Garden Tempeh Bowl
Hi friends! Today I am delighted to share with you a vibrant, refreshing, and wholesome recipe. I call it my ‘Garden Tempeh Bowl’ and it has that name for a few different reasons. 1. It looks like a little garden! 2. It has a ton of fresh produce. 3. The protein in this bowl is made with strips of tempeh that are baked with a ridiculous amount of fresh herbs (from my garden!) Starting to make sense? The best part about this recipe is that it is incredibly customizable.
In this recipe, I feature the tempeh on a bed of fluffy baked rice. You could certainly use quinoa, couscous, or barley. The roasted veggies I like to use are golden beets and carrots, but you could use anything you got! Broccoli, potatoes, turnips, or rutabaga would be lovely. As for the greens, I grabbed some fresh leaves from out back (nasturtium, baby kale, purple basil, and parsley). You could use whatever greens/fresh herbs you have. The more colorful, the better. And of course, ripe avocado is a must for any bowl type situation if you ask me!
To help season the bowl and provide some sauciness, I like to add a generous smear of store-bought hummus and a nice big scoop of my ‘Toasted Pumpkin Seed Spread‘. Feel free to use some of your favorite condiments here: any kind of pesto, spread, or dip that you have lying around would work great. I like to spread these on the bottom and sides of the bowl before piling it high with all of the ingredients. This way, you can dip and enjoy each bite as you go.
For a nice crunch, I like to add some sliced radishes and toasted pumpkin seeds. Sunflower seeds or any nut would be great. Stud leafy greens and fresh herbs throughout for a pop of color. For added flavor and to provide something rich in probiotics, there’s a scoop of my ‘Turmeric Ginger Sauerkraut‘. If you feel like taking a shortcut, store-bought sauerkraut or kimchi would be fantastic as well.
Before diving into the rest of the recipe, I wanted to talk to all of you about today’s sponsor! ADM is a global leader in nutrition. They power product innovation for many of the world’s top food, beverage, and health and wellness brands. ADM and I both believe that food derived from nature is an important driver of health and wellness. Gardening is not only a great way to incorporate fresh ingredients into my cooking, but it’s also a lovely way to slow down and connect with nature. This helps to reduce stress in my life and also allows me to feel grounded while nourishing myself.
ADM recognizes the important connection between gut health and overall wellbeing. We both view the microbiome as the root of wellness and that’s why we think it’s important to incorporate fermented foods into your diet. By eating a well-rounded meal like this ‘Garden Tempeh Bowl’, it’s a fantastic way to incorporate plant-based protein, grains, healthy fat, probiotic rich foods, and also nutrient dense veggies into your diet. Eating like this allows me to feel my best and I hope that these recipes inspire you to try something new and delicious. Check out this article or watch this video to learn more about ADM.
Now if there is one thing that you should take away from this blog post it would most definitely be my ‘Garden Tempeh’. This tempeh is so juicy and plump while bursting with flavor. By baking the tempeh in a tightly covered pot or baking dish with a savory broth and tons of fresh herbs, all of that flavor is infused into the spliced patty. When the lid is removed and it’s baked again, the remaining liquid will evaporate leaving you with some of the best tempeh you will ever try. Savory, saucy, tender- I promise it will be a new go-to for you. You can add it to salads, bowls, wraps, or just eat it straight out of the pot like I do. Not to mention, it’s delicious hot, room temp, and also chilled.
Now I know it may seem like A LOT of ingredients, in particular with all of the fresh herbs. That’s kind of the point! But you must remember, I do have a very large herb garden so it’s quite easy for me to head into the garden and pick whatever I need. Once harvested, I give them a quick rinse and throw them into the pot with the tempeh (in addition to some olive oil, mustard, tamari, seasonings, and water).
Notice in the image above, the herbs wilt away and melt into the tempeh- offering all of their flavor in a beautiful way. If you don’t have access to lots of fresh herbs, feel free to stick to just one or two varieties. If so, you can also sprinkle in some dried herbs as well to help add some more flavor. For example, if you only use fresh parsley, double or triple the amount and then sprinkle in some dried thyme, oregano, and rosemary. The results will still be excellent. Lastly, I wanted to point out there are lots of halved shallots in this recipe. Once baked, they become caramelized, tender and simply divine. If you don’t have shallots, you can certainly use red, white, or yellow onions.
For the bowl, I highly recommend roasting some veggies to provide some texture, color and to make the bowl feel more like a complete meal. Roasted roots work really well so I went for golden beets and rainbow carrots. You could also use baby potatoes, turnips, broccoli, or winter squash. Feel free to use what you have lying in the fridge. There are no rules here! While the tempeh is cooking, you can roast the veggies on a sheet pan and also bake the rice. This recipe is a great example of the art of multi-tasking. Consider it to be more like meal prep. Once everything is done, you will have a good amount of food that you could eat throughout the week or feed a couple of people with.
