Melange of Roasted Autumn Veggies with Tempeh Bacon

No use crying over spilt milk...or burnt carrots.  Yesterday I had sliced 25 lbs of carrots for a salad at work, and thrown them in the oven to roast thinking they were going to come out all delicious and toasty, only to have my timer fail on me and smell burnt carrots about 45 minutes later.  Oh the joys of relying on technology...but that is what happens when you are multitasking and can't keep an eye on the oven yourself!  But you know what?  I didn't get upset, in fact I found it kind of funny the fact that I went through all that work and would have to do it again.  Sometimes I wonder with the amount of chopping I do with my right arm why it isn't twice the size of my left.  I sliced more carrots, placed them in the oven and this time they emerged perfectly roasted.  Success!  I am not one to give up...especially in the kitchen.  When I got home I did not simply heat up some soup I had in the freezer for dinner, instead I decided that I would like some roasted veggies!  How odd, after my carrot burning experience, but that is what I craved.  I had all sorts of delicious things to roast that I knew would make a delicious melange of sorts. 

Some chanterelles and lobster mushrooms I was expecially excited to enjoy along with brussels sprouts, carrots (yes I didn't hate them), red peppers, purple potatoes, and rutabagas.  I threw in some onions as well and roasted them all to deliciousness.  I needed some protein, so some tempeh bacon was added as well, and to give it all a wonderful flavor a balsamic thyme vinaigrette with a touch of truffle oil.  It was nice and hearty, which was nice for a cool night.  Never mind the burnt carrots, when I have a plate of good food in front of me I don't remember the negatives of the day.  Here is the recipe for my roasted veggies if you would like to try it.  It is simple to prepare, but so good!

Melange of Roasted Autumn Veggies with Tempeh Bacon
Serves 2

olive oil
2 cups purple potatoes (or other small potatoes), halved if bigger
2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
3 cups mixed mushrooms, cut into bite sized pieces if large
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup sliced rutabaga
2 large carrots, sliced
1 8 oz pkg tempeh bacon

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp truffle oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried thyme
2 cloves of garlic, minced
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Since the veggies take different times to roast, they need to be dine separately.  Toss the potatoes and brussels sprouts with olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet.  Do the same with the mushrooms, bell pepper and onion on another sheet. Then the carrots and rutabagas on another.  Place the sheets in the oven and roast for about 15-20 minutes until the veggies are tender and browned at edges (may take longer for potatoes) then remove from the oven and place in a large bowl.  Meanwhile, Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan and cook tempeh bacon until crisp on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and when cool enough to handle, cut into small pieces.  Place in a bowl, along with roasted veggies.  Whisk together olive oil and truffle oil, balsamic, garlic, thyme and sea salt and pepper to taste, then toss it with the veggies and serve!

Fried Egg and Tempeh Bacon Sandwich with Avocado Chipotle Mayo

When I was about 10 during the summer I would go over to my Grandparent's house for the day.  When I arrived there in the morning, Grandma was usually cooking.  Much of the time I was greated with the aroma of smokey bacon which being fried on the stove for breakfast.  Then came the eggs, which were later made into a denver sandwhich with the bacon and some onions on toasted bread.  I loved the sandwich...the crunchy salty bacon, smooth eggs and savory onions.  Grandma was always such a good cook, and I always enjoyed watching her while she prepared meals.  I have since become a vegetarian, so no more pork bacon for me. I do however still crave the flavor once in a while, so I am glad there are options such as tempeh bacon!  Tonight I decided that an egg and bacon sandwich sounded delicious, so I got to work making one.  Not that it was much work, it was a quick meal to throw together! 

