Tuesday Night Tempeh

I've been thinking about the art of cooking. For me it's a lot like building a mixed-media mostly found object sculpture or sometimes installation. I appreciate recipes and love reading cook books, but I think the real fun is the challenge of working with what you've already got or the inspiration that comes from the fresh produce isle.

The following meal came together suddenly when a dinner invitation was cancelled at the last minute. Brenna had recently brought me a bag of teensy tiny baby bok choy to cheer me up (she knows I like them because they're so cute) so I was glad to stay home and cook with them.

For those of you who think you don't like tempeh, just try it. It's so freakin good and easy to cook. It is an absolute staple in my refridgerator and my diet.

Tuesday Night Tempeh

Oil - 3 T olive, sunflower, canola, whatever you got
Garlic - 4 fat cloves smashed, or more!
Ginger - 2 slices
Onion - 1 medium chopped coarsely
Tempeh - 1 package sliced in 1/4 inch strips
Tomatoes - 2 Roma diced
Boy Choy - an armload, the cuter the better
Braggs - to taste
Peanut Butter - 1 T fresh ground
Black Pepper - to taste

Rice – whatever kind you like.

Guest - at least one (everything tastes better when you're cooking for someone else)

Rice is one thing I have trouble cooking consistently so I won’t give any advice here. This night it came out perfectly however. I'm not asking questions.

You will need two pans to proceed. It's great if one has a lid.

Start each pan with a little oil. I put about 1T in the pan with the lid and 2T in a large chef's pan. It’s great if one of them has a lid. Smash the four cloves of garlic and when the oil is hot put two in each pan.

SECRET...Sometimes I forget to wait until the oil is hot and things still taste good.

Slice off a couple pieces of ginger and take the skin off. Toss in the pan with the lid. Add chopped onions to the ginger and garlic. Add sliced tempeh to the other pan and brown on each side. To the onions add two chopped roma tomates and cook down a little. Add 1 heaping Tablespoon of fresh peanut butter. No sugar added! Add a little water to thin out if necessary add braggs stir and taste. Add the baby boy choy, grind some fresh black pepper and put the lid on for a minute. Cook until boy choy is tender. Keep adding squirts of braggs until it is flavored to your liking. When the tempeh is brown, douse it in braggs sauté and add to the boy choy. Serve with rice and sriratcha.

Now...what to do with all these apples I've got laying around.