For all of you folks who love to eat meat and would have a tough time turning vegan and giving it up, here is a recipe for you. It is called orange pan-glazed tempeh.

It basically looks like a piece of glazed meat, but it’s not. It may look a little strange at first when you start preparing it. Instead of chicken, pork or beef, you use tempeh.

Now, tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans and formed into a patty. It kind of looks like a thin veggie burger. Once you put all the spices on, not only does it taste good, but it is good for you. Tempeh is very high in protein and calcium.

How does it taste? The good news, for all of you who hate the taste of tofu, is it doesn’t taste a bit like it. It really just tastes like the all the spices you put on it, with kind of a nutty texture.

We like to serve it with mashed potatoes or rice and a veggie. To dress it up, you can put the tempeh on a bed of kale.

When I first looked at the dish on the table, I was a little skeptical. But after I took my first bite with that orange pan-glazed sauce, I was hooked.

Serve it up for that meat lover of yours, and see if they like it and enjoy that vegan thing.

ORANGE PAN-GLAZED TEMPEH

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3 to 4 large juicy oranges)

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce (I use soy sauce)

11/2 tablespoons mirin

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (cilantro)

2 small garlic cloves, crushed

About 10 ounces tempeh or extra-firm tofu (I used three-grain tempeh)

2 tablespoons olive oil (I use grapeseed oil instead)

Handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves

Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Squeeze the grated ginger over the bowl to extract the juices, then discard the pulp. Add the tamari, mirin, maple syrup, ground coriander and garlic. Mix together and set aside.

Cut the tempeh (or tofu) into thin bite-sized pieces, and if working with tofu, pat dry with a paper towel.

Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until golden. Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze. Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over the tofu from time to time.

Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime, with the coriander scattered on top.

 

Jeff Peterson anchors the 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. news on WGME-TV and is a vegan.

 

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