Genève's Kitchen

It's true that there are lots of healthy benefits to be gained by eating tempeh which, if you're not familiar with the stuff, is made from fermented soybeans.  I always found both tofu and tempeh to be dry, bland, and lacking in flavor but I didn't want this to be the reason that I was depriving my body of such healthy food.  I love to experiment with unfamiliar foods and I love a challenge.  My curiosity helped me to come up with a flavorful way to enjoy tempeh.  I use my ginger peanut dressing that I posted about in Rolling into Summer and I prepare the tempeh by stir-frying it in a little olive oil on the stove to lightly brown all of the sides.  Once browned I remove them from the pan and set aside while I stir-fry some broccoli and edamame (the frozen shelled kind).  I add everything to a bowl, add the dressing and dinner is served!

Tempeh with Broccoli, Edamame and Ginger Peanut Dressing

• 1 package tempeh (I love the three grain kind)
• 2 cloves garlic
• A few tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 heads of broccoli cut into florets
• 1-2 Cups shelled frozen edamame
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

See below for dressing recipe

1)  Cut the tempeh into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes.  Heat a pan over medium heat and drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Once the pan is sizzling hot add the tempeh and stir-fry until it gets golden brown on each side.  Remove from heat and set aside.

2) Prepare dressing while the tempeh is on the stove - keep an eye on it though and stir occasionally.

3)  Add a few more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the broccoli, garlic, and edamame.  If you like a touch of heat add a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Once the broccoli loses it's rawness and the edamame is heated through remove from heat and add into a large bowl.  Add the tempeh.  Add the dressing and mix all together.  You may have some dressing left over depending on how much broccoli and edamame that you use - I often have extra dressing left over that I use for other things during the week - it's great as a dip for veggies.

Note:  Adding some crushed peanuts on top adds a delicious crunch! 

Ginger Peanut Dressing 

• 4-6 Tablespoon water (this is to thin out the sauce, I use 6 for a very runny sauce but if you prefer it a little thicker use less) - I use only 4 when making it for the stir-fry
• 1/4 Cup Peanut butter (My favorite kind of peanut butter is the all natural kind so that's what I used here - there's no sugar added. If you use the kind of peanut butter that already has sugar added then go light on the brown sugar that I add later or maybe omit that ingredient all together - you'll have to go by taste…)
• 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoon Tamari soy sauce, low sodium (use whatever kind of soy sauce that you have on hand)
• 2 Tablespoon Rice vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon freshly grated or finely chopped ginger (I got a microplane for Christmas and I LOVE to use it for grating ginger - you'll find that the ginger blends into the sauce very easily when grated)
• 1 Teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Clove garlic finely chopped

Instructions: 1) I mix all the ingredients together - adding the water last so that I can control for the viscosity. As you'll see, the peanut butter "melts" when you start stirring it with the soy sauce and other ingredients - stir very well until everything is combined.