Product Review: New Lightlife Tempehtations!

One of the perks of being a blogger is trying new products you may not necessarily pick up at the store. I feel confident that this is part of the reason you registered the domain VeganFoodRulesAlot on wordpress last year.

The Goods:

This was the case for me with Lightlife's Tempehtations. Since moving to Portland (5 years

this September!) and learning my way around a block of tempeh, I hadn't bought any Fakin' Bacon -

Prior to the point in my life where I learned to make sense of what I throw around a kitchen, I had regularly scheduled sandwiches based on this product. It meant so much to me!

Now I make my own tempeh bacon based on the recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance, but there was a point in my life Fakin Bacon was one of my favorite things to eat. So, right off the bat, I had faith in Lightlife's new tempeh series, and on top of that - they threw in a package of the strips! I passed out when opening it. Thanks, Lightlife!

so.....tempted?

Their new tempeh series is basically this: a block of cubed & flavored tempeh, ready to cook or simply warm, wrapped in plastic, and put in a colorful little box. I've tried the Classic BBQ and Ginger Teriyaki - the Zesty Lemon is conveniently waiting in my freezer for future use, I'm thinking over a salad or pasta. Convenience is key here - no need to marinate overnight or bake for 30+ minutes.

Served with soy dipping sauce, wasabi and garnished with sesame seeds.

The big stand out in my Tempehtations trial was this sushi. I clicked on my rice cooker, prepped the filling, quickly sauteed the Ginger Teriyaki tempeh cubes with some garlic in peanut oil, and when it was all ready to go, filled sushi with the tempeh, shredded carrot and avocado and rolled. The tempeh had a nicely mellow Teriyaki taste and didn't overpower the bites, I could also easily see this flavor grilled kabob-style, drizzled with a spicy sesame dressing.

Ready to be rolled:

The first time I tried the BBQ, I sauteed it and served it in a grain bowl with rice, collards, pink beans and hot sauce. Need I say more besides, classic?

Dinner time BBQ tempeh bowl #1 - a quick meal before a trip out of town

The one thing I felt like my bowl above was missing was sauce, but you don't always need your grains coated in sauce.....but below I totally wanted it. I used extra BBQ sauce from a PPK test recipe and heated the second half of the BBQ tempeh in it for a few minutes, and served with roasted mushrooms and cauliflower over quinoa.

I'll out the classic card for tempeh, BBQ sauce and quinoa again. The Lightlight Tempehtations are not sitting in sauce in their little box, so if you like things saucy, take 1-3 minutes and whip up a simple sauce or pull that bottle of Trader Joe's BBQ sauce you keep in the fridge for dipping emergencies out.

Dinner time BBQ Tempeh bowl #2 - a quick meal returning from a trip!

And lastly, I used the dear tempeh strips for a quick couple quick meals that were not sandwich based. Because if you know me, I rarely have bread at home the past few years. Huh, sandwiches? What are peanut butter and jelly doing together on soft bread?

Collards with Fakin Bacon and Roasted Apple Sage Seitan Sausage

Vegan Brunch Chelsea Waffles with chocolate chips;

more collards and tempeh bacon.

Collards cooked with olive oil, garlic, liquid smoke, tamari, hot sauce, teeny bit of maple syrup, broth/water and apple cider vinegar.

I think these products are a great stepping stone for the tempeh-phobic and those looking to incorporate more vegan proteins in their diet! I have no hesitation to cook my own tempeh these days, in fact, I made baked mango ginger tempeh for dinner last night, but there's no denying this product's consumer friendliness. If it had been around when I was younger, it would have been in my fridge! I would have kept an eye on it being on sale. Don't be scared of tempeh, folks.

General Gao's Eggplant and Tofu with Basil

For my second-to-last eggplant meal, I broke out the cornstarch, agave, fried, frozen tofu and fresh basil, in addition everything else you see and assume going on in this plate.

I dipped the diced eggplant in cornstarch, then a water/cornstarch slurry, and then flour before quickly cooking in peanut oil.  

After cooking the tofu, vegetables and eggplant separately, I added the sauce.  It was based off the famous Vegweb recipe I posted here

but a less sweet version.  

I added the fresh basil at the end because so many of the dishes I enjoy at Bay Leaf involve a sweet, tangy sauce and fresh basil, and I had some.  

Anyway, it was a grand meal for a stir fry.  Served with black rice, green peppers and celery.

Anyway once again, I'm off to Seattle for business and pleasure starting tomororw until Sunday.  When I return, I will be posting about a Purely Decadent Coconut Ice Cream tasting and my Seattle eats.  I haven't been to Seattle since last year, and I'm stoked.

Will it be Vegetarian Bistro or Vegan Garden?  

Will I make it to Squid & Ink?  

How many Mighty-O's will I try?  

Stay tuned.

Mmm, vegan.

I'm sorta sorta sorta back to posting. No big NYC write up yet due to a busy work life and dramatic everything else, I'm really here to say hey, it's Try Vegan Week!

Check out the site for information on a ton of talks, events, potlucks and more. The 80s themed Prom is Friday the 13th!

