Tempeh Tacos with Lime Aioli (Meatless Monday!)

I've only been eating tempeh for a few years now.  I think the first time I had it was when I was convinced to try it in a "Tempeh Sloppy Joe" recipe by a favorite blogger of mine, Mari.  I couldn't believe how different the texture was from tofu.  I mean, tofu doesn't really have much of a texture at all, other than...slimy (but to be fair, tofu isn't slimy once it's cooked. Not convinced? Try it in one of these applications).  Tempeh, on the other hand, it more like meat (which, I sort of like, to be honest).

Tempeh is basically cultured soy bean.  Sounds gross, I know, but it's not.  Did you know that tempeh has about 5 grams of protein in an ounce?  That's almost comparable to actual meat!  Plus, those 5 grams of protein come with about 5-15 mg isoflavones, which are plant nutrients that have many health-promoting effects.  Don't believe me? Read the research (and take note of the research about soy and it's "feminizing effects" for males.  It's just not true!).  Did you know they may also help alleviate hot flashes?!

Tempeh Tacos with Lime Aioli 

Serves: 6 (2 tacos per person)

Source: Giant Eagle Market District

Ingredients

Aioli

1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise (or regular mayo, if you'd like)

1 lime, zest and juice

1 clove garlic, minced **

Tacos

1 Tbsp. olive oil

16 ounces tempeh

1 yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup) **

1 Tbsp. minced garlic **

2 tsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce **

12 flour or corn tortillas**

1 vine-ripe tomato, diced

1/2 cup red onion, diced **

1/4th cup chopped cilantro

** NOTE:  If you follow a low-FODMAPs diet, omit or reduce the onion and garlic (and use a garlic-infused olive oil for more garlic flavor).  I used less of both when I made this, and the tacos were still delicious.  Also watch out for onion and garlic in the tomato sauce. If you're really sensitive keep in mind that tempeh does contain some FODMAPs (specifically the "O" in FODMAPs) so only stick to one serving of these tacos per day. I rarely eat tempeh because it can cause me stomach upset, but I seem to be able to handle a little at a time (~3 ounces, or a little under 1/2 cup).  Another issue might be the flour tortillas.  Use gluten (wheat) free if you can.

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together ingredients for aioli; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tempeh, onion and garlic for about 8 minutes until lightly browned; add cumin, chili powder and tomato sauce. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Place warm tortillas on a large platter and divide tempeh mixture among them. Garnish each taco with tomatoes, red onion and cilantro. Drizzle lime aioli over top of each before serving. Makes 6 servings based on 2 tacos per serving.

Yes, these were as amazing, maybe even better than they look!

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 serving; 2 soft tacos, using lower calorie (100 each) tortillas

Nutrition Highlights: Less than 400 calories,  ~20-30 mg soy isoflavones (plant nutrients that may have powerful health benefits), lower in saturated fat compared to most animal proteins, almost cholesterol free, good sources of fiber, calcium, and iron.

QUESTION:  What do you like better, tofu or tempeh? Have you tried them both?  What's your favorite use for tempeh, if you've tried it?  Check out more tempeh recipes on the side of my blog, I've got several, including one for tempeh lasagna (soooo good).

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Inside-Out Vegetarian Lasagna (Meatless Monday)

Nick and I had my mom, dad, and his mom over for dinner one Saturday (a while ago) to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Penn State (yeah, I had to say that).  We decided to make this delicious "Inside-Out Lasagna" because I wanted to practice making it before I demoed it at work (in front of about 20 people!).  Thankfully, it was pretty simple and it was a huge hit with our important guests of the evening.

