Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Hello out there! Thank you so much for sticking with this blog during my 1 year hiatus (or maybe you just forgot to delete me from your reader - either way, thanks!)

It's been quite a year and I'll skip the details but we moved away from Idaho in August and landed in Michigan! I definitely left a huge piece of my heart there and vow to one day have an 208 area code once again. However, we're close to family now and west Michigan really is a treasure trove of beautiful nature and some amazing produce. We have truly enjoyed settling into life here and I feel fortunate and comfortable calling it home.

My cooking and eating habits have also evolved a bit more over the last year and I'm leaning much more toward vegan. I hope to take the leap soon and become 100% vegan at home with small variations for eating out, but it's a work in progress. I've also been in therapy for my eating habits (as many of you might remember, I'm maintaining an 85-90 lb. weight loss). Most of the time I'm in a healthy place where I don't over analyze each morsel of food that I consume. It's quite freeing to not be in a "constantly dieting" mindset. If you have an eating disorder, whatever it may be, I cannot tell you how beneficial therapy is. I'd also be happy to chat with anyone with questions, feel free to email me!

So I'm sure in the coming months I'll delve more into Michigan, veganism, EDs, our amazing travels out west and more. I recently accepted a part time job as my baby is now in pre-k and my hope was to be part time once she started kindergarten. I'm trying to slow down a bit and be more mindful of what I devote my time to. My blog brings me happiness, a creative outlet, so I decided it was time to resurrect it!

So on to this recipe! For the last 8 months I've subscribed to an organic produce delivery and almost every week there is a head of cabbage in my green box. I love slaw salads, but my husband and daughter do not. I googled cabbage recipes and of course stuffed cabbage was most common. Making stuffed cabbage rolls can be daunting, so I decided to do a deconstructed casserole version. And since I made it the first time, I've made it with a few variations, such as quinoa for the rice (we prefer rice) and quorn or beyond meat crumbles for the tempeh (we prefer tempeh). I also have found a great use for leftover Chinese take-out rice - this casserole! It's very hearty, filling and comforting and can take as little as 15 minutes to make, depending on your ingredients (quick rice, no bake-off). I top mine with a vegan "parm" made with walnuts and nutritional yeast (hence the green looking topping), but we've also had it dolloped with goat cheese or parmigiano reggiano. You can truly customize this with pantry staples and your taste.

**I'd love to be more active in the blogging community. If you'd like to leave your blog in the comments, I'll be sure to add you to my reader and start some conversations**

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Veggie by Season original recipe

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 head of cabbage, about 3 lbs., diced 

1 large onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz. can tomatoes (I prefer whole San Marzano with basil)

2 c. prepared brown rice (or quinoa, I use short grain brown)

1 package of tempeh, crumbled (or faux beef crumbles)

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. fennel seeds

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Parmigiano-Reggiano, Goat Cheese, or omit for vegan

Preheat oven to 400*

Preheat large, deep, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil.

Add cabbage and onion, toss and cook frequently until vegetables begin to caramelize, about 8-10 minutes. 

Add garlic and a heavy pinch of salt and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

Add tomatoes (if whole, squish by hand or use a blender to reach desired consistency), rice, tempeh, oregano, fennel, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh ground black pepper. 

Turn heat to low, stir well to distribute, taste and add salt as necessary.

Top with cheese, if desired, and place skillet into the oven. 

Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges crisp and mixture is bubbly.

Serve immediately with additional pepper flakes and cheese. 

Bangin' Tempeh Quesadilla

So I had added Quesadillas to the "how in the world do I get a good photo?!" list... but then a certain good blogger friend posted a quesadilla recipe with a beautiful photo, so I guess it's just me. I think it's time I look into good photography classes, or you know, don't take them on the floor while my husband holds the dogs and kid back. PLEASE don't let the bad photo make you question the deliciousness of this 'dilla... it's amazing!

When Taco Lu first opened, I was pregnant. Tacos sounded amazing, and the fact that they had tempeh on their menu made me love the place before even stepping foot into the restaurant. We made the trek over to the beach one night, fought off everyone and their mom for a parking spot, and got a table after a 30 minute wait. As I excitedly ordered my tempeh tacos, the waiter told me they didn't have tempeh, they were out. Talk about a hormonal melt-down over something that wasn't THAT big of a deal (but come on, tempeh has a long shelf life and you can keep it on hand!) So I didn't even order dinner. I watched JJ eat, and then we left. And I swore off the place for 2 years.

