After weeks of unseasonably warm weather, Winter is hitting and it’s hitting hard. It’s rained the past few days; and the temperature has dipped into the 30 and 40s. It’s no wonder I was craving chicken noodle soup recently.

I was thinking of just riding out the craving, since it’s not the easiest thing to satisfy for someone who’s vegetarian and gluten-free. Then I realized I had enough food lying around to make a decent meat-free, gluten-free soup that hit all the right notes.

I loved how flavorful this was, especially for something that was so simple. It was exactly like any good soup I’ve ever had, with a deep and savory broth. The quinoa and tempeh make this totally satisfying, as well. If gluten’s not an issue, I bet the texture of seitan would work great in this soup, too, in place of the tempeh.

10-Minute Chickenless, Noodleless Soup

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 side servings or 2 entrée servings):

• 2 cups precooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup chopped kale, fresh or frozen
• 3/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 block of tempeh, cubed
• 3 cups water
• 1 vegetarian bouillon cube
• 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot
2. Bring the water to a boil. Make sure to mix well enough that the bouillon cube dissolves completely into the broth.
3. Once heated through, remove from the stove and serve hot.

And then I ate this with 2 clementines because I’m paranoid about getting sick during finals period. Nobody sneeze on me, please.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions on tempeh recently. I want to put all my thoughts into a post about it but until then you’ll only get recipes, which is pretty good considering half the time I eat tempeh it’s raw, cold from the fridge. I would not suggest eating it that way if it’s you’re first time; it would be a horrible, bland introduction to something that can be so tasty.

If tofu is soy chicken, tempeh is soy beef. It’s much firmer, earthier and has a chew to it. Naturally it’s a great vegetarian substitute for beef in Asian dishes, like beef and broccoli. Since broccoli was one of the three vegetables I liked growing up(the other being carrots and olives), beef and broccoli was what I always chose on Chinese take-out night. This recipe keeps all those same flavors and textures, but with whole food ingredients anyone can enjoy.

You can substitute rice vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar for a more traditional ingredient list. I like apple cider vinegar here because it replicates the sweet, fruity flavor of plum sauce common in Asian cooking.

Tempeh And Broccoli(inspired by Caitlin)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(makes 2 servings):

• 1 block of tempeh, diced
• 6 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon soy sauce(or wheat-free tamari)
• 2 Tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, preferably toasted
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 cups broccoli, steamed
• 1/2 onion, julienned
• 1 bell pepper, julienned(optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Combine the tempeh, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, agave, and chili powder in a large pan and heat it on a burner set to medium-high.
2. Cook for about 5 minutes flipping once until the liquid thickens up like a sauce.
3. Add in the broccoli, onion, pepper, and garlic powder. Continue cooking over medium heat until the moisture has boiled off of the pan and the onions turn soft(about 5 minutes).
4. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Plate and serve hot.

When this is cooked the tempeh should be fork-tender with a sweet, nutty flavor and fall apart in your mouth. It’s a great introduction to a food that could become your best friend.

When I shared A Day In The Life Of A Restaurant Intern, a reader wanted to know more about the raw pad Thai bowl I had for lunch. This is something I’ve been making all Summer long and honestly I never blogged about it because I didn’t think it was that exciting. Healthy? Yes. Delicious? No doubt. An excuse to eat peanut butter for every meal? Totally. But not really exciting.

I never really make this the same way, sometimes adding sesame oil, sometimes using chickpeas instead of tempeh—you get the idea. One ingredient I highly recommend investing in is miso paste. I never really knew much about it before a few months ago and certainly never would buy it at the store. Now I wouldn’t keep a refrigerator without it. The salty/savory flavor is truly unique and adds a special depth of flavor that’s crosses cultures. I’ve used this in place of garlic, onions and salt in greens and beans and it tastes just as good. It’s definitely worth the investment.

Raw Pad Thai

Ingredients(For one serving):

• 1 zucchini
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/2 block tempeh
• peanuts to garnish

For the sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon siracha sauce(optional)

Method:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini and carrots into long, thin “noodles” using as much of the vegetables as possible.
2. Make the sauce by mixing together the peanut butter, maple syrup, vinegar, miso, and siracha if using until smooth. If necessary add a few teaspoons of water until the sauce is runny yet thick.
3. Toss the sauce with the vegetable “noodles” and bean sprouts in a large bowl reserving about a tablespoon of sauce.
4. Plate the noodles in a bowl.
5. Slice the tempeh on a bias and plate it on top of the sauced noodles.
6. Spread the reserved sauce on top of the tempeh. Garnish with peanuts if desired.

Like I said, you can play around with the ingredients to suit what’s in your pantry. I could eat tempeh and peanut butter all day long so this is how I like it best. 

Tempeh is one of those foods I never thought I’d be eating just two years ago. Just the thought of fermented soy isn’t exactly appetizing. Thoughts aside, it’s nutritionally great and easy to prepare and eat. You don’t even have to cook it, but this recipe adds some sweet and saltiness to it. The coconut coating reminds me of coconut shrimp. And it couldn’t be easier to make.

Coconut-Crusted Tempeh

Ingredients(For 2 servings):

• 1 block of tempeh
• 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• a pinch of salt

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Cube a block of tempeh into bite-sized pieces and combine in a bowl with the coconut, salt, and agave nectar.

Toss the tempeh to coat it in coconut. Next, line a baking pan and lay out the tempeh in a single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the coconut begins to toast.

The flavor is really nutty and a little sweet. The texture doesn’t really change from raw tempeh which is good because it has a “meaty” bite to it. It goes good on its own or with a salad.

And don’t forget today’s the last day to enter the giveaway!