Inside-Out Vegetarian Lasagna

Modified slightly from Eating Well

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 ounces whole-wheat penne **

1 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 small onion, chopped **

2 cloves garlic, sliced **

8 ounces sliced white mushrooms ** (~3.5 cups)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs **

8 cups baby spinach

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

3/4 cup light ricotta cheese **

Optional:  Add chopped, grilled tempeh for extra protein and texture

 ** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, omit the garlic and onion (or significantly reduce the amounts, depending on your sensitivity) and use a tuscan or garlic extra virgin olive oil so you can still get their flavors.  You may also be lactose intolerant, which means you'll need to omit the ricotta (or use a lactose free cottage cheese instead).  The diced tomatoes may also cause an issue, because they contain Italian herbs.  You could always use plain diced tomatoes and add your own herbs separately (basil, thyme, etc.) and skip the onion and garlic, which is typically found in Italian herb tomatoes.  Also if mushrooms cause you problems just be sure to eat around them (but there weren't a lot in this recipe, so at least for me it didn't cause issues).  And of course, last but not lease, look for a gluten-free pasta.

Directions

1.  Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.

2.  While pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes (NOTE:  you can drain some of the liquid out of the pan if you want a less watery sauce).

3.  Add tomatoes, spinach and crushed red pepper.  Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring once halfway through, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes.

4.  Toss the sauce with the pasta and divide among 4 plates or bowls.  Dollop each bowl with 3 Tbsp. ricotta.

I just added 8 large handfuls of spinach, rather than measuring each cup.  Much easier!

Serve with a  piece of whole grain Tuscany Bread.  Delicioso!

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/4th of recipe

Nutrition Highlights: Check out that PROTEIN! Not bad for a vegetarian entree.  Also, an excellent source of Calcium, Vitamin C, Iron, Vitamin A (wowza!) and Fiber. 


Another benefit of this recipe?  Both the men in my life really enjoyed it, despite no meat!  What more could I ask for?!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Protein-Packed Quinoa Bean Burgers (Meatless Monday)

The supermarket where I work hires some really fantastic chefs who are always coming up with wonderful recipes, including many that are vegetarian.  Jacqui is a dietitian and chef who comes up with some of the recipes we have in our newsletter (check out Jaqui's blog!).  Several months ago she had this recipe for Quinoa Bean Burgers in the newsletter and I thought it sounded too wonderful not to try.   What I liked most about this recipe was that it had two sources of protein; quinoa and chickpeas.    And did you know that quinoa is a complete protein?  This means it has all the essential amino acids. 

When I was in school we were taught that you had to eat foods with all the essential amino acids in them, especially if you were on a vegetarian or vegan diet ( you didn't have to worry too much if you ate animal foods because they inherently contain all the essential AAs).  This piece of information turned out not to be true.  As long as you get multiple different sources of protein in your diet, which ultimately provide you with all of the essential amino acids, you should be just fine (have I really been out of school for that long?!).

You don't have to pair your beans with rice, as was once thought to be important.

As someone who follows a low FODMAPs diet, it's often difficult for me to eat beans and nuts, therefore most of the well-known higher-protein vegetarian foods have to be limited in my diet (ie: tofu, tempeh, satan, peanuts, cashews, pistachios), but I try hard to include at least one vegetarian recipe in my diet each week (as long as I have a Beano, or two, I'm typically ok!).  Quinoa is a great source of protein, and it's FODMAPs free, which is why I really loved that it was in this burger recipe.

I tried to make these burgers even more FODMAPs-friendly by omitting the garlic and decreasing the onion, but I felt the need to keep some of the onion in the recipe for that integral flavor. The recipe was a huge hit, and even Nick enjoyed it (he who claims to hate chickpeas and quinoa). The recipe was clearly not free of FODMAPs (check last week's recipe for that!) but it was definitely lower than most vegetarian burger recipes.  This recipe can, however, be gluten free, which could come in handy for some (especially if you plan to make this for a dinner gathering and you've got gluten free guests).  And if you're vegan, be sure to check out the option for flaxseed instead of eggs!  It makes for a lightly messier burger, but still very tasty.