When we found out we were moving, I felt like I should give the place one more chance because all of my friends and coworkers love it, and they even moved into a bigger restaurant location since their popularity soared. So we went, I got this quesadilla, it was amazing, and now I cry knowing it's 2k miles away. Our servers kind of seated us and forgot about it, so I was like oh geez, here we go again, but then they brought out a free bowl of queso (that Violet bathed herself in.) So while Taco Lu hasn't been the most dependable place service wise, the food is so good that I'd be willing to overlook it.

This quesadilla was spicy, fresh from the slaw, earthy from the tempeh, and bound together with tons of melty cheese. It wasn't exceptionally complex, but it was amazing. I tried re-creating it here, and it was almost as delicious as the Lu's!

Bangin' Tempeh Quesadilla

inspired by Taco Lu, makes 4 large quesadillas

4 large flour tortillas

1 8 oz, pack of tempeh, sliced into 16 thin strips

1/4 c. sweet thai chile sauce

2 tbsp. sriracha

4 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 lb. green cabbage, shredded

1/4 red onion, finely sliced

1 lime

1/2 c. reduced fat sour cream

2 chipotles in adobo

In a shallow dish, whisk together chile sauce and sriracha, gently coat tempeh strips and set aside to marinate.

Toss green cabbage with onions and juiced lime in a small dish.

Blend sour cream and chipotles, or finely minced chipotles and mix with sour cream.

Heat skillet over medium-high, spray with nonstick spray, place tempeh slicess in pan, cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip, be careful they don't burn! 

Remove tempeh and place on a plate.

Clean out skillet, and heat over medium.

Preheat oven to 300*

One at a time, lay tortillas out, slather with chipotle sour cream, then place in pan, sprinkle cheese around the whole tortilla, then arrange 4 slices of tempeh in one half, and a sprinkle of the cabbage slaw on top of the tempeh. 

Cook for 2 minutes open, then fold the tortilla over and press.

Cook for another 2 minutes, then gently flip and cook another 2 minutes until golden brown.

If desired, place on a cookie sheet and into the oven to stay warm while you cook the remaining quesadillas.

Slice into fourths and serve.

Southern Belle Salad with Tempeh

It's a bit ironic that this is my first home cooked meal in Boise, but this salad was all I wanted the past few days! The hardest thing to leave behind in Florida was probably The Floridian - ok, it was my friends, but The Floridian is a close second! I'm sure I've professed my love of the restaurant before, but I can't help it, Ive never had a bad meal there! The only downside is it's in downtown St. Augustine, which was a good 40 minute drive for us from our house in Jacksonville. However, any time we had company in town, this was the first place I took them!

(my sister Becky and tiny Violet with another outstanding dish, the Not-So-Mac-and-Cheese with Tempeh)

It's quintessentially Florida - from the fresh local produce to the fresh seafood, even the dairy is locally sourced. Plus, the menu changes seasonally, so you know you're eating fresh food. It combines beachy food with traditional southern dishes, and caters to vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters all at once!

My last meal there was a lunch in May, I ordered this salad and it was delicious! It combines some ingredients that I wouldn't have thought to put in a salad together, but they just worked so well! Their presentation is more of a chopped salad, but I left this whole so you could see the ingredients. They give the option to serve the salad with tempeh, fish, or other proteins, as they do with just about all dishes. If you're in the Jacksonville/St. Augustine area, I highly recommend you check out The Floridian!

Southern Belle Salad with Tempeh

adapted from The Floridian

Serves 2 as a main dish

1 large sweet potato, sliced

1 6-8 oz. package of plain tempeh, sliced

1 large lemon, juiced

4 tbsp. olive oil

4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. dried basil, crushed

salt and pepper

1 peach, pitted and sliced

1/2 c. candied pecans (I got these from the Whole Foods bulk bin)

2 oz. crumbled goat cheese

4-6 c. baby spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 400*

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray, arrange potato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper

Roast for 20-25 minutes, until tender and slightly browned on the bottom

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic, honey, basil, salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings.

Place tempeh in a bowl, toss with half of the dressing mixture, gently toss.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add tempeh and cook 3-4 minutes per side, until browned.

Arrange spinach in a bowl, top with potato, peach and tempeh (chop into small pieces, if desired)

Top with blue cheese and pecans, drizzle with remaining dressing, serve.