For a gorgeous pop of color, I like to add thinly sliced watermelon radish that has been soaked in cold water. On their own, taking a bite of raw radish can be almost too intense. They have quite a peppery kick! But when sliced paper thin using a mandolin (or a sharp knife) and soaked until super crispy, they turn into an elegant addition that has a mild and pleasant pepperiness while also offering a lovely crunch. Feel free to use whatever radishes you can find. You’d be surprised how an old radish hanging out in the back of the fridge can be revitalized into something this pretty.
Well, there you have it folks! My ‘Garden Tempeh Bowl’. I hope that you love this recipe as much as I do. If you try it out or have any questions, please let me know in the comments below. Sending you lots of love and happy cooking!
Timothy
Garden Tempeh Bowl
Ingredients
Garden Tempeh
- 2 packs soybean tempeh, 16 oz
- 4 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 heaping tablespoons whole grain or yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ tablespoon dried or ground sage
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoons black or yellow mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or agave
- 4-5 shallots, peeled and halved
- 2-3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
- 1 small hot pepper, diced, i.e. jalapeño, habanero, serrano, or Thai chili (optional)
- 1 ½ cups water
Fresh Herbs
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2-3 sprigs fresh marjoram
- 2-3 sprigs fresh oregano
- 4-5 fresh bay leaves
- 2 -3 fresh sage leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bunch green onions or chives
Bowl Add-Ons: all are optional.
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 pound golden beets, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 pound rainbow carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- Drizzling of olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- A few splashes of rice vinegar
Crispy Radishes
- 4-5 cups thinly sliced radishes, as thin as possible!
- Ice water, to cover
Miso Tahini Dressing
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons mellow white miso
- 2 tablespoons filtered water, plus more to loosen
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1-2 large, ripe avocados
- Sliced into wedges
- Store-bought hummus
Store-Bought Hummus
- Roasted red pepper is particularly good with this!
Fresh greens + herbs
- Any variety will work i.e. spinach, baby kale, arugula, dill, parsley, basil, mint
Toasted pumpkin seed spread
Easy baked rice
Turmeric-ginger sauerkraut
Instructions
Garden Tempeh
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut each tempeh patty into 8 thick slices or ‘fingers’. Cut the patty in half. Then cut each of those pieces in half. Then cut each of those pieces in half and you will be left with 8 fingers per patty- so 16 fingers total. (You could also cut the tempeh whatever way you’d like!)
- Place in a dutch oven with a tight fitting lid or baking dish. Add the tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, mustard, nutritional yeast, sage, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne, mustard seeds, salt, pepper, olive oil, maple syrup or agave, shallots, garlic, hot pepper (if using) and water over the tempeh.
- Give it a gentle mix to coat thoroughly. Add the fresh herbs on top and cover with a lid (or foil if using a baking dish). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid or foil and continue to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated and the tempeh is slightly browned. This may take longer, depending on the oven. Feel free to up the oven temp towards the end to reduce additional cooking time. Enjoy!
- If using for ‘Garden Tempeh Bowl’
- Roasted Vegetables: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. Add a good sprinkling of salt and pepper and a big splash of rice vinegar. Toss and spread into an even layer. Roast in the oven while the tempeh cooks. If the tempeh is done before the veggies are done, turn the oven up to 400 degrees F and continue to cook until golden brown and tender.
- Crispy Radishes: In a medium-sized bowl, add sliced radishes. Cover with very cold water (add some ice if you have some). Mix well and let the radishes soak for 20 minutes. They will become super crunchy and delicious! (You can store them in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days with the water.)
- Miso Tahini Dressing: Combine all ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add water to loosen until easy to drizzle. Serve immediately or keep in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge for up to one week.
Easy Baked Rice
- This can be baked while cooking the tempeh and roasting the veggies if you have room in your oven!
Turmeric-Ginger-Sauerkraut
- To Assemble the bowl: Smear a few tablespoons of hummus on one side/bottom half of the bowl. Then add a smear of the 'Toasted Pumpkin Seed Spread' on the other side/bottom of the bowl. Pile on a mound of fluffy baked rice (or any grain you are using). Next, pile on a few pieces of tempeh in addition to some of the cooked shallots. Then add a handful of the roasted veggies, a few slices of ripe avocado, and a scoop of sauerkraut. Stud in some fresh greens, sliced radish and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with the dressing to finish.
Notes
This blog post is sponsored by ADM. All opinions are my own.
Hi, do you think this would work with no oil?
Hi! Are you referring to the baked tempeh part of this? If so, yes, I think it would still be great without oil.
very nice food tempeh
This looks great! If I want to make a LOT more of the tempeh since I’m cooking for a big group, plus I’d like to save some for a different recipe. How would you recommend multiplying the other ingredients? I’m considering making it in a big casserole dish and using 6 packs of tempeh (so 3x as much as this recipe), but wondering if tripling all of the other ingredients would end up being overkill/wasteful.
So I would triple the wet ingredients like tamari, mustard, vinegar and the the seasonings but you could pull back on all the fresh herbs, I think doubling those would be just fine! And maybe pull back the water a bit too (like 2.5 cups if tripling!). This recipe is very forgiving and you can push and pull it in many ways. I think it should be fine!