Marinated baked tempeh

Adapted from Love and Lemons

https://www.loveandlemons.com/tempeh/

This is a unique way of preparing tempeh, steaming it first, so it absorbs the marinade and is moist and tasty.  And it's oil-free.  I substituted water for the oil, and it worked perfectly.  I tend to prepare tofu or tempeh in the toaster oven to save energy and preheat more quickly.  Although this recipe requires a few extra steps, by steaming it then letting it marinate while you prepare the rest of the dinner, it can be quite efficient.  It's great on a salad or in a stir fry.  If you are serving omnivores, this dish makes it easy to add either tempeh or an animal protein as the last step in the dish, and please 'em all. 

Ingredients:

1  8 oz package tempeh

3 Tbsp tamari

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 - 2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp sriracha

A few grinds of black pepper

Instructions:

1) Cut the tempeh into cubes, place in a steamer basket, and set over a pot with 1-inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. This helps it become tender and ready to soak up more flavor from the marinade.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, water, sriracha, and several grinds of pepper. Place the tempeh in a shallow dish and pour the marinade on top to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

3) Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4) Arrange the cubes onto the baking sheet, reserving the excess marinade.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush more of the marinade onto the cubes. Bake 10 more minutes or until the cubes are charred around the edges. Enjoy on salads or grain bowls.

Notes

For grilled tempeh: Cut the tempeh into triangles and follow the marinating instructions above. Preheat a grill to medium. Spray the grill and grill the tempeh 7-9 minutes on the first side. Remove from grill, dip it back into the marinade to coat, then return it to the grill and grill the second side for 4-5 minutes, or until deep char marks form.