Crispy Kale and BBQ Tempeh

Im back in the kitchen, after a short hiatus.  The many visitors in town over the last couple weeks kept me busy entertaining, however not busy cooking. (Lucky for me though, we enjoyed some fav DC restaurant spots including Founding Farmers, 2Amys and Sawatadee).

Tonight, I started with kale and tempeh and ended up with two delicious recipes to share.  Prior to this, Ive primarily used a simple olive oil and sea salt marinade for the kale – which is good, but basic.  I have to say the noosh + lemon juice + cayenne add something special.  Crispy and light, salty and spicy.  You never knew kale this good.

Crispy Kale

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/8 cup nutritional yeast + 1/3 cup water
• sea salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika, cayenne (all to taste)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Place kale in a large bowl and set aside.  Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix until blended.  Pour marinade over kale and coat it completely.
Lay out kale on cookies sheets and place in oven for about 1 hour or until kale is crispy.*

*Note: cooking on low heat for an extended period of time is an alternative to dehydrating.  To get the kale very crispy, it is important to use this method.  However, if you are short for time or prefer the kale in a more soggy, marinated form, cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Tempeh soaked in Homemade BBQ Sauce
serves about 2

Ingredients

• 1 package of tempeh

For the BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 agave nectar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small sauce pan over medium and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice tempeh into strips and combine with 2/3 of the BBQ sauce and let sit for a couple minutes.  Set aside the other 1/3 of the sauce to serve with later.  Place BBQ sauce soaked tempeh on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with extra BBQ sauce on small buns or solo with kale.

mangia!

Maple-Grilled Tempeh with Quinoa and Kale

The marinade is great for anything.  I like to marinate portobello mushrooms or tofu in it or drizzle it on veggies before roasting.  This recipe is for tempeh and delicious served on a bed of quinoa with a green vegetable (broccoli, kale, spinach or a combo).

serves about 2

Ingredients

• 1 package of tempeh, cut into triangles
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 1 bunch of kale, chopped

Marinade

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 clove of garlic, chopped (or garlic salt works too)
• 1 tsp tabasco, hot sauce or cayenne
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water or veggie broth

Instructions

Slice tempeh into small triangle.

Combine all marinade ingredients together and soak tempeh for a good 15-20 minutes.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan and saute tempeh until browned.  Use the remainder of the marinade to coat the broccoli/kale and add to the tempeh in the saute pan.  Cook for just about 3-4 minutes, until veggies are soft (but not overcooked).

Meanwhile, combine quinoa and water (or veggie broth) over medium heat, cover and simmer until water is absorbed.  Once quinoa is cooked, add it to the tempeh and veggies mixing all together and serve.

mangia!