Quinoa Bean Burgers
Slightly modified version of this recipe


Ingredients

(Makes 8)
Can be Made Gluten Free
Can be Made Vegan

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1.5 cups water

2 eggs**

2 Tsbp. low-sodium soy sauce (be sure to find a gluten-free version if you want a gluten free burger)

1 tsp. black pepper

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

 1-15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well

2 Tbsp. garlic extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup diced (very small) red bell pepper

1 cup (chopped very small) carrots

1/4 cup cilantro

** If you want these to be vegan, you can use the following instead of eggs**

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup warm water

NOTE: The celery and onion both contain FODMAPs. Omit if needed.  Also, take a Beano for the beans!

Directions

1.  Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Cook covered over medium heat for about 15-minutes until water is absorbed; set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine eggs, soy sauce, and pepper, and mix well (if using flaxseed, combine flaxseed, water, soy sauce and pepper. Set aside to thicken).

2.  Place onion and beans in a food processor and pulse until smooth; transfer to a large bowl.  Heat 1-2 teaspoons of oil in a medium skillet. Saute bell pepper and carrots for 4 minutes; add to onion-bean mixture in bowl.  Add cilantro, quinoa, and flaxseed mixture to bowl; mix well to combine.

3. Using 1/2 cup measure, shape mixture into 8 patties.  Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat  (use less to reduce calories).  Cook patties, 4 at a time, for 5-6 minutes on each side.  Carefully remove from skillet and repeat with remaining oil and patties.  Serve on a whole wheat bun, or English Muffin (or, however you want!)

Estimated Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 large burger, without a bun
Want a bun, but not all the calories? Look for the 100-calorie buns, or use a large piece of lettuce!

Nutrition Highlights:  Low saturated fat, cholesterol free, good source of iron and protein, excellent source of fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C

Nick and I ate our burgers double-decker style!  I enjoyed mine with some organic ketchup and a bit of omega-3 mayo.

Question:  What's your favorite burger topping??  I like pickles.  I like them a lot.  And I love ketchup on my burgers, and sometimes mustard and/or mayo.  Boring, right?  That's just how I roll!

 

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Meatless Monday: Simple & Savory Bella Lasagna

I'll admit it.  I love meaty lasagna. In fact, I'm a huge fan of extra meat in my lasagna. It reminds me of my childhood.  I could easily just eat the insides of the lasagna and leave the noodles for someone else.  That being said, I was pretty surprised by my desire to make this meat-free lasagna recipe the moment I saw it.  It's a meatless lasagna, but the portobellas (in my opinion) truly make up for the lack of meat.  After all, 1-cup of portobella mushrooms has about 5 grams of protein. Not bad. And I much prefer portobellas to lasagna noodles.  Seriously, so much more flavorful and filling.

This was one of those photos I was forced to take at night, when the light was pretty awful.  The photo doesn't come close to indicating its true deliciousness.

Do you ever read diabetes cookbooks?  I do.  I don't even think they should be called diabetes cookbooks, as they deter non-diabetics from reading them and using their recipes (it's true, I tell people I use diabetes cookbooks sometimes and get very strange looks).  In my opinion, a "diabetic diet" is just a healthy, balanced diet that all people should follow!  I mean, it's calorie and carbohydrate controlled, plus it includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk/dairy alternatives, and the occasional treat.  Sounds about right to me.  This recipe was found in Diabetic Living Magazine.  Their recipes are wonderful (I found this year's Thanksgiving recipes in this same magazine.  They were a huge success).

Bella Lasagna

Serves: 4

Slightly modified from a recipe found in Diabetic Living

Ingredients
8 - large portobella mushrooms - stems and gills removed **

1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 - 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon salt-free Italian seasoning **
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese (1%) **
2 tablespoons fresh Parmesan cheese

 NOTE:  If you're following a low FODMAPs Diet, this probably isn't the best recipe! Mushrooms  contain FODMAP), but I seem to be able to tolerate ~1/2 cup at a time. I omitted the onion from this recipe to make it more tolerable, but there will likely be onion and garlic in the Italian Seasoning (look for a seasoning without those two).  Also, look for Lactaid brand cottage cheese.

