How to Prepare Tempeh to Make It Vegan Friendly, Flavorful, and Healthful

 

Tempeh is a gluten free fermented soy food that’s protein and prebiotic rich. It's less processed than most soymilks and soy burgers, and is the only soy product that is a good source of Vitamin B-12. 

Tempeh contains plant-based calcium, iron, manganese, and other important vitamins and minerals too.

Research shows tempeh has antioxidants that may help decrease oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, and prevent chronic disease. 

Tempeh is traditionally made from cultured soybeans or soybeans and rice. Because tempeh is fermented, your body digests it easier and is able to absorb more of its nutrients than other soy products. 

Tempeh is vegan (a product made exclusively from plant-based ingredients). Purchase it in health food stores, most specialty markets, and food stores around the world. 

Before you purchase tempeh in the store, read the label carefully. This will assure the product you get has the ingredients you want.

If you're adventurous, you can make homemade tempeh. Tempeh may contain plant based ingredients including barley, wheat, or a mixture of bean varieties and wheat. 

Tempeh tastes nutty, earthy, savory, and more substantial when compared to tofu’s soft and silky texture. 

Like tofu, tempeh adapts well in endless dishes, absorbing accompanying flavors of seasonings, sauces, and veggies cooked with it.

T
rusted Source

For more about tempeh's health benefits see this from WebMD.

Tempeh Salad

Description: One of the easiest and most delicious ways to prepare tempeh is as a salad. Tempeh salad tastes great in a sandwich or served on a bed of mixed greens, garnished with basil, tomatoes, red pepper, and squash.

Ingredients:

8 oz. pack organic tempeh (labeled traditional or original style)
1 Tbsp. mixed salt free spice blend and salt and pepper to taste
1 cup celery, chopped fine
1 cup carrot and 1 cup yellow onion chopped fine
1 large bunch Italian Leaf Parsley chopped fine (approx. 1-1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh basil chopped
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos All Purpose Seasoning. If this is not available, substitute reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon organic tahini
1 tsp. garlic powder or 3 fresh cloves garlic
1-1 inch knob fresh ginger peeled and chopped
3-4 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice or combo apple cider vinegar and lemon juice

Note: I use organic ingredients whenever available. Organic tempeh is made from soybeans that have not been genetically modified.

Note: If you like your food spicy or highly seasoned, you may choose to use one or more of these optional spices and herbs: turmeric, red pepper flakes, chili powder, curry powder, sriracha, or zaatar.

Directions:

1. Cut tempeh into thirds or quarters, and place in a sauce pan. Although tempeh is fully cooked when you buy it in a shop, open the package, and heat in a saucepan filled with enough water to cover tempeh, cover pot and bring water to a boil. Simmer tempeh for 10 minutes, as this process makes tempeh taste mellower.

2. Drain and allow tempeh to cool on a plate, chop veggies, spices, fresh herbs, and other ingredients including tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, Bragg, etc. in a food processor.

3. Add tempeh and combine all ingredients together.

4. Refrigerate until ready to enjoy. Serve tempeh salad spread on whole grain bread or roll. Tempeh is a powerful vegan source of protein and fiber. It’s satisfyingly in a pita pocket or served as a refreshing wrap with sprouts and tomatoes. Refrigerate leftovers and serve within 4-5 days.

Here are Additional Ways to Prepare Tempeh

1. Stuff a red pepper or acorn squash with tempeh salad and serve on a bed of mixed greens.

2. Crumble tempeh into pieces and add it to chili beans, sloppy joe mix, bar-b-que flavored beans, or use it to replace meat in recipes including lasagna, moussaka, curry, or veggie loaf. 

You may be surprised to find tempeh has just as much protein and more fiber than animal products. It has 18g of protein  and 6 g of fiber for every 3 oz. serving. 

Tempeh is relatively inexpensive, as a package of original soy tempeh that feeds 2 or 3 people costs approximately $2.50-$4.00. 

3. Slice tempeh and refrigerate for at least a few hours or even overnight. A simple to prepare homemade marinade like one of these can add depth to flavor and taste appeal.

4. Cube tempeh and finish by baking on parchment paper, steaming, or sautéing with a medley of colorful veggies until all are golden brown and as crisp or tender as you enjoy.

