Tempeh Creole

Tempeh (Tofu) Creole

I recently made this Tempeh Creole for dinner.  It was super tasty and very nutritious too.

I served mine over a bed of rice.  If you are willing to experiment with ingredients you don't normally buy, you can add lots of nutritious options into the menu for your family. 

Try something new today!

 



 

For the Marinade:

• 8 Tbsp. shoyu (soy sauce)
  2 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
  8 slices fresh ginger
  2 1-inch pieces kombu (sea vegetable) ( I didn't have this so I skipped it)
  1/4 tsp. sea salt
  2 cloves garlic, sliced
  6 cups water  ( i only used about 1- 1/2 cup water)
  
  
  For the Tempeh:
  2 8-oz. pkgs. tempeh (tofu - firm brick)
  3 Tbsp. Creole seasoning (I added more of the seasoning to the cooking pot)
  1/2 cup unbleached flour
  4 Tbsp. canola oil
  2 cups chopped onions
  1 cup chopped bell peppers ( I used a red pepper and added it at the last 5 min of cooking)
  1 cup chopped celery
  2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes, salt free)
  1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
  5 bay leaves
  1/4 tsp. dried thyme
  1/4 tsp. dried oregano
  1/4 tsp. dried basil
  1/2 cup dry red wine ( i subtituted 1 tbs white wine vinegar instead)
  Salt, to taste
  Cayenne pepper, to taste
  Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  3 Tbsp. chopped green onions (I had no green onions to garnish, but it would have been great)
  2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
  
  
  • Combine all the ingredients for the marinade.
  • Cut each pack of tempeh into 12 thin slices on a bias and simmer in the marinade for minimum of 45 minutes. Remove the tempeh and reserve the marinade liquid.
  • In a mixing bowl, add the Creole seasoning and flour and mix well. Dredge the tempeh, coating completely.
  • Heat a large pan and add the canola oil. When the oil is hot, brown the tempeh on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. (Might need to do this in two batches.)
  • Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook, for about 3 more minutes.
  • Add the tempeh back into the pan along with bay leaves, thyme, oregano, basil, marinade liquid, and wine. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook for about 1/2 hour.
  • Remove the bay leaves before you serve. Garnish with green onions and parsley.
  
  Makes 6 to 8 servings
  

More Vegetables

I'm am still reviewing ways to improve both my family's and my own eating habits.
I am becoming increasingly aware that there is so many processed foods and drinks that we eat.  We can make simple choices to improve our health, and even our lives.

So, I'm on the search for whole food and plant based eating, without actually becoming a full out Vegetarian or Vegan.  I want to reduce the quantities of meats and dairy products for health, and increase plant foods and grains.  If you are Vegetarian or Vegan and my last sentence makes you immediately ask why not Vegetarian or Vegan, there's are variety of reasons, but to keep it simple, that's just not where I'm at right now.

My Grandfather is now 99 , still alive, and has been a Vegetarian/Vegan most of his life.  Between his diet and lots of walking, he has lived a long healthy life.  Makes me pay attention.  What factors were his lifestyle choices in his longevity and health?   My brother has gone Vegan in the last year or so, for health reasons.  My sister has been Vegetarian most of her life too.  Anyways, it just makes you check it out a bit when you have people in your life that pursue those food choices too.

Here is a thought, if you were to "BE IN THE HABIT OF ORGANIZING YOUR WEEKLY MEALS" (there's that heart for organizing...) and if you were to plan your meals pretending you were either Vegetarian or Vegan, how different would your plate look?

If you were trying to get your nutrients and sense of satiety from whole foods from plants, would there be a big shift in your quantity of vegetables?  Whole grains? Fruits?
Now if you add back in the meat or dairy you want in a very moderate amounts,  I suspect that you will find that the healthiness of your meals is greatly improved.  You would also need less of the meats and dairy because you would have a greater balance of the other whole foods on your plate.

There are multiple reasons for doing this, for your personal health, for the environment, and if you choose meats, poultry, pork, fish and diary from responsibly sourced places, you even help the welfare of animals.   The animal topic is much broader than this blog entry could cover.
It would cost more per pound of meat or per litre of dairy to shop like this, but if you and your family are eating much more moderate portions of these meats and dairy, your grocery budget would stay the same, and you'll be healthier for it, and voting with your wallet for the well being of animals and our environment.

That's what we're trying anyways.  We found a place near where we live called Howard the Butcher,  Caledon, Ont. and all their meats and dairy are from local farms (local eating is another important thing) and it's all hormone free and anti-biotic free.  Animals treated humanely.

So, where is the best source to find fresh ideas for eating whole foods and plant based?  From the Vegan cookbooks of course! And Vegan blogs.

