Tempeh Fried-Rice

NOTE:
I TOTALLY ADMIT THIS IS A RE-POST FROM SEVERAL YEARS AGO. But it's one of the recipes people ask me for the most, so it must be hidden away down in the depths of my blog where it's hard to find... I am just not talented enough to make an alphabetical listing of my recipes, even though I would LOVE to have that eventually:

Simple and incredibly good. This is a great way to introduce yourself (or others) to tempeh. You must make this fried rice!

Tempeh Fried Rice

4 - 5 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 package tempeh, any type

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp liquid smoke flavoring

1/4 cup white wine, water or apple juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. peanut oil

1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrots

1 cup frozen peas (or peas and carrots)

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, VERY well drained (optional)

1 - 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. toasted almonds or sesame seeds

.

Slice the tempeh thin and then cut into squares or strips. Mix maple syrup, wine (or water), liquid smoke and cider vinegar together in non-stick or lightly oiled skillet.

.

Put tempeh into liquid and simmer, uncovered, turning gently from time to time, until liquid evaporates to a thick, sticky sauce - 10 - min. or so, depending on climates/temperatures/pans, etc...

.

Heat peanut and sesame oil in large skillet or wok. Put rice in wok and stir to heat and seperate grains, and coat lightly with flavored oils.

Add carrots, or if using frozen, rinse frozen peas and carrots under hot water until thawed and add to hot rice.

.

Add onions, pineapple (optional), brown sugar and continue to stir and heat, scraping pan gently until rice starts to "stick" a bit and get browned bits, add tempeh (and some of the reduced sauce - just not so much that it makes the rice "juicy") and heat until everything is hot...

.

Season to taste with soy sauce, sprinkle with toasted almonds or sesame seeds and serve.

More Christmas... (and Stuffed Mushrooms!)

Christmas Dinner with my family:
(I always love my Mom's dinner table all set with the Holiday china...)

Famous Stuffed Mushrooms:

The stuffed mushrooms are not really famous, but very impressive - and so embarrassingly easy I hate to tell people...

• Buy a package of stuffing mix - whatever brand you can find that is vegetarian/vegan (some have chicken broth, but amazingly, many don't).
• Or make whatever type stuffing/dressing you like, using vegetable broth, of course... (A boxed-mix is just super easy and just the right size)
• Make stuffing/dressing according to directions on package and set aside to cool..
• Buy 20 largish (golf-ball size?) mushrooms.
• Pop the stems out of the mushrooms.
• Chop the stems fine.
• Chop 1/2 an onion and 1 stick celery just as fine.
• Saute in olive oil until soft.
• Add 2 cloves crushed garlic (I put it thru a garlic press - this totally makes the dish, using fresh garlic, but it's up to you) no need to cook it, it'll cook when they bake.
• Mix vegetables with the already made stuffing and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.
• Stuff into mushroom caps. (If too dry, add a little vegetable broth)
• Pack down firm and mound up in each mushroom. It will shrink.
• Put in baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil around.
• Bake for 25 - 30 min at 375 until mushrooms look softer and cooked.
• They will shrink and dry a little.

Thats it. Yum! Basically it's your fave stuffing or equivalent, and chopped mushroom stems and stuff. Though they don't look impressive here - sorta all jumbled together on this plate. Use your imagination.

My sister finished some last-minute gifts...

My Holiday "must-have": Fruit and Nut Holiday Rice <<-- Click for the recipe, it's an oldie that I posted several years ago...

My brother-in-law shovelling snow off my parent's deck. Took him all morning, there was a LOT of snow up there!!

And last, but, not least, the "Smoking German Figurines" that fascinate us every Christmas... (They have incense cones inside to provide the smoke and I just think they are DARLING!!)

Hope your Christmas was filled with family and friends!!

Simple Tempeh Fried Rice

Simple and incredibly good. This is a great way to introduce yourself (or others) to tempeh. You must make this fried rice!

Tempeh Fried Rice

4 - 5 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 package tempeh, any type

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp liquid smoke flavoring

1/4 cup white wine, water or apple juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. peanut oil

1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrots

1 cup frozen peas (or peas and carrots)

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, VERY well drained (optional)

1 - 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. toasted almonds or sesame seeds

.

Slice the tempeh thin and then cut into squares or strips. Mix maple syrup, wine (or water), liquid smoke and cider vinegar together in non-stick or lightly oiled skillet.

.

Put tempeh into liquid and simmer, uncovered, turning gently from time to time, until liquid evaporates to a thick, sticky sauce - 10 - min. or so, depending on climates/temperatures/pans, etc...

.

Heat peanut and sesame oil in large skillet or wok. Put rice in wok and stir to heat and seperate grains, and coat lightly with flavored oils.

Add carrots, or if using frozen, rinse frozen peas and carrots under hot water until thawed and add to hot rice.

.

Add onions, pineapple (optional), brown sugar and continue to stir and heat, scraping pan gently until rice starts to "stick" a bit and get browned bits, add tempeh (and some of the reduced sauce - just not so much that it makes the rice "juicy") and heat until everything is hot...

.

Season to taste with soy sauce, sprinkle with toasted almonds or sesame seeds and serve.