5. Cut 2 tempeh squares diagonally and get two sets of triangles. Then see this fabulous recipe from Sherri Hall, the Recipe Developer and Photographer at Watch Learn Eat. It's Easy Marinated Tempeh + How to Cook Tempeh 3 Ways 

 

7. Another fun way to prepare tempeh is to make Tempeh Bacon. The photograph and simple to prepare recipe comes from Losune at Simple Vegan Blog.

 

6. Place a cooked block of tempeh on a bed of brown rice, quinoa, barley, wheat berries, whole grain pasta, or millet and slice or chunk tempeh as you serve it.

7. Season tempeh with ethnic seasonings and add to your favorite Asian, Mexican, Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern, African or Mediterranean inspired dishes.

No matter how you prepare and serve it, tempt your taste buds and satisfy hunger with tempeh. 

Experiment by using this low cost, delicious plant-based protein that's loaded with high nutrition and is fun vegan fare.

Before you go please remember to comment below.

Have you eaten tempeh before and did you enjoy it?

It took me a few tries when I first started to eat tempeh to develop a taste for it. Please give it a chance. Tempeh is very high in nutrients and can add zest to many of your regular recipes. In fact, tempeh has become one of my favorite plant-based ingredients. 👍

What creative ideas do you have for using tempeh in recipes? 

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Frugal Ways to Live Greener and Healthier at Home

Do you think of your home and garden or apartment as your castle, and want it to be a place that's a sanctuary, a healthy, green haven for your family and you?

Look below to find 

Frugal Ways to Live Greener and Healthier at Home

Greening your living space to enhance your health and lifestyle is as simple and economical as taking one small step at a time.

1. Improve the air quality of your home or apartment by installing and properly maintaining a carbon  monoxide detector. 

Read "Carbon Monoxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality" from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Get information and tips about preventing serious illness or death from carbon monoxide poisoning, from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention too.

2. Keep your abode fragrance free and smoke free. Swap out toxic cleaning materials and eliminate household pests with eco-friendly products.

For details read "Ten Simple Ways to Clean Green" and Green Tips for "Pest Control."

All green products mentioned in posts above are less expensive and healthier to use than most conventional cleaning and exterminating products. 

One epic rule of thumb is to read every commercial cleaning product label before you decide to purchase or reject it.

It's key to read labels on pest control products as well. Avoid damaging skin, eyes, lungs, and harming the health of adults, children, and pets with products that pollute, contaminate, and adversely affect all living things on our planet.

Using eco-friendly soap, detergent, shampoo and the like prevents skin irritation, allergies, and illness for you and yours. It also makes it unnecessary to dispose of polluting or toxic materials down the drain or dumping containers they came in into a landfill.

3. Use renewable, sustainable, low carbon-footprint items for kitchen, bath, bedroom, and laundry room. Aim to limit new purchases to only those things that are beyond repair. 

Fix, recycle, and refinish what you have accumulated already. Choosing high quality over quantity, and sustainability, minimalism, streamlining, and simplifying are frugal, long-lasting ways to create a greener, healthier home.

Want more green swap ideas? Use glass and stainless storage containers instead of plastic. After you finish eating peanut or almond butter (ones that come in glass jars), store-bought salad dressing, and foods like apple sauce, olives, and pickles, recycle the glass for food storage. 

Dry off with organic bath towels instead of conventional ones, display live houseplants instead of artificial ones, use non-toxic house paint instead of those with lead, upcycle clothing from thrift stores instead of buying new, and only wash clothes in your washing machine if you have a full load.

Get your kids and grandkids to join in. Show them by your example how to recycle, reuse, conserve, and respect our precious natural resources and the planet. For more read Awesome Tips to Help You Raise Greener Kids .

4. Green your eating style and swap out meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy for whole food plant-based foods.

Become more of an environmental maven or mister. Convert to foods that are mostly or all plant-based to make a major contribution to reducing your carbon footprint. "An Oxford University Study, published in the journal Climatic Change, shows that meat-eaters are responsible for almost twice as many dietary greenhouse-gas emissions per day as vegetarians and about two and a half times as many as vegans."

Improve health, increase your sense of well-being, save money, and recognize it's the humane and right thing to do.

5. Green your vision. Think of and follow through with at least one or two eco-friendly changes each week. 

Landscape with drought resistant vegetation, and plant and maintain a veggie garden. Grow and eat food for self-sustainability, and know that you're contributing to planetary healing.