(Optional - chop spinach, tempeh, peaches and potatoes, add to a large bowl, toss with cheese, pecans and dressing, serve)

Jerk Tempeh Pitas

One of my favorite casual restaurants to dine in is Mellow Mushroom. The pizzas are great, but the sandwiches and salads are just as good, if not better. And the calzones, well they're just at another level of delicious! The other thing that makes Mellow so appealing is they have tofu and tempeh available as a substitute for meat in any entree. We typically go on Monday nights when they have trivia, but I love dropping in for lunch as well (Greek salad with tofu and Esperenza dressing is my choice at lunch!) JJ ordered this dish first time we ever went, and it's been hard for him to get anything else since.

The tempeh is seasoed with their jerk seasoning, then sauteed with onions, green pepper, mushrooms and pineapple. It's stuffed into a sub or pita, topped with spinach and tomatoes, and drizzled with pesto mayo. To recreate it at home, I just left off the spinach and turned the pesto mayo into a pesto-greek yogurt sauce. It was just as tasty, and less calories and fat, I'm sure!

Jerk Tempeh Pitas

inspired by Mellow Mushroom

4 whole wheat pita pockets, warmed and split

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely diced

1 8 oz. package tempeh

1-2 tbsp. Jerk seasoning (I use Penzeys)

1 small (4-6) oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice

Black pepper

Sliced roma tomatoes

1/4 c. Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. prepared pesto

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add onion, garlic, mushrooms and bell pepper.

Saute' for 10 minutes, or until water has cooked out and vegetables begin to caramelize.

Crumble in tempeh, add jerk seasoning, stir well.

Loosely drain excess juice from pineapples into a dish, reserve.

Add pineapple to skillet, stir well, taste and season with pepper or more jerk seasoning (if your jerk seasoning is salt free, you may need to add salt)

If mixture is dry, add a bit of reserved juice.

Spoon mixture into pita pockets, top with tomato slices.

In a small dish, mix yogurt and pesto, drizzle over pitas and serve immediately.

Crisp and Crunchy Brussels Sprout Salad

After the recent roasted fall salad I made was a hit with both my husband and daughter, I decided to make another variation this past week. Again, I began with roasted Brussels sprouts from the CSA as my base, and used one of my favorite flavor combinations to compliment them, apples, blue cheese and walnuts. I made a simple maple-dijon dressing, and used it as a marinade for some pan seared tempeh strips. This salad was equally delicious, but had a lot more crunch and a fresher flavor due to the raw apples. We ate it warm/room temperature, but I'm sure cold leftovers would taste great. I just saw I've got another stalk of Brussels in this week's share, so I'm sure in another week, you'll see another Brussels sprout salad!

Crisp and Crunchy Brussels Sprout Salad

Veggie by Season original

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed

1 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 apple, any variety, cored and diced

1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese

1/4 c. toasted walnut pieces

1 8oz. package of tempeh

dressing/marinade:

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 c. sliced scallions

Preheat oven to 400*

Add toss Brussels sprouts in olive oil, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet, roast for 25-35 minutes, tossing occasionally, until browned.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients, add half to a bowl and toss with sliced tempeh.

Preheat a nonstick skillet to medium heat, add tempeh slices and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes.

Add Brussels sprouts to a serving bowl, toss in apples and nuts, top with tempeh strips, blue cheese, and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Serve warm or refrigerate and serve chilled later. 

Southern Stacks

Almost two years ago (really?!) I made this recipe for BBQ Tempeh and Fried Green Tomato stacks. They were so good, I've made them several times since. After picking up my CSA share with 2 lbs. of green tomatoes, I considered making the recipe again... but for the blog's sake, decided to try something new. I wasn't in the mood to fry the tomatoes, and decided to try to make a healthier stack. I had sprouts on hand, and a surplus of datil pepper sauce I made over the summer with the datil peppers I grew, so a Southern stack sounded perfect. I whipped up tiny corn pancakes as the base, then seasoned and crisped some tempeh and finally made a sort of pimento cheese to top it all off. These stacks were absolutely delicious! Hot and cold, healthy and full of flavor.

They should be made to order though, as the tomatoes did make the corn cakes a bit soggy at the end, but you could also re-work your stack so the tomato isn't directly on the corn cake, and problem solved! If you can't find or make datil pepper sauce, chili sauce will do. I believe the sauce at Firehouse subs is a datil pepper sauce, so you can always pick some up there!