I try to spread a positive view and approach to veganism with cooking, and sure, talking about my life in Portland, since I'm mostly a shy person - but there is SO much more than that and if you're in the Portland area and want to learn more about veganism, check out some events this week.

I'm also a lucky winner of the recent Sweet & Sara Marshmallows contest. Swoon.
Time to feel faint again. Since they're produced near my sister's apartment in the NYC area, I had them delivered to her. We picked them up from the post office the day I arrived. Even my sister, Jenny, adored them.

I have to say, I actually like the straight up plain marshmallows best of all the types I've tried so far. Little clouds of gelatin-free perfection.

The first evening we were in town, my sister's boyfriend sadly had to work, so my sister and I put together this meal, since she actually leftover tofu in the fridge:

Cornmeal crusted tofu, spanish rice (Near East) , spicy black beans with roasted tomatoes, corn, jalapeno and garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes.
It was delicious, especially since we made it together. Living thousands of miles away from your sister sucks.
Speaking of sucking, sorry about the lighting, I was beat.

The night before we left for NYC, I made a last minute meal of these veggies in the fridge:
roasted maiitake mushrooms and sesame garlic scapes and asparagus.
I've missed Portland's fresh, local, affordable produce.

Another before-the-vacation meal: mixed grain rice with a chili-tofu-basil-veggie stir fry.

Vegfest this weekend & Grocery Outlet in town

My office is closing early today, and I'm looking forward to a very-vegan weekend.
The Portland Vegfest starts tonight, with a talk from Howard Lyman, the actual festival is tomorrow at Benson High School, and on Sunday Webly and I are recording another podcast with the Veganshizzle about the festivities. Here is a $1 off coupon on admission!

If you're coming to Vegfest, be sure to check out the Try Vegan Week table, where they're selling Temptation Ice Cream, in it's Portland debut, as a fundraiser.

Hopefully I'll have a bit of time left for relaxing like Zelda here..

And as to what I've been creating and will be creating, the newest vegetable addition in my kitchen is this January cabbage I picked up from the People's Coop farmer's market.

I used some of the cabbage in a recent almost no oil fried rice concoction - with leftover baked
Pomegranate Teriyaki tofu, cashews and more veggies. I already baked the tofu as slices, and cut into strips, baked again 10 minutes or so, and threw it into my concoction -
I loved how it looked!

Just some tempeh taco crumbles. I missed tempeh lately.

Pre-bake shot of the Sundried tomato and roasted garlic (gluten free) stuffed mushrooms I took to the farm sanctuary work party picnic last weekend.

Hey Portland, if you haven't heard - Grocery Outlet is now open in Hollywood, where the
Value Village used to be.

I was surprised by the lack of fun vegan items, but have hope for the future.

I picked up these random items: Reese's Puffs (for Tommy, as funny gift, and he had a bowl for dinner), Sicilian red wine, Horse Shampoo (I used to use this stuff when I was little, and it's animal free), organic deodorant, Queen Helene Apricot facial scrub (I like this alot), soap and Jason toothpaste.

Potato Champion!

Portland is now home to yet another piece of awesomeness - Potato Champion, a Belgian Frites late night food cart.

I'm saving most of my thoughts for the upcoming Stumptown Vegans review, but suffice to say, their fries are really good! I've only been once so far, and I thought I was going to be disappointed, and I absolutely was not. And this is coming from a girl who not only loves fries, but ate a hell of a lot of fantastic frites while studying in the Netherlands near the border of Belgium back in college. Kasteel Well, represent!

Thomas and I shared a cone with Rosemary Truffle Ketchup and regular ketchup.

Vegan poutine and mayo dips are apparently in the works!

And some recent meals with little to no oil! The fries are quite an indulgence, people!

Lunch at work - Pomegrante Teriyaki baked tofu, barely steamed asparagus and shredded carrots and salad greens with seasoned rice vinegar.

Dinner last night -

Stir fry toss with portabella, kale raab, sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic, garlic and asparagus. Sprinkled with sea salt and pepper. My breath was wonderful.

Pomegranate Teriyaki Tofu, For Real

Pan-fried Pomegranate Teriyaki Tofu, black rice and roasted baby bok choy with garlic, white pepper, sea salt and cashews.

This recipe for Pomegranate (perhaps) Teriyaki Tofu came to fruition on an evening where I was refusing to buy bottled Soy Vay sauces anymore. After making the well-whored out General Tso's sauce from Vegweb a few times, I knew I could put together a sauce at home.

Buy bottles of marinade for $4 OR throw one together at home on the cheap? I'm cheap!
Not only can you alter the flavors to what you like, but there's one less bottle hanging around my apartment.

I first made this recipe over a year ago with grilled tofu here. It's nothing out of this world, but I really like how simple and sweet it is. I was literally in my kitchen whisking in-house ingredients in a measuring cup, aiming for something tasty. I'm happy with it!

Alter it with more sweet, sour or spicy to your tastebuds, naturally. I added Pomegranate Glaze to my original recipe, but sometimes use fresh tangerine juice or simply leave out the fruity element. You can also use pomegranate molasses or syrup and it's equally good.

