Our Favorite Ways to Eat Tempeh
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything plant based. I know you’ve been thinking about how much you miss it 😉 I used to post weekly plant based recipe round ups. As time has gone on, I’ve transitioned from frequently sharing about food to posting more about homeschooling and books.
While I’m not 100% plant based (I eat farm fresh eggs and occasionally fish/seafood), I do primarily eat a whole foods plant based diet. If you’re interested in learning more about my food journey, you can read about that here.
Today I wanted to talk about tempeh. Have you heard of tempeh? Most people are aware of tofu, a soy product many vegans eat, but not many people have heard of tempeh.Â
Tempeh is one of our absolute favorite things to eat! Peter, who absolutely hates tofu (except for this sofritas recipe), LOVES temeph.
What is Tempeh?
So, what is tempeh? Tempeh is an Indonesian soy product, made from fermented soybeans. Tempeh isn’t as processed as tofu, as it still has the texture of the beans. Due to the fermentation process, the soybeans bind together in a cake form that is easily sliced.
Tempeh is a great source of protein for vegan or plant based eaters. In addition, since tempeh is a fermented food, it’s really good for your gut health. Most forms of tempeh you can purchase are combined with various types of grains or seasoning.
We prefer the Trader Joe’s brand. It has brown rice in addition to the soybeans and doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste that some tempeh does. It’s also really inexpensive!
Our Favorite Ways to Eat Tempeh
Whether you’re new to tempeh or have been eating it for a while, these recipes are some of the best we’ve tried.
Sesame Tempeh Bowls (from Budget Bytes) – This was the very first tempeh recipe we ever tried. It does a really good job of explaining how to prepare and cook tempeh. Even if this isn’t the first recipe you try, I highly recommend checking out the instructions in this recipe.
Garlic Herb Baked Tempeh (from Making Thyme for Health) – Although I love every recipe I’m listing here, this one is my absolute favorite. I love it as part of a meal (we usually serve it with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli), but it’s also excellent as a protein-packed addition to salad.
Tempeh Egg Roll in a Bowl (from Making Thyme for Health) – For those who haven’t heard of egg roll in a bowl, it’s essentially all of the ingredients that go into an egg roll, but just in bowl form, rather than in egg rolls. It’s a simple, delicious and quick meal. In this recipe, crumbled tempeh replaces ground meat. It takes on the texture of ground turkey and we all love it!
Tempeh and Kale Enchilada Casserole (from Hummusapien) – Okay, so casseroles aren’t the prettiest meals. But they are often the tastiest! This recipe is not only full of protein from the tempeh and black beans, but it’s also jam-packed with nutritious veggies (peppers, onion, kale).Â
I would recommend halving the amount of onions and precooking them before putting them in this recipe. The first time I made this recipe there were SO. MANY. ONIONS. It could’ve been called onion casserole 😂 The other times I have either used half the onions or just used onion powder and it’s been perfect.
BBQ Tempeh (from Making Thyme for Health) – This is such a delicious way to eat tempeh! Even tempeh haters will likely enjoy this. Claire isn’t the biggest fan of tempeh (oddly enough, she loves tofu), but even she really likes this meal. You could use your favorite BBQ sauce, but the recipe includes steps to make homemade BBQ sauce and it’s really delicious!
That’s all for this recipe round up! If you’ve never had tempeh before, I hope this post gives you the courage to try something new. Often I’m interested in a different kind of food, but it’s intimidating when you don’t know how to prepare or what the flavor meshes best with. Let me know if you decide to give tempeh a try!