Southern Stacks

Veggie by Season original, makes 8 stacks

Corn cakes:

1 egg

1 c. milk

1/4 c. frozen (thawed) corn kernels

1 tbsp. canola oil

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together egg, milk, corn and oil.

Add flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder, gently whisk until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

Preheat griddle to medium heat, spray with nonstick spray and ladle 1/4  c. of batter at a time. 

Cook for 3 minutes, until bubbles appear, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes. 

Continue until all pancakes are finished. Keep warm in a 250* oven.

Tempeh:

1 package of tempeh

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. olive oil

Slice tempeh into 16 pieces.

Add olive oil and spices to a shallow bowl, whisk together to form a paste, slather on tempeh pieces.

Preheat a skillet to medium heat, spray with nonstick spray and cook tempeh for 2 minutes per side, place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven with corncakes.

Pimento Cheese:

1 c. fresh grated colby-jack cheese

1/4 c. minced pimentos

1/4 c. plain nonfat greek yogurt

Salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a small bowl, mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Pan Fried Tomatoes:

2 lbs. green tomatoes

Kosher Salt

Black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

Heat saute' pan over medium, add olive oil.

Slice tomatoes into 1/4" disks, you'll need 16 slices.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Place in pan, cook until seared brown, about 2 minutes, flip and sear the other side.

Remove from pan and cook remaining slices. 

Additional Ingredients:
Sprouts
Datil pepper sauce

Prepare all stack components (tomatoes last) and create stacks, corn cakes on bottom, tempeh (cut each slice into thirds), tomato, sprouts, tempeh, tomato, pimento cheese and datil pepper sauce. Serve immediately.

Gold Rush Tempeh Sandwiches

Sunday mornings with a baby tend to be pretty hectic, and we often find ourselves sitting in church with grumbling stomachs because we forgot to eat breakfast. One Sunday I was a bit more dramatic than normal, and we stopped at the first place I saw, Hurricane Grill and Wings. I had a veggie burger that was average, and JJ got fish tacos that came with a side of their "Gold Rush Sauce". The sauce was delicious, and we sat there and tried to decipher it. I finally did some googling when I got home and discovered it's basically a combination of honey mustard and buffalo sauce - duh!

Buffalo tofu, tempeh, chick pea patties, and many other variations are always on our weekly menu, so this week I decided to make the Gold Rush Sauce instead. Tempeh is my favorite product to use in place of meat, it's easy to marinade, slice, grill, and pile on a sandwich. The sauce was perfect with the tempeh, I can't wait to try it with some other combinations!

Gold Rush Tempeh Sandwiches

adapted from Hurricane Grill and Wings sauce

1 package of plain tempeh

1/4 c. buffalo wing sauce

1-2 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. coarse ground mustard

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

Sandwich bread

Romaine lettuce

Tomatoes

Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing

Slice the tempeh into 1/4" pieces.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together wing sauce, honey and mustards. Taste and adjust ratios as desired.

Carefully place tempeh into maridnate, covering all sides.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat, spray with non-stick spray.

Place tempeh strips in a single layer, cook 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Toast bread, layer with lettuce and tomato.

Add tempeh slices to sandwiches, top with ranch or blue cheese and more sauce (use leftover marinade, it's not contaminated! But discard leftover sauce).

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

When it comes to food blogging, I see it as 4 parts. First, recipe creation or selection. This part is always fun, dreaming up combinations of food, or spotting a recipe in a magazine or on a blog that you just can't stop thinking about. Next up, cooking. I love the cooking part, definitely the best part. Next, the photography... we'll get back to that. And finally, blogging the recipe. I love the blogging portion because I get to tell stories about the dish, or talk about why I thought it was so delicious, or how I came up with the combination of ingredients. It's effortless to me.

But the photography. Oh do I struggle. I try, I really do... it's just not a strength of mine. You give me my dogs or my baby and I can take photos all day long! They give me funny faces, movement and life. My food, well it's all up to me. To style it, to get the right light, to pick the prettiest plates and silverware. To angle it correctly, cut a perfect slice or portion a scoop that is aesthetically pleasing. It's a lot of pressure! It's also why my blog has been quieter lately. When I can't get the perfect photo, or even something semi decent, I just move on with eating my dinner.

