Baked Tempeh

My vegetarian years may be long behind me, but some of my vegetarian recipes will never stop appearing in my kitchen. This baked tempeh is my absolute favorite. Most of the time it never makes it onto a plate because I can’t help but eat it straight from the container in the fridge! Great as a side dish, awesome on salads, in a wrap, etc. when you need a plant-based protein boost.

Normally I wouldn’t encourage consuming soy products. Soy is one of

the most genetically engineered crops (always make sure to consume organic), and soy is also disruptive to the hormones. But fermented soy (natto, miso and tempeh) are the exception to this! The fermentation process actually makes soy helpful to the hormones, all while creating probiotics (the “good” bacteria) that our digestive system depends on. You’ve got to marinate the tempeh, because otherwise the dull beige/gray textured block of soy has almost no flavor, but my gosh is it worth the wait!

Ingredients:

1 package *organic tempeh block, cut into triangles
For the marinade:
2 Tablespoons tamari or Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 Tablespoons maple syrup

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon avocado oil

1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:

(Before using tempeh in ANY recipe, remember it must be prepared by being steamed.)

1. STEAM/MARINATE: Place cubed tempeh into a steam basket and steam for 12 minutes.

While steaming, make the marinade by whisking all ingredients into a medium-sized bowl or container. Once tempeh is steamed, toss into the marinade bowl (the tempeh will soak up the marinade more when it’s warm). Marinate for 30-minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
2. BAKE: Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Transfer marinated tempeh pieces onto a parchment lined baking sheet (reserve the extra marinade). Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, brush with marinade and bake another 10 minutes (should be golden brown and have crispy edges). Remove from oven and drizzle any remaining marinade over tempeh. Amazing hot or cold!

*If you’re gluten free, make sure you purchase GF tempeh.