tempeh

Miso Tempeh Wrap

Don’t forget you still have until Midnight tonight (July 11) to enter for your chance to win some Spirulina & other goodies from Nutrex Hawaii!

Speaking of Hawaii, my grandparents go to Hawaii every year for my grandma’s birthday on July 6th. This year, my grammy celebrated with her friends at a raw vegan restaurant called Maui Kombucha in their “Eat More Rabbit Food” shirts and Carrot Logo Leggings!
I died when she sent me these photos! Isn’t she the cutest?!

Eat More Rabbit Food MauiFrom left to right: My grammy Gail (76), Barb (86), and Carol (72)

Barb’s husband Don is 100% vegan, so she is pretty much vegan/vegetarian.
As for my grandma and Carol, they’re big time veggie lovers!
My grandma said that the owner brought out free kombucha shooters for the table when they arrived haha, how fun!

 

I loveee food blogs, especially when I cannot decide on what to make for dinner. Yes, bloggers read blogs too! While browsing around, I was totally inspired by (and drooling over) the lovely Kathy Patalsky’s recipe for Kale Avocado Wraps w/ Spicy Miso-Dipped Tempeh. I knew I had to try it, so I made all of the ingredients in proportion with the Rabbit Food Pyramid guidelines, and dinner was served! I love showing you guys how easy it is to make other recipes Rabbit Food Pyramid friendly!

Miso Tempeh Wraps
Miso Tempeh Wraps
Miso Tempeh WrapsI even made the Miso Tempeh again the next day, subtracted the wrap, and added 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice to make a salad/rice bowl!

Miso Tempeh WrapsSince I didn’t have miso paste on hand to make Kathy’s Chipotle Miso Dressing I used a shortcut Low-Fat Miso Sesame Seed Dressing by Galeos. Not exactly the same as her dressage, but the results were excellent, and the nutrition stats are awesome! 1 Tbsp Galeos Miso Sesame Seed Dressing = 25 calories, 1g fat, 4g carbs, .5g sugar, and only contains 8 ingredients that you can actually pronounce! Not too shabby!

Miso Tempeh Wraps
Recipe adapted from Kathy Patalsky
Serves 1

1 medium whole wheat or sprouted grain tortilla
3oz tempeh
1 1/2 cups kale
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1/4 avocado, sliced
2 Tbsp Galeos Low-Fat Miso Sesame Seed Dressing, divided
a pinch of ground chipotle
pinch of fresh ground pepper

Rinse and dry chopped kale. Massage with 1 Tablespoon of miso dressing. Chop tomato and onion and add to the kale, set aside. Slice avocado and set aside. Lightly spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook tempeh in 1 Tablespoon of miso dressing over medium heat and sprinkle with a pinch of pepper and chipotle. Allow the tempeh to cook on both sides for about 2 minutes each. Transfer the tempeh to the tortilla and add kale, tomato, onion, and avocado. Wrap tightly together, cut in half, and enjoy!

Try: Kathy’s Chipotle Miso Dressing on her blog Healthy. Happy. Life.!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: kale, tomato, and onions
Whole Grain: whole wheat tortilla
Protein: tempeh
Plant Based Fat: avocado
Catherine and Kathy DisneylandKathy and I on Splash Mountain at Disneyland! This photo was taken before we got completely soaked!

Sweet Summer Wrap

Hoppy Monday!

Motivation Monday: “If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”

I’m so excited because I finally edited my RFFMBT shirt photos for the online store and updated my inventory, but dun dun dunnnnnnn I’m going out of town AGAIN! This bunny is a jet setter! Since I do all of the shipping and handling for the RFFMBT online store myself, I don’t want to open the store and not be able to send you guys your shirts, so I will be postponing it yet again until I get home. I just couldn’t imagine buying a product and waiting forever for it to ship, that’s just not fair to you guys. Eeeeeeek I can’t wait to show off the new store when I get home! Thank you for your patience!

