10 Delicious Reasons You Shouldn't Be Afraid of Tempeh

You may have heard of tempeh, but have no idea how to cook, eat, or even pronounce it (it's "tem-pay"). If you haven't heard of it, now you're probably wondering what's up with this strange, sort of lumpy loaf. Before you get weirded out, just know that you can make bacon with it. Yes, tempeh bacon is a thing and it's amazing.

Tempeh is like tofu's hipster cousin. Basically, it's a loaf made of fermented soybeans all packed together. It has a sweet, nutty taste and is firm and chewy (so if you're not a fan of tofu's sponginess, this alternative is worth a try). The plain version, like Lightlife Original Soy Tempeh, has 140 calories per three-ounce serving, with just four and half grams of fat, a whopping 16 grams of protein, and 10 grams of carbs, plus 7 grams of filling fiber. Comparatively, a three-ounce serving of Nasoya's Orginal Extra-Firm Tofu has 80 calories, four grams of fat, nine grams of protein, and three grams of carbs (and 1 gram of fiber). So while both are great meat-free alternatives, tempeh may just have tofu beat when it comes to packing in the protein. (Plus, fermented foods are pretty good for your digestion).

You can slice, cube, or crumble tempeh, and bake, sauté, or steam it. The possibilities are endless, but these 10 recipes (that look SO good) should get you started.