tempeh

[Recipe] The Best Vegan Sandwich | #TTLA

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This post is sponsored by Lightlife. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello Friends! I’m here to share the news you can now find the vegan friendly #TTLA at Whole Foods Market!! This delicious sandwich creation inspired this viral video  and has everyone (including me) wanting one.

But wait are you asking yourself um….Lindsay what is the #TTLA? Let me break it down for you: The Whole Foods TTLA sandwich  is created by layering Lightlife Organic Fakin’ Bacon Tempeh, tomato, lettuce and avocado between two pieces of ciabatta slathered with a vegan garlic aioli.

I know not all of you have Whole Foods nearby or you simply prefer to make your food at home so I’m here to share my version of the TTLA with a little extra flare. My version has a creamy herb mayo, candied tomatoes aka quick roasted tomatoes that taste like candy and smashed avocado. You could go for slices of avocado but I prefer smashed because there is nothing I hate more than a sandwich sliding apart because of slippery avocado slices.

For my version you will need:

  • Lightlife Organic Fakin’ Bacon Tempeh
  • Sourdough Bread, Sliced
  • Lettuce
  • Candied Tomatoes
    • 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
    • Salt
    • Pepper
  • Herb Mayo Spread
    • Vegan Garlic Aioli
    • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Italian Parsley
    • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Chives
    • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Basil
  • Smashed Avocado
    • 2 Ripe Avocados
    • 2-3 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
    • Salt & Pepper

Start with preheating your oven to 425F. Slice the tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and himalayan pink salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes are baking work on putting together the remaining elements of the sandwich.

In a small bowl mix together the garlic aioli and herbs; mix until incorporated.

In a another small bowl mash the avocado with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Like your bread crunchy? Now it the time to toast it.

In a skillet add just a touch of oil to prevent the Fakin’ Bacon tempeh from sticking and pan fry until lightly brown on both sides. If you prefer you can also place the Fakin’ Bacon on a sheet pan and cook in the oven.

Once the tempeh has been browned and the tomatoes are sweet like candy it’s time to put your sandwich together. Slather one side of your bread with the herb mayo spread and the other half with the smashed avocado. Top the avocado side with a layer of candied tomatoes and top the herb mayo spread with your favorite lettuce greens. Now it’s time to add the Fakin’ Bacon tempeh right on top of the tomatoes and then put it all together and enjoy!

If you are crunched for time you can use freshly sliced tomatoes or sundried tomatoes instead of the candied tomatoes.

Feeling a little cheeky? Add a layer of sliced dill pickles, tangy saurkraut or your favorite spicy peppers

 

Recipe: Agave-Lime Tempeh

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Agave-Lime Tempeh
with Peppers, Onion and Potatoes

This dish at first glance looks like it might be on the heavier side but as soon as you taste it the sweet citrus flavors with a hint of chili spice really lightens the dish up.  This is a perfect dish for any time of the year.

Serves 4-6
Sauce:
1/4 cup agave (or honey)
1/4 cup lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t cumin
2 t chili powder (chipotle if possible)
2 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t sea salt

3 T water
8 oz tempeh, diced
1 bell peppers, diced
1 medium onion, diced
6 fingerling or small new potatoes, large dice

 

Directions:

  • Heat the water in a saute pan over medium. Add the potato and top with tempeh, bell pepper and onion. Evenly pour over the sauce.
  • Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally until the potatoes and veggies are tender
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve over quinoa or rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley leaves.

Recipe Of The Week: Tempeh-Brussels Sprout Flatbread

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pizza dough
  • 4-5 Brussels Sprouts, shredded
  • 1 medium red onion, caramelized
  • 1 package temeph bacon or homemade tempeh bacon
  • Garlic Sauce (mix together):
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon earth balance
    • 2 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
    • 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • Sriracha (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven with a pizza stone to 550F; place pizza stone on the bottom shelf in the oven.  Top the dough with the garlic sauce, caramelized onions, tempeh bacon and shredded Brussels. Bake for 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes before cutting. Drizzle with sriracha if desired.

Recipe of The Week: Sesame-Ginger Tempeh

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Tempeh is one of our favorite vegetarian sources of protein and I am always looking for new and interesting ways to season it up.  My husband being a huge fan of Asian flavors requested I make him something with a little Asian flare and I create this dish which is a wonderful balance of sweet, salty and savory flavors. The recipe serves four and if there is just one or two of you I suggest making the full recipe because the leftovers are delicious in a sandwich or on top of a salad.  You could even cut it up and throw it in a stir fry.