In other updates, United Luv donated 9 iPads to St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula, MT! St Patrick’s also matched their donation with 9 more iPads for patients! Thank you thank you thank you everyone for supporting United Luv! The little things like “liking” United Luv on Facebook are helping enormously! For all of my little bunnies who purchased United Luv shirts, I hope you like your little surprises that I sent in the mail! The Eaton family and I are so grateful for all of you!

If you have a second, checkout RFFMBT reader Melissa’s healthy living blog Little Blue Dress and her post about United Luv too! Thank you for your support Melissa!

I’m also super excited that a little bunny in Mexico shared my Personal Pan Pizza recipe on her fab blog en espanol! Be sure to checkout Dolores’ blog La Lola Dice! Hi international bunnies! xo

Onto the yummy stuff!
Light, filling, Sweet Summer Wraps!
Sweet Summer Wrap
Sweet Summer Wrap
Sweet Summer Wrap
Serves 1

1 iceberg or romaine lettuce leaf
3 oz tempeh
3 Tbsp chopped fuji apple
2 Tbsp chopped red grapes
2 Tbsp Almond Butter
1 tsp honey

cut the tempeh into cubes and cook over stovetop to package instructions. Chop apple and grapes. Once tempeh has finished cooking, combine with apple, grapes, almond butter, and honey and mix well. Place the mixture into a leaf of lettuce, wrap, and enjoy!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: iceburg lettuce, fuji apple, grapes
Whole Grain: –
Protein: tempeh
Plant Based Fat: almond butter

Tuscan Kale Salad

You may have heard me talk about my FAVORITE kale salad before. If not, let me introduce you to the Tuscan Kale Salad from True Food Kitchen. True Food’s menu was created by  Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet, but “you don’t have to be a die-hard Yogi to dine at True Food Kitchen. You need only a desire to give your body nutrients, and your palate something memorable. The basis for Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet isn’t meant to deprive a healthy body of great flavors, it’s meant to take popular trends in cuisine and pair them with healthy living.”

The Tuscan Kale Salad is my all time favorite. Ever! Since There isn’t a True Food Kitchen everywhere, I am bringing the restaurant to your kitchen with a single serving Tuscan Kale recipe! This particular salad doesn’t come with smoked tempeh on it, but it’s my favorite way to order. Since I don’t have a smoker, I found an awesome short cut to get the same smokey flavor!

So what is tempeh?
Tempeh (tem-pay) is similar to tofu because it is made from soybeans, but it’s taste and texture are completely different. Tempeh is much more textured and firm since the soybeans are cooked and slightly fermented, and has a mild nutty flavor. It’s low in fat and high in protein and calcium, making it a great addition to salads!

Where do I buy Tempeh?
Most grocery stores such as Ralph’s, Kroger, Pavillions, Trader Joe’s, and health food stores like Whole Foods carry tempeh. It’s usually located by tofu and other vegetarian foods in the refrigerator section. I used Tofurkey Brand Smokey Maple Bacon Flavored Tempeh from Whole Foods for this recipe.

P.S. I love when my sister lets me use her camera and fancy lenses!

Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Serves 1

4 Strips of Smokey Maple Bacon Flavored Tempeh
2 cups chopped Tuscan kale (aka dinosaur kale)
1 Tbsp shaved parmesan (or shaved cheese blend)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 garlic clove – mashed
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of hot red pepper flakes

Wash and dry kale. Cut kale into half inch strips and place in a bowl. Mash garlic with a fork and combine with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot red pepper flakes. Massage dressing into the kale and set aside. Place 4 strips of tempeh in a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat. Cooke each side of the tempeh for 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove tempeh from the stove and cut into one inch pieces. Toss the tempeh and parmesan in the salad and enjoy.

