Pumpkin Seed-Crusted Tempeh Recipe

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Photo: Jim Franco

Pumpkin Seed-Crusted Tempeh with Roasted Ginger-Maple Sweet Potatoes and Cranberry-Orange Relish

This colorful dish takes full advantage of all of the autumnal flavor elements, from sweet potatoes baked with maple syrup and fresh herbs, to earthy tempeh cooked in a pumpkin seed crust, to the sprightly, slightly acidic cranberry relish topping.

Cranberry-Orange Relish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped fennel
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 red apple, cored and chopped
3 oranges, peeled and segmented, juices reserved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Ginger-Maple Sweet Potatoes
6 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread, melted
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

4 (8-ounce) packages tempeh
4 2/3 cups water
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Ener-G egg replacer
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

To prepare the relish, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the cranberries and fennel and cook until the cranberries begin to pop and the fennel is softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup. Transfer to a bowl and add the apple, oranges and their juice, parsley, chives, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste and mix together. The relish can be made up to 3 days ahead and will keep, covered, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To prepare the sweet potatoes, put them in a large bowl. Add the oil, buttery spread, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, sage, rosemary, and salt and toss together to coat the potatoes.

Transfer to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Meanwhile, to prepare the tempeh, cut each tempeh block in half horizontally, then cut into 3 equal pieces vertically. You will have 6 pieces per block of tempeh.

Combine the tempeh, 4 cups of the water, tamari, ginger, oil, bay leaves, and cilantro in a large pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine the pumpkin seeds, flour, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until coarsely ground, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl.

Mix together the egg replacer and the remaining 2/3 cup of water in a shallow bowl. Dredge the tempeh in the egg replacer mixture, covering both sides. Dip the tempeh into the pumpkin seed crust and pat firmly to cover all sides completely. Let the tempeh sit for 5 minutes to ensure that the crust has adhered to it properly.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh and cook until crisp and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the tempeh to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

To serve, arrange the sweet potatoes and tempeh on plates and garnish with a dollop of cranberry relish.

Excerpted from Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe (Ten Speed) by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda (2014)

More vegan cooking:
Vegan Survival Tips for Thanksgiving
Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
Vegan Pad Thai