Tempeh Tacos & A Tip

Tempeh Tacos! Quite possibly my new most favorite taco. Yes. Definitely my most favorite taco. And as a taco junky, I do know what I'm talking about. I am becoming a quite connoisseur, if you will. Ah, whatever. You don't care. You're just thinking, "Damn, Chickpea, get to the recipe already." And I will. I will. But, I feel like a little chitchat first! Deal with it.

I really wasn't sure how I should even approach a tempeh taco. I've never eaten them, and I didn't feel much like copying someone else's recipe, so I made this up. And, now, I'm basking in my genius. I don't know about all the brands of tempeh out there, so I can't vouch for how the rest would turn out, but I do know that I LOVE the Organic 3-Grain Tempeh from Trader Joe's.

It has excellent taste (I actually munched some raw) and is cheaper than the LightLife original. So, whenever I trek down to TJ's, I always buy 4-5 packages. For this recipe, I first cubed the tempeh then roughly chopped it down with my santoku knife. There were some small chunks and some single grains. Here's the photo of what it looked like before I started cooking:

So, I think I'll get to the recipe now.

UPDATE 7.1.11:

I made a very tasty discovery. I've been cubing my tempeh and steaming it before adding it to my sauteeing veggies. It calms the bitterness of the other brands of tempeh. I'm totally hooked on the LightLife original tempeh lately since I started steaming it. We love it so much this way. Anyway, after steaming, break up the chunks somewhat before adding it to the veggies. Then mix everything else together.

This makes enough for 6-8 tacos.

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz package of tempeh of your choice, chopped or crumbled
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups chunky salsa, medium heat
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 TB Meg's taco seasoning or your preferred brand
• scant 1/4 cup water
• salt and pepper to your tastes
• cooking spray

Method:

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Once the pan is nice and hot, add the tempeh and cook about 3 minutes. 
2. Then add in the pepper, onion, garlic, and spice mix. You may need to spray a little more oil to very lightly coat everything. Stir around and cook7-8 minutes, until the onions are transparent-ish.
3. Now add the water and salsa and mix well. Let the whole mix cook another 4-5 minutes. 

4. Taste and adjust spices...then dig in. 

I have been really digging the cheeseless taco lately. I decided to sub homemade guacamole in place of the cheese, and it works especially well with these tempeh tacos. Soooooo good. Don't get me wrong, I emphatically love Daiya cheddar, but it is more of a splurge item for me.Well, I hope you dig my most magnificent taco creation.

My REUSE Suggestions for Plastic Bags:

If you don't happen to have a bunch of reusable tote bags, you have probably accumulated a massive number of plastic bags from grocery stores and retailers. Sure, you could put them in the recycling bin, but why not find other ways to use them? 

• Donate them to your local public library. A lot of people forget to bring bags with them when they pick up some books. This will save the library money because they won't have to order more, and it helps your fellow community members who maybe forgot their bags.
• Reuse them on your next shopping trip.
• Use them in boxes you're packing to mail. This saves you from buying bubble wrap and it really does work to protect your package.
• Pop one in your pocket when you're heading out to walk the dog. You never know when you may need it. Trust me on this one!
• Carry one on nature walks and pick up any garbage you see along the way. There will, inevitably, be some...sadly.
• Fill them with your spring cleaning donations to Goodwill/Salvation Army. They can even re-use those bags for their customers' purchases.