s how it went down.
Yesterday, in the morning, I decided to steam a block of tempeh in the pressure cooker (I used an Instant Pot). I started steaming tempeh a few years ago (and before that, I used a soaking method) as a way to make the texture a bit friendlier and to help with the marinating process. Back then, I steamed it in a steamer. Now I set it on a trivet in the pressure cooker and cook it for zero minutes. Yes, zero. In the Instant Pot, I just choose “manual” (pressure cooking function) and select “0” for the time; in the Fagor LUX, I select “1” minute but as soon as I hear the beep that it’s at pressure, I shut it off. On the stove top, I turn the heat up to medium-high and as soon as pressure is achieved, I remove the pressure cooker from the stove. I typically allow for a natural release.
Once this process is complete, I slice the tempeh into four pieces and pour a marinade over it. Here’s where convenience came into play. Over the weekend, I picked up a bottle of sesame teriyaki sauce.
I placed the four tempeh steaks in a shallow container and drizzled enough sauce over the slices to cover it. I snapped an airtight lid on the container and stored it in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, I got the pressure cooker going again (back to the Instant Pot because my Fagor LUX was hard at work making soy yogurt!). I made the Mushroom Rice recipe from my book Vegan Pressure Cooking (you can also find it here). I let it cool while I was getting ready for work and then stored it in the refrigerator, right next to that tempeh.
Eight hours later, home from work, Dave and I tag-teamed dinner. Firing up the grill on medium heat, he grilled the tempeh for 10 minutes (five minutes on each side). Meanwhile, I pulled out a cast iron skillet, heated a little extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat, and then added sliced onions, big chunks of garlic, and sliced mushrooms (cremini) for a quick sauté. I added about 8 cups of baby spinach (maybe more!) to the skillet, squeezed the juice of one small lemon over it, and tossed with tongs until the spinach wilted (this is known as a flash sauté). That took all of five minutes. I reheated the rice and then layered everything in a bowl.
I find that one of the ways I’m able to have whole foods prepared for quick meals is because I’m always coming up with an idea while puttering in the kitchen in the morning. In fact, right now, I have lentils in the pressure cooker. As I was pouring my second cup of coffee, I just quickly grabbed a jar of those little legumes and set the pressure cooker for 12 minutes (for me, I live at 6,200 feet; cooking time at sea level is 8 – 10 minutes). I’ll take those lentils to the office today, as well as a big bowl of chopped lettuce and vegetables, for a simple lentil lunch salad … with my new obsession:
Vegan Thousand Island dressing.
Keepin’ it real!
2 thoughts on “Sesame Teriyaki Tempeh, real world vegan style!”
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Nice dinner!!!
Made for great leftovers, too, @joannmlakeselliott:disqus !