Sesame-Ginger Tempeh

The marinade in this recipe works well for seitan, portobello mushrooms, and tofu as well.  Also take a look at step four of the directions, you will find three different ways to cook up your tempeh. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 16oz tempeh, cut into 4 wedges
  • ¾ cup water
  • Marinade:
    • ¼ cup tamari
    • ¼ cup sesame oil
    • ¼ cup rice vinegar
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
    • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1-2 teaspoons sriracha or ¼-1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, add if you like a little spice)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 2 scallions, whites and greens, thinly sliced

Directions:

  1. Place tempeh and water in a saute pan medium heat and cover and cook for 7-10minutes.
  2. While the tempeh is cooking mix together the marinade in a large shallow bowl.
  3. Remove the tempeh and place in the marinade, making sure to coat all sides. Let marinade for 30 minutes.
  4. Pan Fry: Coat the bottom of a skillet with a thin layer of oil over medium heat.  Place the tempeh in the hot oil and saute on each side for 3-5 minutes. Bake: Preheat your oven to 375F. Place the tempeh and any remaining marinade in an oven proof dish and bake for 15-20 minutes. Grill: Heat your grill and make sure to lightly oil the grates. Place the tempeh on the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side.
  5. Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and scallions.

WIAW: Best Of The Week

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This week for What I Ate Wednesday I am featuring my favorite snacks, meals and dessert of the last week. Enjoy!

Snacks:

A nice big bowl of organic strawberries…

Terra Chips Original and I’ve been sampling the new flavors of Dr. Lucy’s Gluten Free Cookies-this week I tried Maple Bliss, they were delicious!

Lunch/Dinner: (since for the most part lunches are leftovers)

Quinoa, oven roasted asparagus (recipe here) and Sesame-Ginger Temeph-a new recipe for 360 Cookware

Linguine with tomato-eggplant sauce another new recipe for 360 Cookware

Where are the leftovers lunch: Mega Green Salad with a veggie burger and Italian Dressing

Dessert:

Hail Merry’s Meyer Lemon Miracle Tart…along with a chocolate almond butter, chocolate mint and a Persian lime <–all eaten in the last week by my husband and I and our friend Laura. These tarts are A-MAZING.

What are you favorite meals, snacks or desserts of the week?

 

Recipe of the Week: Balsamic-Rosemary Tempeh Skewers

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Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
• 1 (8oz) package of tempeh,large dice
• 8-10 button or cremini mushrooms
• 8 Rosemary Stalks; remove all but the top leaves, reserve 1 Tbsp of leaves and finely chop
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400F
1. Using the rosemary stalks, skewer the tempeh and mushrooms. Place in one layer in a shallow baking dish.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the tablespoon of rosemary, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper; evenly pour over the skewers.
3. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until most of the liquid has reduced; flip and baste after 20 minutes.

Tempeh of Sea and Beer Fries

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For last nights dinner I decided to try my hand at beer soaked fries, what seems to be a new foodie trend. We got a bunch of potatoes in our CSA this week so it only seemed fitting that they be made into fries. I also had a bunch of carrots leftover from last weeks CSA so I decided to toss them in as well. To go along with our beer soaked carrot and potato fries I made tempeh of the sea (recipe below).

Garlicky Beer Soaked Potato & Carrot Fries

(Based on Ashley of Edible Perspective’s recipe)

Yields  4 servings

  • 2 bottles of (your husbands homebrewed) pale ale
  • 1.5 lbs Red Norland Potatoes (or new potatoes), scrubbed and sliced into fries
  • 1 bunch of carrots, scrubbed and sliced into fries
  • 2 extra large cloves of garlic (or 3 regular),  finely minced
  • 3T olive oil
  • 1.5 t salt
  • 1t black pepper

Preheat oven to 425F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (optional).In a large bowl, soak the cut potato and carrot fries in the two bottles of beer for 20-30 minutes, tossing 1-2 times. After 20-30 minutes drain the beer.While the fries are soaking place half of the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a ziplock and place half of the fries in the bag; shake around to fully coat.  Pour out onto one of the baking sheets and spread the fries into a single layer.  Repeat. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn on the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned and crispy.

Tempeh of the Sea

The umeboshi plum vinegar gives this dish a fishy taste.

Yields 2 servings

  • 1-8oz package tempeh, cut into large chunks
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, choppped
  • 1 inch ginger, sliced in large rounds
  • 2 t sesame oil
  • 2 t umeboshi plum vinegar
  • 2T tamari
  • 3T water
  • 1 chili, minced
  • 4 cups loosely packed baby spinach

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a bowl created the marinade by combining the onion, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, vinegar, tamari, water and chili.

Place the tempeh in a oven safe baking dish. Pour the marinade over the tempeh.Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and place in a large preheated skillet over medium-high heat; saute on for 5 minutes. Stir in the baby spinach and saute for 5 more minutes.