1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup agave nectar (I prefer dark)
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon of peanut or other mild oil, such as canola
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon pomegranate glaze or syrup (or try 2 tablespoons of pure fruit juice)
1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon+ of chili paste or a good dash of crushed red pepper flakes

Whisk together well. Use to marinade tofu, tempeh or seitan or add to stir fries. Bake, grill, pan fry (like above), enjoy!

Pomegranate Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry in the Sky

It took me a while to actually figure out how to put together a stir fry sauce, let alone a well executed, just-cooked stir fry.

My favorite stir fries include really fresh vegetables, so I tend to make then in the spring and summer. Lately, I’ve been so crushed by suspicious sauces at Asian restaurants, and craving a good, saucy tofu meal and happily decided to make my own. I literally used about every fresh vegetable in my house here.

Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry with cashews, purple kale, carrots and brown rice.

I like to use the following teriyaki sauce, adapted to what I’m feeling at the time:

Pomegranate (perhaps) Agave Teriyaki Sauce

(originally posted on May 5, 2007)

1/2 cup tamari (I use organic reduced sodium)
1/4 cup dark agave nectar
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon of peanut oil
2 tablespoons sherry
1 teaspoon pomegranate glaze or syrup (or try 1 tablespoon+ of pure fruit juice)
1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon+ of Srichi OR a good dash of crushed red pepper flakes

Sometimes I add hoisin sauce, vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, tons of heat, fresh fruit juice, more sweetness – whatever I feel like/happen to throw in/have around.

For the stir fry above

• I first roasted the raw cashews at 375F for about 10 minutes
• Then I pan-fried the tofu quickly in peanut oil in my wok and removed it
• Quickly stir fried purple kale, garlic and shredded carrots in a touch of sesame oil and water for about 5 minutes over medium heat
• Added at least ¼ cup of teriyaki sauce, if not more, the tofu and the nuts – stir for about a minute more. (the remainder of the sauce went into the meal below)
  

· Serve over rice!

Thomas' stir fry used the new Trader Joe's Beefless strips. First I pan fried them with in a bit of sesame oil with garlic and a couple tablespoons of the teriyaki sauce for a few minutes, then I added the veggies, simmered about 15 minutes with the lid on, added 1/3 cup of sauce (he likes it saucy), cooked on medium a couple minutes more, and there ya go. These strips really needed the extra flavoring the sauce gives them, on their own they were blah.

Prep station:

The beefalicious stir fry

Juicy......beef
I don't think it's good enough for the price, $2.99, but I'm also not a big faux fan. Thomas on the other hand liked these much more than the Chicken-less strips we tried last night. Texture wise, they didn't creep me out, but they didn't do anything for me either.

Tofu Stir Fry, Soup & Italian Grilled Portabella Burger

I honestly have more meals to report, but our internet was down at home for a couple days, and it just didn't feel right not to make another post by the weekend.
For now, I'll share three meals, a big ole grocery trip and a cat.
I have some Yellowrose Recipes Lowfat Cookbook testing to report - herbed polenta - with a cherry tomato, basil and navy bean sauce I made three nights in a row (grilled and panfried) I liked it so much, but that will wait for now...

In case you missed it, check out Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recent Satya article for their final issue: "Vegan Culinary Activism in 10 Yummy Steps, where she gives a nod to Get Sconed! (don't mind the web address mistake, she knows). I'm freaking honored.
And more PPK news, brace yourself - Veganomican is set to be released October 28, 2007. I have actually tested 55 recipes myself, and that's not even half of them, for real. I have tags on some of them, but of course I forgot to do all of them. When did this post become primarily text?

Another stir fry with broccoli, tofu, cremini mushrooms, shiitakes, carrots, zucchini, cashews and sugar snap peas.
First I pan fried the drained and pressed tofu in a bit of sunflower oil and toasted sesame oil, and sprinkled it with crushed red pepper flakes. I remove it from the pan, and stir fried the vegetables and cashews with garlic, ginger, sambal olek, vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, hoisin, tamari, toasted sesame oil, pepper, brown sugar, rice vinegar. As per veggiegirl's suggestion, I served it over quinoa~


Vegan yum yum tester - Velvetting Vegetable Soup, with navy beans

Italian influenced grilled portabella burger - with tomato/basil traditional bruschetta topping, roasted red peppers, greens, vegenaise and basil. The shroom was marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh basil, dried oregano and tamari.
On the side is what may have been my last local asparagus of the seasons, roasted with olive, oil, sea salt & fresh ground pepper.

A recent giganto grocery trip to Limbo in SE Portland and Trader Joe's. 50 cent organic cherry tomato pints at Limbo & again, giganto organic portabellas~
Though not local, $1.50 for a HUGE container of organic spinach, too.

Zelda says hi, by the way.


Alright, I'll be away on business for the next few days, starting tommorow morning, in Washington again (prentending to be a grown up?) - enjoy the rest of your weekend~

p.s. I finally posted the Stumptown Vegans review review for Teapot Vegetarian House review for Teapot Vegetarian House in Seattle, check it out if you're interested!
P.P.S. Webly and a couple of ours friends went blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and mulberry picking today and I am in pure sweet heaven.