Tempeh with Kale and Carrots in Miso Peanut Sauce

I've been playing around with tempeh lately, a food that until recently I wasn't super crazy about. Now that I've figured out how to temper its bitterness by sauteeing it, tempeh and I are becoming good friends. So, now, I'm having fun trying out creative dishes with it, and this is my latest one. It has a sauce that's reminiscent of my Chunky Miso Soup, which is the first dish that I mixed miso and peanut butter. I think you should definitely try that combination because they really go well together. Throw in some inexpensive carrots and some garden-grown kale, served alongside some mac and chreese, and you're looking at an affordable, yet filling, meal. Hope you like this as much as we do.



Tempeh with Kale and Carrots in Miso Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. canola oil
3 pkgs. tempeh, diced in one inch cubes
1 cup of carrots, sliced diagonally
2 cups of kale, chopped or torn
2 Tbs. miso
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 and 1/2 cups of water
1 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. When hot add the tempeh and saute for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the carrots and cook for another five minutes. Add the kale and cook for three more minutes. Whisk the miso, peanut butter, water and garlic salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the pan ingredients and cook for another two minutes, until all is coated and warmed through. A new kind of taste! Feeds five hungry vegans.

Chunky Miso Soup

This is one of my favorite soups; I serve this a few times a year. I actually got the start for this off a miso container lid. It was a miso soup recipe that I had never seen before. Anyway, over the years I've tweaked it just enough to make it mine. I really like this photo, too. See the steam still rising from the bowl? I have to put this away right after dinner, or else I'll literally be eating it all night long until bedtime. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Chunky Miso Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 small cauliflower, florets sliced
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 head of cabbage, sectioned and sliced thinly
4 cans of vegetable broth
4 cups of water
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and diced very small
1/3 cup of peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter)
1/4 cup miso

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients and keep cooking for about another 20 minutes, until the peanut butter and miso have dissolved and been mixed in. A note on the peanut butter: it can be smooth or crunchy - I prefer the crunchy because I love to crunch the bits of peanut. Also, you can use cashew or almond butter, as well. They all work deliciously in this soup. Feeds five hungry vegans.