Tempeh Cakes

After a rainy summer we've really been spoiled with sunny and warm autumn weather. I've been able to harvest capsicums and eggplants from my garden and I'm really eager to grow new veggies for winter. I am planning to set up a little greenhouse on my balcony that would protect the plants from the wind and hopefully result in more produce. It is just so rewarding to be able to grow your own vegetables!

These tempeh cakes were a perfect little lunch to enjoy with a fresh salad on a sunny day. I promise you that even if you don't particularly like tempeh, you will love these cakes! They are wholesome and flavoursome and taste great even the following day. You could enjoy these with a salad or with pita bread or any bread of your choice. You could also make a little dip (like this avocado one) or just have them with juicy tomatoes, like I did. 

Tempeh Cakes

(makes 10-12)

(Recipe inspired by Candle 79)

340g tempeh

250ml water

50ml Bragg's all-purpose seasoning or tamari

1 garlic clove, grated

1/2 lime, juiced

200g (medium-grain) brown rice

200g cooked cannellini beans

2 green onions, finely sliced

1 tablespoon Bragg's all-purpose seasoning or tamari

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons unhulled tahini

2 teaspoons ground paprika

freshly ground black pepper

1. Whisk together water, tamari, garlic and lime juice. Marinate tempeh in this mixture for 2-4 hours. 

2. After marinating, cut the tempeh into cubes and steam or sautee for a few minutes (this will help cutting the slight bitterness of tempeh). Leave to cool.

3. Cook the rice until fully tender. Leave to cool.

4. Preheat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

5. In a large mixing bowl, mash together the tempeh, rice, beans, green onions, nutritional yeast and tahini. Season the mixture with paprika, tamari and pepper. Combine everything to a smooth mixture. 

 6. Form 10-12 patties and place on the baking tray. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, then bake in 180C for about 30-40 minutes. Turn the cakes half way through baking and bake until firm to touch.

Purslane and Dandelion Salad with Tempeh Croutons

Have you tried adding weeds to your salads and green juices yet? Dandelion, nettles and purslane are amongst the top weeds we should all be eating! They are all packed with vitamins and minerals and purslane is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids! Dandelion adds a perfect pepperiness to salads or green juices and smoothies, nettles are delicious in soups and pancakes and purslane can be used in salads, green juices, soups, stir-fries, you name it. The whole plant is edible, so even if you'd only use the tips of purslane to salads, you can certainly juice the stems or chop them up and add into soups.

This salad is no doubt my recent favourite. I adore the texture and the flavours of the leaves, but also love the addition of tempeh croutons. In all its simpleness, this salad ticks all the boxes of a wholesome meal - there are good fats from avocado and purslane, vitamin E from sunflower seeds, protein and magnesium from tempeh and tons of vitamins from the green leafy plants. Plus it's tasty too, of course!

 

Purslane and Dandelion Salad with Tempeh Croutons

bunch of fresh purslane

bunch of fresh dandelion leaves

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1/2 large avocado

Tempeh Croutons

 

300g tempeh

75ml water

2 tablespoons Bragg's all-purpose seasoning (or tamari)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

1. Cut the tempeh into 1 cm cubes. Combine water, all-purpose seasoning, apple cider vinegar and grated garlic in a small bowl. Heat the mixture in a frying pan and add the tempeh. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool. 

2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add the tempeh cubes and fry on each side until browned. Season with oregano and continue to cook for a further couple of minutes.

3. Pick the purslane and dandelion leaves and arrange on a large platter. Toast the sunflower seeds and sprinkle them on top of the leaves. Cut the avocado into cubes and add that in as well. Finally scatter the croutons on top. Drizzle with some flaxseed oil, if you wish. Serve immediately.

 

 

Tempeh with beluga lentils

 

I am on a deadline today. Had you been a fly on my ceiling, observing my day, you would've thought I was truly busy with very small tasks - like polishing the kitchen sink, folding and refolding laundry, carefully examining my growing tomatoes and herbs, and browsing ideas for my next sewing project. All important tasks, of course, but what about the deadline? Yes. Admittedly I was procrastinating to a point where it seemed impossible to procrastinate any further. Oh wait. It was time to break for lunch.

I had beluga lentils. Those shiny black little pearls that look like caviar. I had tempeh too, my number one choice of protein these days. And combined with spices like pink peppercorns, mustard seeds and sumac, these two simple ingredients made the most enjoyable meal that almost made me forgot I had a deadline to meet. Perhaps one more thing before I head back to meet my deadline. Share this recipe with you. And maybe clean up in the kitchen.

 

  

Tempeh with beluga lentils

(serves 2)

1 cup (230g) beluga lentils

 2 cups (500ml) water

1 packet (300g) tempeh, sliced

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon pink peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon ground sumac

pinch of sea salt

1/4 lemon, juiced

fresh coriander, to serve, optional

1. Rinse the lentils and put in a saucepan. Pour in the water and bring to boil. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until just tender. Stir with a spoon every now and then. 

2. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add the sliced tempeh. Season with peppercorns, sumac and a bit of salt and cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes. 

3. Drizzle the lemon juice in the lentils and serve with fried tempeh. Add chopped fresh coriander, if wished.