Teriyaki Tempeh Meatballs

You may remember a Tempeh Meatball recipe I posted last year, which often graces our table with Italian style meals. Think Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, or Summer Pesto Pasta. This dish borrows the base from those meatballs, and brings it East with a homemade Teriyaki Sauce. I like to serve it with a quick stir-fry of broccoli and bell peppers.

If you are unfamiliar with tempeh, this is a great intro recipe. Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake, which renders the soy easy to digest and assimilate. Rich in protein as well fiber- it is the kind of dish that sticks with you. I love to have my fridge stocked with meatballs for both snacks and a quick meal.

This is a great recipe to get kids involved in. My daughter loves to add all of the ingredients to the food processor, and then help roll them as well.  Just expect a mess (always). She can barely wait for them to cool before she starts gobbling them down.

Teriyaki Tempeh Meatballs

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

½ cup water
2 tbs. tamari soy sauce
¼ tsp ginger powder
¼ tsp. garlic powder
2 tbs. honey
¼ tsp. sriracha
1 tsp. arrowroot powder
1 tbs. cold water

8 oz. tempeh

1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tbs. neutral oil
1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbs. oil

1/2 cup chives, chopped

1 tbs. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare teriyaki sauce, place water through sriracha in to a small pot and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, mix cold water with arrowroot. Add to boiling sauce, continue to simmer stirring constantly, until thickened, and remove from heat.

Cube tempeh and add to the bowl of a food processor. Process until crumbled. Add 4 tablespoons of prepared teriyaki sauce, as well as flour, oil and salt. Continue to process until dough gathers in to a ball.

Roll mixture into 12-16 meatballs and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate and roll over and continue for another 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

To finish, heat last tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Add chives and stir-fry for one minute. Add meatballs and remaining teriyaki sauce and cook until sticky and golden. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Tempeh Meatballs

These meatballs are one of my favorite ways to use tempeh- a fermented soybean cake rich in protein, fiber and iron. As a fermented product, the soy in tempeh is partly "pre-digested", making it is easier for us to digest and assimilate. It is also much less refined than tofu (another soy product), making it my preferred whole-food vegetarian protein source.

The entire recipe is put together in the food processor, making it a cinch to throw together on a week night.

My daughter likes to snack on them on their own- I like them with spaghetti squash or as part of a Thanksgiving feast. The flavors fit right in!

Tempeh Meatballs
Serves 4

Ingredients

8 oz. package tempeh, cubed
1 tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
1 tbs. fresh thyme leaves, minced
¼ cup brown rice flour
3 tbs. olive oil
1 ½ tbs. tamari
1/4 tsp. chili flakes, optional
1 tbs. maple syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large food processor, pulse tempeh until crumbled. Add fresh herbs, rice flour, olive oil, tamari, chili flakes and maple syrup and pulse until well processed and beginning to form a ball. Taste, and adjust with additional salt and pepper flakes if desired.

Roll mixture into 12 meatballs and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate and roll over and continue for another 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Jamaican Jerk Tempeh

Inspired by our trip to the tropics of Panama earlier this month, I prepared this Jamaican Jerk Tempeh for the CSK last week. I received so many notes of enthusiasm that I decided it deserved a blog post of it's own so it could be shared with our cyber world friends. 

I'll be the first to admit, tempeh is not the easiest ingredient to make exciting. In fact, it always requires a bit of finesse. I love it for many reasons- it's hearty, nutty flavor, nutritional profile and protein prowess, but it can often end up dried-out and less than appetizing. For that reason, I have a few rules when cooking tempeh. I don't dry grill it. No matter how nice your spice rub is, tempeh needs ample liquid to come to life. 

I prefer to cook tempeh in a liquid marinade, either in a skillet or in the oven. Once it has absorbed the flavors and hydration, then it is possible to get some dry heat going to give the edges a bit of a char- either on the grill, broiler or convection oven. 

I aim for marinades with loads of flavor- this jamaican jerk sauce is a perfect example. If the sauce itself doesn't have a significant sweet component, I end the cooking process with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and a touch of oil to achieve the golden caramelization that really brings tempeh into the winners circle.