So since my dirty little secret is out, I'll get to the silver lining. What I can continue to do is try to show a decent photo, but bring the dish to life with my words, and use them to make you crave it! And this dish really has it all! It can be hard to find a one pot, comforting vegetarian casserole. You know, the kind of thing you take to a friends house who just had a baby, or to a pot luck at church. The kind of dish that you can make ahead of time and not worry it will turn to vegetable mush. It's also great for when you're in the mood for classic stuffed peppers, but don't have the time to fidget around with making the rice filling, then stuffing the peppers and roasting them.

I have made this dish three times since I came up with it, each time with a different cooking method. They all work as well as the next. There's the "20 Minute Speed Faux-Casserole", the crockpot "Set It and Forget It" method, or the somewhere in between where I precooked the rice, "Throw it all in a casserole dish and let it cook while you work out/put the kids to bed/catch up on some work" method.The "20 minute speed casserole" is my method of choice. 

Stuffed Pepper Casserole 

Veggie by Season original

1 cup short grain brown rice

4 cups water

1 tbsp. EVOO

2 bell peppers (I use 1 green, one yellow)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
2-3 cups prepared marinara (I make a big batch of this and freeze in 2-4 c. portions)
1 block of tempeh (I've been loving Lightlife's 5 Grain Tempeh)
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Bring the water to a boil in a small pot, add the brown rice, cover and turn to medium-low. 

Stir every 2-3 minutes, and continue to cook for 20 minutes.

Preheat broiler to high.

In a deep skillet over medium, heat olive oil.

Add peppers, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Saute' for 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften.

Turn heat to low, add oregano, marinara, and crumble in tempeh.

Stir to combine ingredients, and cover to heat through.

Drain any water off rice once it's finished cooking, then pour into skillet with vegetable mixture, mix well.

Pour into a casserole dish, cover with mozzarella cheese and broil for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.

Serve immediately. 

*Also makes for delicious leftovers and this casserole can be frozen (before broiling) and reheated at a later time.

Temp-fakin' (Tempeh Bacon)

It seems like bacon fever has calmed down a bit in the past few years. For a while, it was everywhere, on cupcakes, donuts, cookies, in chocolate and even ice cream. I can't say that I love bacon that much to eat it in ice cream, but there are several dishes I've had to forego over the years as a vegetarian. Sure, there's fake bacon out there, but it's full of chemicals and who knows what else. 

I saw tempeh bacon at Whole Foods, and though I'd give it a try. Then I saw it was double the price of regular tempeh, so I took the challenge on and tried making my own. I can't say this tastes exactly like bacon, but boy is it close! My husband even commented that it smelled like bacon as I was cooking. Since coming up with this recipe, I've used it in many dishes, like Hawaiian Pizza (shown below), wedge salads, with eggs and English Muffins, and on BLTs. It's a keeper for sure! 

Temp-fakin' (Tempeh Bacon)

1 package of plain tempeh, sliced into strips

2 tbsp. EVOO

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. liquid smoke

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder (or smash a clove and leave it in the marinade)

Whisk together EVOO, syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

Add tempeh, toss to coat evenly.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 day, tossing occasionally.

Heat a skillet over medium-high, cook tempeh until golden crisp on each side, about 3-5 minutes (be careful not to burn it!)

Fried Green Tomato and BBQ Tempeh Stacks with Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes

I apologize for not being more timely with blogging these recipes. Last week I had the great pleasure of going to Cincinnati for my nephew/godson's baptism. I had a wonderful time with my family, and was pretty much technology free for a few days. I admire bloggers who schedule posts when they'll be away, or even work on their blog while on vacation, but it's not for me. I like to take the time away and really disconnect. 

This was the third course in my Bourbon Dinner a few weeks ago, and it was something that I put the most thought into. I wanted to make a substantial entrée, but it had to be vegetarian, semi-fancy, and Bourbon friendly, of course. While thinking about Kentucky and flavors of the south, I remembered the Fried Green Tomatoes I recently had at a restaurant, which were delicious. I thought it would be fun to stack them with a protein. Barbecue is obviously a southern favorite, and I've found that of all the vegetarian proteins out there, tempeh seems to be the best for grilling and pairing with bbq sauce. Finally I wanted a starchy base for the stack. Since the tomatoes had tang, the tempeh was salty and earthy, a creamy sweet potato puree was the perfect balance, especially laced with Bourbon as it often is at Thanksgiving. The dish came together with a sprinkle of blue cheese and parsley, and was absolutely delicious! 

