Red Chile Tempeh

Again, a sucky picture, as there is no longer daylight to help enhance my poor photography...

Anyway, Friday Night is "Mexican Night" in the Tofu-Mom household. (I think I may have mentioned that before.) Usually it involves some sort of Taco-Burrito-crunchy-cheezy-wrapped-up beany thing of my children's choosing; and those options are always good. But tonight, by an unusual twist of fate, I was home alone (oh noes!) and decided to do Mexican Night MY way.


First off, I have been craving red chile sauce. Not some vinegary hot sauce or tomato-y salsa, but the genuine New Mexico stuff; smokey, earthy rich red sauce made from dried, ground Hatch Red Chiles and that's about all.

Nothing else like it - try it if you happen to have a wonderful friend in New Mexico who will keep you supplied! It's not painful-hot, like eating straight cayenne pepper would be; but still a little intense for my kids; That's OK, more for me, and a perfect choice for my solo supper.

So this is what I did: using my crock-pot/slow cooker, I simmered some chunks of tempeh in my beautiful red chile sauce until the tempeh completely soaked up the sauce and fell apart. It was DEE-lish! I made a side of "cheezy rice" (without the brocolli) to go with, and watched Food Network to my heart's content, happy as a little vegan clam.

Red Chile Tempeh

2 tablespoons coconut oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup ground red chiles
3 cups cold water
1 package tempeh, cubed

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute.
3. Gradually add the water and stir, making sure that no lumps form.
4. Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add cubed tempeh and simmer over very low heat until tempeh has absorbed flavors and sauce has reduced and is very thick. (I cooked it on low in a crockpot for about four hours).
6. Serve over rice, or in tortillas. Which I didn't, as you can see by my picture.

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I'll leave you with these lovelies.

Chantrelles.

Fresh from the woods near here. What a TREAT! A friend (whom I trust to know his mushroom varities) dropped them off today. I'll have to think of something appropriate to make ...