Of course I have to leave you with a tiny nutrition lesson before I can move on. Tempeh is a fermented soybean product, originating from Indonesia. It uses whole, unrefined edamame which is fermented and pressed to produce a firm patty. Rich in high-quality amino-acids and friendly bacteria, tempeh is a nutritious vegetarian protein source. I buy Rhapsody Tempeh, which is produced in Cabot, Vermont using organic soybeans grown in Quebec. As with all soybean products, I recommend doing some research on your brand and buying organic to avoid GMO-laden soy.

Try serving this with a side of smashed yams and a tender green salad tossed with sesame dressing. The perfect lunch or light dinner. 

Jamaican Jerk Tempeh

Serves 4 as main component

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup rice vinegar


2 tbs. olive oil


2 tbs. tamari soy sauce


1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce (use vegetarian version if vegetarian)

1 tbs. brown sugar


2 tsp. allspice


1/2 tsp. sea salt


1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tbs. fresh minced ginger


2 cloves garlic, minced


1/2 tsp. chili flakes, or to taste (optional)

4 chopped scallions

8 oz tempeh, sliced thickness in half and then into 8 triangles

Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and stir well (if you aren’t into mincing, you can alternatively add everything to a blender and process until smooth). Add the tempeh triangles and ensure all of the tempeh is coated. Let rest for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, trying to insure that the paper curves up the sides and ends a few inches, for easy clean-up. Place tempeh in a single layer, sprinkle with scallions and pour remaining marinade on top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until most of the marinade has absorbed and bottoms are beginning to brown. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Relax. Eat Well. 

Kimchi

My camera lens broke this last week, so I am working with limited material here. It is a shame because I have been cooking up a storm for several catered dinner parties, and would love to share what has come out! I am taking a break as we speak from preparing a Thai New Years Eve dinner for a group of 12 neighbors and friends. I can still smell the lemongrass on my fingers. Yum.

Oh well, it gives me a chance to share my kimchi recipe which I was hesitating to do. This is not a recipe for everyone, in fact, it literally scares Gregg, so I recognize that some of you will be excited while others will be completely uninterested. But maybe, just maybe, you will give it a try and be pleasantly surprised.

I remember when my landlord in Santa Cruz brought over my now kimchi container as a gift and I was so excited at my beautiful new piece for "when we bring soup to a potluck". Gregg looked at me as though I had lost my mind. Turns out I don't actually bring soup to too many potlucks, but now it has grown into a new role of housing saurkraut and kimchi production. Perfect.

Kimchi is a fermented condiment used in Korea. Simular to saurkraut, it contains potent probiotic properties (good bacteria) that aid digestion and help keep our internal flora healthy and ready to protect against foreign invaders. It has a very strong flavor and is meant to be enjoyed in small quantities as a component of larger meals. Completely raw, it is loaded with energetic enzymes, Beta-carotene (which our bodies turn into Vitamin A) and Vitamin C. As a cruciferous vegetable, cabbage has been shown to protect against a wide range of cancers as well as possess the ability to lower cholesterol levels. The remaining ingredients are pretty flexible so feel free to tailor it to your personal taste.

Fermented vegetables typically need 3 weeks to fully process, although they can sit for much longer. Most say that the flavor develops with time and advocate for longer fermentation periods, although I believe it is completely to taste and worth testing at different points.

Kimchi

Ingredients
1 medium head of Napa Cabbage, finely shredded
1 large carrot, grated
1 bunch scallions, finely sliced
6 inch piece of daikon radish, grated
1 inch piece ginger, grated with a microplane
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. sea salt

Directions
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Fill a large ziploc bag with water and seal tight. Place on top of mixed vegetables and cover with something heavy-ish (to apply downward pressure). Let rest for 15-20 minutes, or until you notice that the vegetables have released their juices and are mostly submerged. If this does not seem to be happening naturally, use a meat hammer to pound the vegetables to encourage them along.


At this point, transfer kimchi to a large bottle with a tight sealing lid (a 1/2 gallon mason jar works well). Press down firmly to submerge the vegetables in their own juices. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for 3 weeks or longer. Once it has reached your optimal flavor, store in the fridge and enjoy a little bit each day.

Save some of the liquid from each batch and use it in the next batch to spur the lacto-fermentation. This way you can use less salt without running the risk of bacteria taking over before the lacto-acid has a chance to build up.

Relax. Eat Well.