Here is 2 really cool cook books I found.  I am in no way aligning myself with anyone's political stances, just to be clear, I have not thoroughly checked out these individuals, so if they have some real extreme views I don't necessarily know that.  I am not trying to endorse anything by showing you these books. Just check them out for their value as great cook books that seem nutritionally sound.

1. Bendan Brazier's - Whole Foods to Thrive

Nutrient-dense, Plant-based Recipes for Peak Health

This cook book even has recipes from Vegan restaurants.  I have eaten at Live Organic Food Bar.  Some of their recipes are in here.  Soooo exciting.

2. Alicia Silverstone's - The Kind Diet

A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet.

She has some really nice recipes in this book.  Great to check out.

She also has a website.  The Kind Life.  I haven't done a lot of exploring on her site, but I will with time.

I am challenged to eat better, and get rid of as much processed foods as possible from our diet.

If you are interested in doing the same, these books are probably at your local library, and are a great place to start.

Thanks for reading, and happy eating!

Cassie

Organic Milk

Ok, here is the new challenge for you all.

When is the last time you tasted really good milk?  I mean really good stuff!

2 weeks ago my family stumbled upon Certified Organic Milk. 

Here is a picture of Harmony Organic milk, and another supplier that is farm fresh pasturized Sheldon Milk.  The little one on the left is 10% cream for coffee.

You can even see some the the cream stuck to the side of one of the bottles.  We didn't remove it from the top of the milk properly first.  Oops!

I have been doing a lot of research into health and nutrition matters lately.  Part of this research has prompted me to start looking for ways to buy milk, eggs, meat, poultry etc. from sustainable and responsibly sourced stores.   I don't want my family purchases to support the large production industries that are so hard on animals, and reduces the nutritional value of our food as well.   I will be very open to say that we are still sorting out what our family budget can realistically afford.  It's a time of change in our budget and menu, but we are really trying to buy dairy, eggs and meats/poultry/fish/pork from sources that are local, and animals are treated well.

So, back to the milk.  I bought the milk because the glass jar looked really cool, and I was intrigued as to how a milk can be certified organic.  To be certified organic the animal must have access to outdoors daily and eat grass in the summer and hay in the winter.  Any feed supplements the cow recieves in addition to grass or hay must all be completely organic feed.  The cow can't have any steroids or anything that make her produce milk faster, etc.  After a cow has been living in these conditions for 3 years, the milk the cow produces would be considered certified organic.

I brought some of this milk home to my family and I have manged to produce a bunch of milk addicts!  LOL!

We lined up side by side a glass of milk that you buy in the plastic bags and then the organic milk.  There is NO COMPARISION!  The regular milk was watery and lacking flavour and texture compared to the organic.  Both milks were 2% milk, but the organic was much creamier in texture and the flavour was like milk I remember when I was a kid.

We have now experimented with whole milk 3% and the 2% milk.  No one in my family ever wants to go back to milk from plastic bags, but we all know we can't drink this stuff as freely because it costs more to buy.

So your challenge is to go find a supplier of fresh milk (glass jar is a good hint) and do your own test.  If you are like me, you will find yourself supporting your local dairy farmer, helping be part of the shoppers who choose milk from cows that have had a better life, and you will just be BLOWN AWAY BY THE AWESOME TASTE OF THE MILK!

Whole Foods is a supplier in USA and Canada that you can get organic milk from.  Whole Foods is a more expensive store, but if you can find one close to your home, it's worth popping in there for the milk.
In our area we also have The Apple Factory, which is right on the edge of Brampton - Georgetown.  Also Howard the Butcher in Caledon.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy some great milk.

Cassie

Assassins's Creed Costume

I have had a crazy busy week.  I wanted to do this post on Wednesday, and I am just completing it now, on Friday.

My daughter wanted a costume for Halloween from the video game Assassin's creed.
The character is Aveline de Grandpre.

This costume was very complex.  My daughter Samantha modified a vest pattern to give the jacket the length and the points on the ends.  We used a sleeve pattern from a blouse pattern for the sleeves that we attached to the vest.

I had to make the pattern from scratch and add all seam allowances, etc to make the shoulder covering.

The hat was made with 2 different hats from the dollar store cut apart and covered with fabric and re-assembled to the hat you see.

This costume was many, many hours of work.  The project was too complex to show pictures of the step by step process.

In any event, the costume was completed and below you will see the work.   Ta-dah!

Doesn't she look fantastic!

The scarf and belt ties made too.  Samantha made the Assassin's Creed belt buckle.

The pictures are slightly fuzzy because I used my cell phone and my hand is not that steady.  Sorry about that. 

Well, that's it until the next sewing project!

I look forward to sharing some more posts with you on meal planning and great food to eat.

Have a great weekend!

Cassie