Thursday, October 15, 2009

Quinoa & Tempeh Salad


I sampled this dish, made by my stepmother, a few times this summer. I love the salty, nutty flavor & have been meaning to make it for months now. For those who have never tried tempeh, the cooking method used in this recipe is a great way to try it.
The first time I had it, was back in my early twenties, when I was ingesting many a grilled tempeh reuben sandwich, from the New Day Bakery, in Eugene, Oregon. Man, those things are delish!
Quinoa is another under-used ingredient in our house. It's actually a seed, not a grain. But, can be used as a side dish, substituting common grains, like rice, pasta, or couscous. It is similar to tempeh, in that it has a nutty flavor.

Begin by rinsing 1 cup of quinoa. Measure 2 cups of water into a pot & bring it to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover & reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, peel a piece of ginger, a grate 1 tablespoon worth. Put it in a small bowl,

and add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Next, you will need 1 cup of mung bean sprouts, or chopped cabbage. The recipe calls for sprouts, but I had cabbage on hand & substituted that. Set aside for now.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons rice vinegar,

2 tablespoons of dark sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat, 3 tablespoons of grape seed oil in a large skillet, over medium high heat. Crumble up an 8 ounce package of tempeh into large chunks.

Add it to the hot oil & saute for about 10 minutes, or until brown & crispy.

Add in the garlic, ginger & cabbage {or sprouts},

and cook an additional 2 minutes, or until the cabbage is beginning to wilt.

Remove from the heat & pour into a large mixing bowl. Add in the vinegar, sesame oil & soy sauce & toss to combine. When the quinoa is done, fluff it with a fork. If there is any liquid left in the pot, it can be drained.
Add it to the tempeh mixture & toss well.

Serve hot, or room temperature.

Quinoa & Tempeh Salad

Adapted from Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Serves 4-6

1 cup raw quinoa
2 cups water
8 ounces tempeh, crumbled
1 tablespoon grated, peeled, fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup cabbage, or mung bean sprouts {optional}
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Rinse the quinoa. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a medium pot. Stir in the quinoa, cover & reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh to the hot oil & saute for 10 minutes, or until it is golden brown & crispy. Stir in the ginger, garlic & cabbage {or sprouts}, and cook an additional 2 minutes, or until the cabbage begins to wilt.
Remove from the heat & add in the vinegar, sesame oil & soy sauce. Transfer to a bowl.
When the quinoa is cooked, fluff with a fork. If there is any liquid left in the pot, it can be drained first. Transfer to the bowl with the tempeh mixture & toss well.
Taste for seasoning. Add the salt & pepper, if needed & serve.
Click here for the printable recipe.

3 comments:

Chocolate Lover said...

I've been wanting to cook with quinoa for some time now. Finally have a recipe I can try!

Sayschnicklefritz said...

i love how old school, hippie vegetarian this is! I'll be making this on Sunday afternno fo sho'.

Vicky said...

This sounds delicious. I just bought tempeh for the first time and have been looking for recipes to use it in !

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