Sweet Sesame Tempeh Bowls

I really love tempeh because it packs such a great nutritional punch. This traditional Indonesian food is high in protein, prebiotics, and a wide array of vitamins and minerals, but is still incredibly versatile and tends to take on the flavors of whatever you serve it in or with.

This dish is one of my favorites because it's quick, easy, cheap, and super satisfying. Plus, you can make it with relatively few dishes and minimal heat, so it's not going to make a whole issue in your kitchen on a hot summer day.

I served this with kamut because I had an abundance of it and was feeling the need for a little extra protein, but you can substitute that out for any grain of your choice - white rice, brown rice, quinoa, barley. Be creative or be traditional, it's up to you!

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Ingredients - sauce and tempeh

• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

• 2 Tbsp water

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 4 Tbsp brown sugar

• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar

• 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

• 1/2 Tbsp starch of your choice (I used arrowroot)

• 8 oz. package of tempeh

Serving suggestions

• 2 green onions, sliced

• 4 cups cooked grain of your choice

• 2 cups broccoli florets, prepared to your preference

Instructions

1. First things first. Start by making the sesame sauce: in a medium bowl, stir the tamari or soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, and starch together until the starch is dissolved. Set aside.

2. Cut the tempeh in half once lengthwise, and three times vertically, so that you have 8 squares of approximately the same size. Cut each of these squares diagonally into a triangle. Now, turn that triangle on its side, and cut it in half so you have two thinner triangles. If your pieces are too thick, you won’t be able to taste the yummy sauce as well.

3. Place the tempeh in a skillet or pot (it’s best if all the tempeh can touch the bottom, but not necessary. When I most recently did this, the pieces were layered 2-deep, because I used the same pot I cooked my grains in. I just made sure to rotate them throughout cooking, and everything turned out fine). Add a ½ cup of water and let it all simmer until the water evaporates. Make sure you move the tempeh around a little bit and flip them a couple of times so they don’t stick, but be careful because they may get a little fragile towards the end (it’s not the end of the world if they break, though).

4. When the water is all evaporated, turn the heat down very low, and pour in the sesame sauce. Be ready, because that stuff might get thick right away. Stir the tempeh into the sauce until it’s thickened, turning up the heat slightly if it stays liquidy after adding it to the heat. Once the sauce is just before your desired consistency (typically 1-2 minutes is good), remove it from the heat.

5. Build your bowl starting with a cup of grains, add a quarter of the tempeh (about 8 pieces), ½ cup of broccoli florets, and garnish with green onions.

Tips:

• This dish saves very well for a few days. If you’re planning ahead for leftovers, consider waiting to prepare some of the broccoli and grains, so that you can have them fresh when you bust this out for lunch the next day.

• This tempeh also makes a great salad addition. Try it with this amazing Peanut Sesame Dressing if you have some left over!