Replace grass with xeriscape landscaping. Use drip irrigation to conserve water and store water in retention containers to save rainwater. 

An added benefit of this type of garden is that it’s much easier and more inexpensive to keep up than ones with grass and lawns.

6. Notify lawmakers and regulators to go green by phoning, emailing, texting. Use social media to alert manufacturers, politicians, and leaders in your community, state, and national governments about environmental issues.

Express your concerns about the direct environmental link between health, safety, and climate change with the use of plastics, toxic chemicals in cleaning products, fossil fuel consumption, cattle raising and meat and poultry production, pesticides including Roundup, and contamination from manufacturing by-products.  

Advocate for home goods made from biodegradable materials, ones that use
minimal packaging. Set the intention to move toward zero waste. 

Purchase only as much food as you can eat without waste. Learn how to incorporate every edible part of foods you grow or buy. Two examples are beets and celery. Compost any scraps either in your compost pile or in a community one. 

Don’t patronize companies, shops, stores, and businesses that contribute to global warming. 

What you buy and don't buy often speaks louder than words. Show friends, family, and community that you are reducing the world's carbon footprint, and soon they will follow suit. 

Support those manufacturers, distributors, and organizations who have made a real effort to create zero waste, increase sustainable business practices, and developed and maintain eco-friendly programs and policies.

There are so many frugal, easy ways to live greener and healthier at home.

What things are you doing to conserve natural resources, use less plastic, eat cleaner and greener, and simplify living by using any of the methods outlined above? 

Please share in the comments section 💖below. 

What new things did you learn about green living? 🌎

Do you save money by cleaning with homemade cleaning products? Please explain.

What creative ideas do you have for living greener at home? 

I read every comment and email I receive. Just remember to put no links in your comment, as it won't be published that way.

I post on the 1st and 15th of each month. Please add www.colors4health.com to your online reading list. 

I offer wellness and color tips at the place where a healthy lifestyle and colors intersect. 

Why not get social with me? See Facebook,    Pinterest, and my Website as well. 

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20 Easy Ways to Improve Well-being

Wellness is not a one size fits all experience, because each of us relies on our own standards and reference point to draw upon. 

Conditions such as the climate where we live may impact the frequency with which we engage in outdoor exercise. Elements including distance to a park, field, forest, or walking path may take away from time spent outdoors. 

Our genetic makeup can predispose some of us to physical and emotional conditions we have little control over, and cultural conditioning may shape how we define and practice self-care. 

Nonetheless, our ability to easily improve mind-body health and sense of well-being is almost limitless. 

I've found that the key to wellness success is to refrain from comparing myself to others, and reserving as much time as I need to do those things that enrich my health.

What follows are self-care practices and lifestyle habits that research and life experience suggests has helped millions of people (including me) develop and enhance mind-body health. 

Rest assured. This post provides some of the best ways to improve overall well-being.

Love unconditionally

Delight in Nature

Journal for Clarity and Insights

Live with Gratitude

Do Work with Passion and Meaning

Reduce Stress Find Joy with 

Yoga, Tai Chi, Exercise, 

and Meditation  

Recite Affirmations

Amazing Affirmation Post

Attend 12 Step Programs, 

Get Treatment for 

Addictions and Mental Health 

Issues

Laugh, Dance, Sing, Smile

 

Help Others

Take Naps

Rely on Self-Compassion

Nurture Friendships

Eat Color-rich Fruits, Veggies 

Engage in Creative Endeavors

See Beauty in Life

Forgive Yourself and Others

Fill Your Heart with Kindness

Frolic with Colors

Sense the Wonder of NOW

Carefully consider what well-being looks like for you, and prioritize those things that support your personal concept. 

The law of attraction states what we focus on multiplies, and what we release decreases. In other words, we have the power within to attract and manifest our deepest desires so...

Let's go for it!

 

What elements do you feel belong on your list of wellness routines and how often do you use them? Please comment below.

Did you get new ideas from my post or does it spark any shift in your thinking? Please explain below.

I read and appreciate every comment and social share. Just understand I will not be able to publish your comment, if it has a link in it. Thanks for your cooperation.

This post is offered for information and entertainment purposes only. If you need physical or mental health advice, consult with a professional.

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