Black Beans and Tempeh Chili

What a difference a day certainly makes.

Yesterday, I couldn't even get out of the street as the roads were dangerously icy, as well as the pavements.  There was no grit put on the roads where we live as our roads are not a priority, understandably so.  The only cars just about moving were 4 bx 4 cars, SUVs and vans.  D did try to leave in the early hours of the morning, but the wheels on the car just turned and screamed on the ice.  From the window.  I observed other neighbours try too - but eventually give up, which I think was wise rather than have an accident on icy road conditions.  I rung in with my genuine excuse and had to take it as a 'holiday'.  It was back to work today and there was no sign of snow or ice, yes what a difference a day makes.

I made this tempeh chilli around the same time as I made the Luxurious Hazelnut Tempeh Pate 

Tempeh is a popular fermented soy cake.  It has been eaten for hundreds of years in South East Asia, particularly in countries like Indonesia where dishes like Oseng-Oseng and Tempeh Bacem are popular.  However in the west, tempeh has become a vegetarian and vegan substitute for meat, often found on a breakfast plate replacing bacon. Here I am trying to use it in its own right as an additional ingredient.

The tempeh in this Black Turtle Beans Chili made for a pleasant change.  Neither of us are that keen on tempeh, but we enjoyed the texture it added. We not only enjoyed it over white Basmati rice, but also as Enchiladas and also straight out of a bowl with a spoon. 

Do you have any favourite recipes that you make with Tempeh ? Please let me know.

I am sharing this colourful bowl of Tempeh Chili with Black Turtle Beans  with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. and with Motions and Emotions is hosting MLLA My Legume Love Affair this month as this dish contains not only black beans, but the tempeh is made with soy beans.  MLLA was started by The Well Seasoned Cook and now run by Lisa's Kitchen. 

Luxurious Hazelnut Tempeh Pate

I made this Luxurious Hazelnut Tempeh Pate a few weeks back when I needed a bit of a mental break and sometimes kitchen therapy helps.

The Hazelnut Tempeh Pate is packed with rich flavours.

This vegan meat-free Pate seriously puts those tube ones to shame, but I understand there place as I have used them in the past and see their convenience when time is of the essence. But if you want to impress or just want a pate with deep 'meaty' flavours, then it is definitely making your own from scratch.  

This Hazelnut Tempeh Pate does  take time to make, but its well worth the effort when plated up and served to your guests with good crusty bread.

Mexican Style Rice, Achiote Tempeh 'Steaks' and Guacamole

I made this Mexican Style Rice, Achiote Tempeh 'Steaks' and Guacamole some time last week.  What day it exactly was I cannot remember, but I know it was warm and I thought, this was a good dish to enjoy eating out in the garden.

I had been given some Recado Rojo aka Achiote (Annato) Paste a long while back by a fellow blogger.  And it is her recipe suggestion that I have followed for the marinade, she called it Pibil. 

There was something Tandoori paste like about the achiote paste, but it was not as highly seasoned, spiced or particularly fragrant.  It did however impart a fantastic muddy red saffron colouring to the tempeh.  I have used annatto seeds in the past, mostly for the vegan chorizo sausages that require annatto infused oil, of course I made my own Annatto infused oil (and in the future I will have a go at making my own Achiote Paste too).  

Tempeh has always been a bit of a hit and miss with me, but I have to admit, I had not had this brand of tempeh before and if was soft and moist, whereas tempeh that i have had in the past have been quite firm and the soy beans texture was too prominent.  

Okay, I don't have a recipe as such for this Mexican plate, but here is what I did.  For the Achiote Tempeh had been marinating overnight in the sauce: 25g of the 100g packet of achiote with 100ml orange juice, a couple of cloves of garlic, minced and a dash of lime.  Combine well, then coat the sliced tempeh slices on both side and leave to marinade.   The following day, I baked them in the oven, flipping it over halfway so both sides were cooked for 20 - 25 minute. 

I cooked plain white Basmati rice in advance and allowed it to cool down.  Heat a little oil  in a pan, then saute an onion that has been sliced and a couple of garlic cloves that have been crushed until soft.  I then stirred in some cooked black beans (left over from a previous dish), sweetcorn from a can, minced jalapenos from a jar and a pinch of red chilli flakes and lots, and I mean lots of fresh coriander until it began to smell all wonderfully fragrant, finally I stirred in the cooked rice. 

Served with home-made guacamole and optional soured cream.  It was quite good, delicious in fact.  I had some Mexican style rice left over, so took it into work for lunch the following day.  It worked well cold (room temperature) too.  I am sharing this with Jac over at Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays; and also to No Croutons Required hosted this month by Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen,

Baked BBQ Black-Eyed Peas and Rice

My memories of home BBQ's are probably similar to yours - where the menfolk in the house (in my case my father) took over the cooking.  As my father set alight the garden grill, the dramatics commenced.  The rising flames were marvelled and welcomed by our childish woos and ahhs, all of us waiting patiently for the first bite. 