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place mushroom caps, cap side down (rounded side), on an unheated
     broiler pan;  sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt.  Roast for 15 minutes, rotating pan once.  Reduce oven
     temperature to 350 degrees.

2.  In a saucepan, combine tomatoes and seasoning.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat
     and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring often.  In a bowl, combine cottage cheese
     and mozzarella cheese.

3.  Spoon 1/3 of the tomato mixture onto the bottom of a 2 qt square baking dish.  Arrange
     4 mushroom caps, cap side down, over tomato mixture.  Spoon 1/4 of the cheese
     mixture over each mushroom.  Spoon another 1/3 of tomato mixture over the cheese.
     Place remaining 4 mushroom caps on top to make stacks.  Spoon remaining tomato mixture over mushrooms. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake 20 minutes.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/4th of recipe

Nutrition Highlights; Under 250 calories per serving, a good source of Fiber and Iron, and an excellent source of Protein, Vitamin A, Calcium, and Vitamin C.

Looking for a vegetarian lasagna recipe that is more traditional?  Check out last year's recipe for Tempeh and Baby Bella Lasagna.  This was another success in this meat-lover household.

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Tempeh and Baby Bella Lasagna (Vegetarian)

The New York Times recently published this article about "semi-veganism". I'll be honest, veganism is just not for me. I suppose I could be called a "semi-semi-vegan" if you consider eating a vegan meal once or twice a month being a "semi-semi-vegan". I really just couldn't live without a little cheese, yogurt, and egg in my life (unless I had to for medical reasons). I do, however, make many vegetarian dishes, which you can check out on my sidebar to the right (and yes, some of them are vegan). If you are vegan and you want to make the following vegetarian lasagna recipe vegan, use a vegan cheese such as Daiya (it melts really well).

NOTE: Sorry about the large print. Sometimes I really HATE Blog Spot!

Simple Tempeh and Baby Bella Lasagna

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1-14.5 ounce can roasted tomatoes, partially drained
1-8 ounce package traditional tempeh
1-8 ounce package of baby portobellos, rinsed and sliced
3 long lasagna noodles (if you have the shorter ones use 6)
16 ounces cottage cheese (I used a lactose free variety)
1.5 cups mozzarella cheese
1-2 tsp. garlic-infused olive oilDirections
1. Preheat the oven to 375

2. Grab a half-sized casserole dish (~4.5 inches x 7 inches). You can choose to double this recipe, if you'd like, and in that case you would use a full size casserole dish (9x13)

3. Chop the tempeh into small chunks. In a large saute pan, saute the tempeh and baby bellas with about 2 tsp. garlic-infused olive oil. As you are sauteing, chop the tempeh and mushrooms as much as possible (to resemble the texture and size of ground meat). Saute until the tempeh starts to brown.

4. Grab the casserole dish and add a layer of canned tomatoes (~1/3 can), followed by a layer (~1/3) of the tempeh and mushrooms, followed by a 2 lasagna noodles (if using large lasagna noodles, use one large, broken in half), followed by a layer (~1/3 of the container) of cottage cheese, followed by 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layers until you are out of ingredients. You want the top layer to be cheese!

5. Cover with two pieces of foil, then bake for 50 minutes.

6. Take the foil off and finish baking for another 15 minutes.

This is a side view. Not the best color, sorry.

Estimated Nutrition Facts
 
(Recipe makes 4 large servings)

I'm slightly skeptical about the protein in this recipe.... 46 grams?! I'm not so sure that's accurate (my estimate is more like 25-30 grams). But hey, I could be wrong (don't be fooled into thinking vegetarians and/or vegans can't get enough protein, check out this article!). I think the rest of the nutrition facts seem pretty accurate.

Nick gave this lasagna a rating of 7 out of 10, which I was pretty happy about because he was not excited about the idea of a vegetarian lasagna! I'll definitely be making this again (my score was an 8.5 out of 10. I need to master the spices a bit better, perhaps a bit more parsley, some pepper, and garlic oil!).

QUESTION: What's your favorite meat replacement to use in vegetarian lasagna?