I could have simply scrambled my eggs, but I decided to fry them instead.  There is something I enjoy about seeing that sunny yellow yolk staring up at me that I enjoy.  Plus I like the way  the silky yolk runs when you cut into it and soaks into the toast!  I had an avocado sitting on my counter, so I decided to make an avocado chipotle "mayo" to spread on my sandwich as well!  I also added some greens for color, and sauteed onions to make the sandwich even more delicious!  It was wonderful with all of the different flavors and textures!  The smooth avocado mayo, the crispy salty tempeh bacon, the silky eggs, and the crunchy toast!  It was the flavors of that denver sandwich my Grandma made, but with my own twist on it!  Here is the recipe if you would like something quick, but delicious for dinner, or even brunch:

Fried Egg and Tempeh Bacon Sandwich with Avocado Chipotle Mayo

Serves 1

Mayo:
1 small avocado
1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp agave nectar

1/8 tsp ground chipotle powder

Sandwich:
3 strips tempeh bacon
1 small shallot, sliced
2 organic eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 pieces toasted whole wheat bread

a small handful salad greens

Buzz all mayo ingredients together in a food processor and set aside.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small non-stick skillet, and cook tempeh bacon until browned, about 3 minutes on each side.  Remove bacon from the pan, and add shallot.  Saute until very soft, and almost caramelized, then remove from pan.  Add a little more olive oil to the pan and crack one of the eggs into it.  Cover and cook for a couple minutes until the yolk is set (or at desired doneness.  If you prefer over easy, flip it and cook the other side).  Remove from pan and keep warm.  Repeat with other egg.  Sprinkle eggs with sea salt and pepper.  To assemble sandwich, spread one piece of toast with avocado mayo.  Top with greens, tempeh bacon, eggs, then onions.  Place other piece of bread on top and enjoy!

Amy's Buccatini All' Amatriciana

A few years back, for my Mom's Birthday we went to an Italian restaurant in the Twin Cities that was supposed to be the best.  The food was expensive, but I was not impressed.  I ordered the vegetarian special, and it was as if the person who made it did not know what they were doing, or how to cook vegetarian food.  It was flavorless...that is except for the garlic powder they had sprinkled on top of it before broiling it.  I wasn't going to say anything, but my Mom complained and we got it for free.  She loved her food on the other hand.  She had ordered a dish called Bucatini all' amatriciana, a spicy pasta with a red sauce laced with red pepper flakes and guanciale (bacon).  She kept begging me to go back to the restaurant with her so she could order this dish, but I would never go back there after my bad experience with their food.  Afterall, if you mess up vegetarian food, you really don't know how to cook in my opinion.  So, I felt bad, and I told her I would try and recreate the dish.  I nailed it spot on, and I never had to go back to the restaurant with her since she liked my version better.  It has been a few years, and I have made her the dish quite a few times, since she likes to request it.  I decided I wanted to try it...minus the guanciale of course.  I wanted to see what all the fuss was about!  So I made it exactly the same with tempeh bacon.  I have to admit, it was pretty darn good for a simple pasta dish!  The light spicyness in the bright tomato sauce, the smokyness of the bacon and textural bite to the bucatini that you don't get from other pasta, it was delicious! It was funny, she told me it was even better with the tempeh bacon than the real stuff!  I will be making this often now for myself now that I know how delcious it is, and easy to make!  Here is the recipe if you would like some!

Amy's Bucatini All' Amatriciana 

Serves 3-4

Sauce:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 8 oz pkg tempeh bacon
2 shallots, minced
2 tsp (or more if desired) crushed red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp red wine (good quality, what you drink) or balsamic vinegar
1 15 oz can crushed organic tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp fennel seeds
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Pasta:
sea salt
water
8 oz dried bucatini pasta

vegan parmesan to serve, optional


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 
To make sauce, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan.  Place tempeh bacon in pan, and brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan, and let cool slightly, then cut into small pieces.  Add shallots to the pan and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add red pepper flakes and garlic and saute until fragrant 1 minute.  Add wine to deglaze, then tomatoes, paste, herbs, and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Let simmer about 15 minutes to let flavor develop.  Meanwhile, add pasta to salted water and cook according to package directions. When pasta is finished cooking, add it to the sauce, along with tempeh bacon and cook a few minutes until bacon is heated through and pasta is coated in sauce.  Serve, along with some vegan parmesan!