Tuscan Kale Salad
The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: kale
Whole Grain: enjoy with one serving of whole grain crackers or a side of quinoa
Protein: tempeh and cheese
Plant Based Fat: olive oil

Quinoa Crusted Tempeh

My favorite protein at the moment is tempeh (tem-pay) and of course my whole-grain obsession of the century is quinoa (keen-wa)! Breaded and crispy foods are so yummy, but usually not very healthy. I typically eat my tempeh plain and grilled or in stir-frys so I decided it was time for a change. Since my obsession with quinoa is still going strong, I wanted to try “breading” my tempeh with it! It turned out so delicious and I loved the texture it gave. This meal turned out to be the ultimate protein power plate with 32 grams of protein! I can’t wait to add a boost of quinoa protein crust to my tofu next time!



Quinoa Crusted Tempeh
serves 1

4oz tempeh
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa (any color will work, I used tri-colored)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups field greens
1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

Place oil a pan over medium heat and let the oil warm up. Place the uncooked quinoa in a separate bowl and set aside. Combine the egg and all spices (alt, cumin, lemon pepper, paprika, ad garlic powder) in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Dip the tempeh into the egg mixture, coating it completely. Then dip the tempeh in the dry quinoa until it is covered. Carefully place the tempeh in the pan and cook each side for about 3 minutes. Continue flipping until quinoa and tempeh start to brown. Remove the tempeh from the stove and cut into 1/2 inch thick strips. Place over a bed of fresh greens and top with white balsamic vinegar.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: field greens
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: tempeh and egg
Plant Based Fat: olive oil

Tempeh & Green Vegetables With Tangy Peanut Sauce

The other day, I was excited to see an email from my old college roommate Dominique, who sent me an oishii (delicious) vegan, Asian-inspired recipe that we have both been oohing and awwing over.  Dom and I met on move in day at school and we bonded over our matching Hello Kitty toasters, and were inseparable ever since. Oh the power of the kitty! We both obsessed over Japanese culture, fashion, and cuisine and used to have “Panda Food” for dinner about 5 nights a week. Wow have we both come a long way since our Panda Nights of ramen noodles, Ling Ling potstickers, and white rice! We’ve traded in our amateur “Panda Food” for some sophisticated recipes, good enough for a geisha.

I made a few tweaks to the original recipe to make it Rabbit Food Pyramid friendly, and used low sodium vegetable broth to stir-fry  the veggies and tempeh instead of oil. Tons of Asian dishes are cooked in oils, which quickly adds countless calories and fat to a once healthy vegetable based dish. Olive oil is a great source of heart healthy fat when it is uncooked, but it’s properties are changed once it is heated to a certain degree, so I like to cook my vegetables in low sodium vegetable broth to achieve similar results.

Tempeh is one of my favorite proteins. It’s similar to tofu because it is made from soybeans, but it’s taste and texture are completely different. Tempeh is much more textured and firm since the soybeans are cooked and slightly fermented, and has a mild nutty flavor. It’s low in fat and high in protein and calcium, making it a great addition for stir-frys and salads.

Tempeh & Green Vegetables With Tangy Peanut Sauce
Serves 1

Veggies:
3oz tempeh, cubed
½ cup frozen spinach
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
½ cup broccoli
¼  cup chopped yellow onion
¼ cup un-shelled edamame
¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
½ clove garlic, minced

Sauce:
1 Tbsp  unsalted peanut butter
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp garlic powder

Pour vegetable broth into a pan over low heat. Combine tempeh, spinach, bell pepper, broccoli, onion, edamame, and garlic in the pan and cook until vegetables are tender and vegetable broth has been soaked in. In a separate bowl while vegetables and tempeh are cooking, whisk together all sauce ingredients; if desired, add a bit of water for a thinner consistency. Set sauce aside. When vegetables have finished cooking, add the peanut sauce and coat evenly. Enjoy warm.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: spinach, bell pepper, broccoli, onion
Whole Grain: you may enjoy with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice if desired.
Protein: tempeh and edamame
Plant Based Fat: peanut butter