Veganomicon: Hot Glazed Tempeh

My office had a BBQ Christmas potluck theme.  Rather than complain, I joined in the festivities and made the hot glazed tempeh recipe from Veganomicon. The recipe was good, mine didn't turn out too spicy, it actually had a heavier wine flavor.

This recipe required a few ingredients and assembly. 

Few ingredients: wine, hot sauce, tamari, crushed garlic, cumen, and tempeh

Make sure to taste your hot sauce beforehand. This particular brand had a strong vinegar flavor and faint level of heat, but you want to make sure it's not too spicy or salty or too much of anything you don't want to eat.  I added some Sriracha for a bit heat.

What an awesome label!  

 The tempeh was cut and boiled.

cut tempeh diagonally 

boil it for 10 minutes

The wine gave this marinade a lovely burgundy color. I added steak rub, so the specks are herbs and whatnot.

marinade goodness

marinated tempeh

 I marinated the tempeh overnight and it was super dark by the morning, but the marinade did not penetrate all the way through. I pan fried it on a cast iron skillet for about ten minutes on each side and re-heated it in the microwave at work. Below is a picture of the finished product.

Made a perfect salad

 After a tasty meal, we had our White Elephant Party and this I what I won.

Fun, yet silly. 

Chow Mein

I made  the  "Chinese Takeout Chow Mein" recipe from Chloe's Kitchen and I am sad to inform that it was just okay. I just doesn't have enough takeout essence. I suppose that requires more oil, alas the whole point of making chow mein at home is to eat a healthier version. My boyfriend summed it up best when he said this was a typical Monday meal.

Looks tastier than it was

Sauce: Mix it in a bowl
1/4 Hoison Sauce
1/4 cup vegestable broth
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
Sesame oil (not in the recipe, I added some because it's good)

I wish I could uncover the secret to a delicious chow mein. Is it the oil, the oyster sauce, fish sauce or other sauce I'm not aware about that makes it so addicting and delicious? Who knows, but it's  a good idea to have hot sauce on hand. 

Thank goodness for sriracha

a cornucopia of delights

Last month, I  subscribed to a weekly organic produce delivery through Abundant Harvest Organics (http://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/index.html). I picked up my first delivery this morning and I am super pleased. Below are pictures with the produce found in the small box.

Fresh greens: arugula, Swiss chard, and cilantro

Produce: oranges, Bartlett pears, broccoli, red onions, poblano chilies, potatoes, and black Spanish radishes

Finally, lettuce and a butternut squash (not pictured)

I always feel I don't shop for grocery's properly or I feel I get cheap on myself and not buy enough greens because they're going to spoil or whatever excuse I come up with. However, knowing the contents of my produce for the week will hopefully help me arrange more meals with seasonal produce. At the moment, I am super excited to start cooking.