Sesame Tempeh with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Sometimes you just need something warming for dinner.  A nice big pile of veggies and protein with some rice in the form of a curry, stew, or maybe a stirfry.  My friend and coworker Gabrielle is genious at creating such vegetarian dishes, and often does for the hot food bar we have at the deli we work in.  I will ask her what she is making and she will simply smile and say "slop".  Delicious slop it is, and far from slop, as her stir fries and tofu dishes are always beautiful and full of brightly colored vegetables...the slop refers to the mound of food I guess.  So yesterday I decided that I needed some slop, and I threw together a quasi Asian dish inspired by her.  She makes a tempeh dish with roasted brussels sprouts and tempeh with sauteed carrots, kale and onions that is amazing.  It contains lots of garlic, ginger and mirin, and always smells wonderful!   And so, since I don't have her recipe, I made my own version, which turned out beautifully!  Below I have included the finished dish if you would like some delicious slop as well! 

 

Sesame Tempeh with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Serves 2

3 cups organic brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (if large)
4 medium organic carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias

peanut oil

8 oz tempeh, cut into medium triangles
2 Tbsp Tamari

1 Tbsp peanut oil

2 large shallots

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp peanut oil

2 Tbsp mirin
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup Tamari

2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

sea salt to taste

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

brown rice for serving

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Toss brussels sprouts and carrots with just enough peanut oil to coat, and spread out on one of the sheets. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the tempeh with 2 Tbsp tamari and 1 Tbsp peanut oil and spread out on the other sheet. Bake until starting to brown at edges, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, when the veggies and tempeh are almost through roasting, heat 1 Tbsp peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and ginger and saute until onions are starting to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and sautee until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add roasted veggies and tempeh. Whisk together mirin, orange juice, sesame oil, tamari, and cornstarch, and add to the pan. Stir, and cook until heated through. Add sea salt to taste, and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot with rice!

Roasted Brussels Sprout and Tempeh Bacon Pasta

I hated brussels sprouts as a child.  This was because the only type I was exposed to were the brownish green smelly nasty overcooked frozen ones which were a far cry from fresh sprouts.  They had an off flavor, the butter they were swimming in was doing nothing to disguse it, and were mushy...not something you want to be feeding a 5 year old you are trying to teach to like vegetables.  So, I didn't like them for most of the 25 years of my life, that is until I started cooking my own food and buying my own fresh veggies.  When I decided to give them a try I was pleasantly surprised that roasting them makes them irrisistable, and I have been cooking them this way ever since!  I am sorry to all of you who are fans of steaming them...but it just doesn't do the little cabbages justice!  No, roasting is superior in my book, and when you do so, you are creating something that is hard to stop eating.  If you are roasting them to put in a dish, you better roast extra, as you are going to snack on quite a few in the process!  I have said it before, but they are like savory candy, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle!  If you have thought brussels sprouts were gross in the past, try roasting some and I can almost guarantee you will change your mind, unless you are a die hard veggie hater and in that case what are you doing reading this blog?  So...now that I have talked them up, I will tell you about a delicious recipe I recently used them in!  Many people like to pair them with bacon, so I thought why not tempeh bacon?  I made a whole wheat pasta and combined tempeh bacon, the sprouts, some walnuts and shallots, and it was a simple, but delicious dinner.  No sauce cooking required, I just splashed the pasta with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and it was wonderful...the tangy balsamic with the smokey bacon, crispy sprouts, toasty nuts and savory onions!  I ate a huge pile, because it was so good, and I was really hungry!  Here is the recipe if you are interested!

Roasted Brussels Sprout and Tempeh Bacon Pasta

Serves 3

1 lb organic brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

olive oil

8 oz whole wheat penne
water

sea salt

1 8 oz pkg tempeh bacon

2 large shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup toasted walnuts
1 Tbsp dried thyme

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 475 degrees with the rack at the top position.  Line a large baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss sprouts with just enough olive oil to coat and spread out on sheet.  Roast in the oven until tender and starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Meahwhile, add a couple Tbsp olive oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, and add tempeh bacon strips.  cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan, let cool slightly and chop into small pieces.  Add shallots to the pan and cook until soft and starting to caramelize, about 5-6 minutes.  Add garlic to the pan, as well as walnuts, and thyme and cook for a minute until garlic is fragrant.  Add the pasta and brussels sprouts, as well as sea salt and freshly ground pepper, balsamic and a couple Tbsp more olive oil.  Cook until warmed through and serve!