My nephew asked a question a couple of months ago, when he learned that we could be moving closer to family in Wales.  I can't remember his exact words, but it was something along the lines of 'When Nana (Grand Pa) has a family BBQ what are we going to make you and D?'.  I told him it wouldn't be too much of a problem.  D's a demi-vegetarian by association so will eat fish and seafood now and again; and me -I may seem difficult to cater for but I actually think I am not.   I told him not to worry his little head, as I am sure I will be making a veggie contribution towards the family BBQs in the future - what it will be, well that is something we will both have to wait and see.

But back to present day Scotland, where the sun is still blazing - there is no meaty or veggie BBQ taking place in my little garden, however there are some Baked BBQ Black-Eyed Peas and Rice on the table.  The flavour of these beans sure are smoky, with a sweetness from the agave syrup.  The black-eyed peas are so soft that they just melt in your mouth like butter.  The tempeh gives this dish extra texture in the form of bite. I just wish I had served it with some greens on the side.

This recipe comes from Vegan Soul Kitchen and is described by the author Bryant Terry as a remix of Hoppin' John, a dish that is eaten throughout the South in America.  Hoppin' John is especially eaten on New Year's Day when it is thought to bring the eater good luck.

The recipe does not stray that far from the original. But I did have to make a few changes.  I replaced the kombu with bay leaf, omit the lime juice - only because I didn't have any citrus fruit in the flat.  Chipotle in adobo sauce is quite expensive in the U.K, so I just re-hydrated some dried chipotle peppers in hot water and added them to a blender with the tinned tomatoes and other ingredients.  I also increased the brown rice ratio.

This post is linked to Just Another Meatless Monday #70 hosted by What's for Dinner Mom?; Meatless (Vegan) Mondays hosted by Veggie Converter. 
Baked BBQ Black-Eyed Peas and Rice
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
280g dried black eyed peas, sorted, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
2 bay leaves
100ml plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice (optional)
120ml tamari or soy sauce
200g tinned tomatoes
2 medium or 1 large dried chipotle chile, re-hydrated
60ml agave nectar; maple syrup or other sweetener
1 generous teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon dried thyme
250g - 280g tempeh, diced
Method
In a large pot, add the soaked and drained black-eyed peas, bay leaves and cover them with enough water.  Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for 50 minutes or until tender.  Drain the beans, reserving the cooking water.
While the beans are cooking, combine 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, the onions, garlic and pepper in a wide pan over medium heat. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5
In a blender, combine the vinegar, lime, tamari, tomato, chipotle chile, agave, cumin, cayenne, thyme, and 250ml of the reserved bean water and the remaining olive oil. Puree until smooth. Combine the cooked beans with the sauteed vegetables, BBQ sauce and tempeh pieces, then stir well. Transfer mixture to an ovenproof casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While the beans are baking, make the rice.
Brown Rice
200g long grain brown rice, rinsed
400ml water
Method
In a medium pan, combine the rice and the water.  Bing to the boil.  Then reduce the heat an simmer for 40 minutes, until tender.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
In the last 30 minutes of the beans baking, stir in cooked rice and return to the oven.  Serve at room temperature.  Adapted very slightly from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry.

Tempeh, tempeh

Tempeh or tempe is a popular fermented soy cake. It has been eaten for hundreds of years in South East Asia, particularly in countries like Indonesia where dishes like Tempe Bacem and Oseng-Oseng are popular. However, in the West tempeh has become a vegetarian and vegan substitute for meat.

I've had sliced tempeh a number of time, normally as part of a veggie breakfast. It has a light yeasty-mushroom flavour. I have to admit I have never really liked it. I have found the texture from the soy beans a little too bumpy and bobbly, but I could still eat it. Unlike D, who would push it to the side of his breakfast plate, the way some people push 'black pudding' off their breakfast plate. He had firmly decided that he did not like it at all. So its not something that features in my cooking.

Last year though when I was in Nairn, looking for something to snack on for lunch I stumbled upon an independent health store and cafe called Sky Delights. On its shelves I noticed some tempeh in glass jars. It was not a brand I was familiar with. The tempeh was whole and looked a lot more substantial. I actually ended up purchasing a couple of jars willing to give tempeh another try. Since then, the jar has been in the cupboard - fortunately still in date.
Upon purchasing these jars, I had a number of recipes I want to try with tempeh, but first I wanted to give it the 'taste test'. I decided to keep it simple and made tempeh hash browns for brunch. For those of you who have been reading for a while, will note that Hash browns in various guises have been featuring quite heavily on my blog recently, what can I can - I think I am in need of some comfort eating.

Well the Tempeh hash browns were a hit. Even D who had in the past pushed the tempeh to the side was tucking in big time. The texture of the tempeh was not like those I've had in the past. I also liked the fact it kept its shape well. Serve with beans, tomatoes and a fried egg if you wish with a good dollop of brown sauce.
Tempeh hash browns
Serves 2 with accompaniments
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
Enough tempeh for 2, cut into ½ inch cubes (sorry I don't remember how much weight)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Cover the potatoes with water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
In a frying pan, saute the onions until translucent, then add in the potatoes and tempeh in olive oil, stirring frequently to cook all sides of the potato and tempeh cubes. When brown enough, add the soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.