Fun with Tempeh

I am now the proud owner of Tempeh (your guess at pronounciation is as good as mine). I have got no earthly idea what I'm going to do with it, but by God I'm going to do something with it. At lunch the other day, it suddenly occurred to me that I don't remember when I last had some protein. Corn chowder? No. The grilled veggie wrap I had for dinner last night? No. In fact, the only thing I could come up with was the tofu I put in my breakfast smoothies, but I haven't even had one of those in a few days, opting instead for fresh fruit. Suddenly, I felt weak and slightly dizzy so I drove (very carefully) straight to Whole Foods for some plant-based protein. The actual object of my search was "Match Meat Italian Sausages" (that's the actual name, "Match Meat" - sounds like a devious vegetarian game, doesn't it?) but I was unable to locate this particular product. I had read about "Match Meat" (that just makes me giggle) on another blog and had been assured it would make any bottled meatless pasta sauce taste authentically Italian. I was determined to find out while satifying my body's desperate need for protein.

As I stood before the meatless deli section at Whole Foods without a single "Match Meat" product in sight, I cast my eyes upon the tempeh and just stared at it for the longest time, trying to remember if I had seen any recipes calling for it. Nope, can't think of one. However, you may recall one of my earliest posts describes my sense of mystery around tempeh and my quest for enlightenment. I decided then and there to bite the bullet and get some once and for all. Get it home, then figure out what to do with it.

Here is the problem: there are FLAVORS of tempeh. Since I have no idea about the texture, taste, or use of this stuff, how do I pick a flavor? I actually did see one called "Fakin' Bacon" and had to laugh but that is just not how I want my relationship with tempeh to begin. I played a quick mental game of "eeny meeny miny mo" and settled on "Garden Vegetable" flavor. I still have no idea how to use it but it's in my refrigerator and I'm not ending this month without trying it. I can anticipate your next question: If I didn't eat the tempeh, what did I do for protein? Well, as un-sexy as this is, I simply added some Morningstar Farms Griller crumbles to my bottled spaghetti sauce and that's about it. On my way out of Whole Foods however, I snarfed up a big tub of that Vegan General Tso's chicken that I just love, a few pieces of tofu meatloaf from the deli case (more out of curiosity than anything), and a package of seitan for good measure.

My strength has returned, and the recipe search is on. I'm actually quite intriged, to be honest. How many uses can there be for Garden Vegetable Tempeh? Maybe I picked the wrong flavor, but whatever. It's on.