EASY TEMPEH "BLT"

I never thought I would be saying this but "I like tempeh." The first time I opened a package years ago I thought it had gone bad. Nope. That's the funky way it looks. Then I never thought I would like the texture until I learned the trick of steaming it first. It makes a great meat substitute and a wonderful BLT...well TLT sandwich. My non-vegan husband liked this sandwich too!

I used this recipe from T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies : Smoked Tempeh Bacon

Here's some interesting info about tempeh by “Vegan Home & Travel”: Tempeh for Beginners 

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine describes the health benefits of soy products: Soy and Health

What I did:

-Used organic tempeh

-My tamari was reduced sodium

-My liquid smoke was mesquite because it's what I had

-I cut the block of tempeh into 24 pieces. To get even sized pieces I did the following: I cut the block in half, then each half in half. Now I had 4 chunks. I cut each of those 4 chunks in half to make 8 chunks. I cut each of those 8 chunks into 3 slices.

-I mixed, coated, and marinated the tempeh slices in a pyrex dish. Mine sat on the counter marinating for 3 hours.

-Cooked in a ceramic non-stick sauté pan

-While cooking I ended up adding all the remaining marinade.

-Used toasted Ezekiel bread and homemade "mayo" for the sandwiches

Addendum: I have made this recipe multiple times. I don’t bother getting a pyrex dish dirty. I mix the marinade in the ceramic sauté pan that I will use to cook the tempeh. Once the tempeh is steamed and sliced, I put the slices in the sauté pan to marinate. If I need it quickly, I only let it marinate for 30 minutes. I then cook it until all the marinade is gone, flipping the pieces over about half way through the process.