Fried Green Tomato and BBQ Tempeh Stacks with Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes:

adapted from this recipe by The Neelys

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked

1/3 c. whole milk or cream

1/4 c. Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

1 tbsp. molasses

2 tbsp. salted butter

Place potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil covered, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until fork tender. 

Drain, pour Bourbon into the hot pot, then add potatoes and cream.

Mash or use a hand mixer to whip until potatoes begin to create a smooth appearance.

Add cayenne, salt, molasses and butter, continue to whip until incorporated.

Taste and adjust seasonings, serve or keep warm covered in a 200* oven, whipping in more milk or cream if necessary when serving. 

Fried Green Tomatoes:

3 large green tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick 

1 c. plus 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour

2 eggs

1/4 c. milk

1 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. paprika

Salt and pepper

Oil, for frying (I used olive oil)

Arrange 3 shallow dishes on a counter.

Add 1 c. flour to first.

Mix eggs with milk in the second.

Toss 1/2 c. flour with cornmeal, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper in the last.

Heat oil over medium in a skillet about 1/2" up the side. 

Arrange paper towels on a plate or a dripping rack next to frying pan. 

Dredge tomato slices in flour, then dip in egg, then coat in cornmeal and place in the frying pan. 

Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Place on paper towels to drain, continue with remaining tomato slices. 

Serve or keep warm in a 200* oven on a wire rack nestled in a baking sheet. 

BBQ Tempeh:

1/2 batch of Bourbon BBQ Sauce (I halved this recipe)

2 8 oz. packages of plain or original tempeh

Slice tempeh into 1/4" slices, then place in a tupperware storage container.

Pour 1-2 c. bbq sauce over tempeh, toss to coat.

Marinade for 30 minutes to 4 hours. 

Heat a gas grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. 

Place strips of tempeh on grill, cook until grill marks appear and bbq sauce begins to caramelize, basting as necessary. 

Grill all tempeh, then serve or keep warm in a 200* oven, tossing with extra warmed sauce if necessary before serving.

To make stacks:

Take 1/4 of the sweet potato mixture, form into a mound then use the back of a spatula or spoon to smear onto the plate. 

Arrange a tomato at the base of the sweet potatoes, then stack 2 slices of tempeh on top.

Place another tomato on top of tempeh, then place 2 more strips going the opposite direction of the first.

Top with one final tomato.

Sprinkle plate with parsley and blue cheese.

Spicy Apple-Maple Tempeh Sausage Patties

I've been experimenting so much lately with vegetarian meat substitutes because as I stated, I'm trying to completely cut all fake, processed meat products from my diet. I've found that if I make double batches, form patties and keep them in the freezer, I'm more likely to not grab a box at the grocery store. One of my favorite meat substitutes is tempeh, which is simply fermented soybeans. I've read quite a bit about the link from soy to breast cancer as my Mom developed breast cancer two years ago (and beat it!), and from what I've read, soy in its whole form is ok, it's the processed soy products and oils that are more risky. So for me, that means tofu, tempeh and soymilk are ok! 

Soysausages are very convenient to top a pizza, serve with breakfast or throw in a sandwich, but again, super processed. So I thought I'd attempt soysausages with tempeh. I really liked these, but wish they had been a bit tighter. I think perhaps if I made them and froze them and then cooked the patties, they might not crumble as much, but they were still great. To incorporate the apple-maple flavor and add moisture, I used maple syrup and applesauce, and then simply flavored them with traditional sausage spices. 

I will definitely be making these again soon, with different variations and methods of cooking. For now though, I'm going to call this attempt a success! 

Spicy Apple-Maple Tempeh Sausage Patties

1 10 oz. package of plain tempeh

1 egg white

1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 tsp. fennel seeds

2 tsp. dried rubbed sage

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Cut tempeh in 1" chunks, add to a food processor with fennel seeds.

Pulse until tempeh is in a crumb, about the texture of ground beef.

Pour into a mixing bowl, add egg white, applesauce, maple syrup, sage, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Stir well to combine, refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Form into 5 patties (I use a hamburger press to get them really tight).

At this point, you can wrap them in saran wrap then foil and freeze or cook.

Heat a griddle over medium heat, spray with nonstick spray or EVOO, add patties.

Cook for 5 minutes, then gently flip and cook for another 5 minutes.