I get asked all the time how I get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. Well, I have learned through experience to keep certain ingredients on hand – tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), apple juice, panko, flour, vegan milk, and the best kept secret in the world, organic potato flakes – in order to pull together dinner in the middle of a hectic week with the same effort it would take any other mom in the kitchen.
Tonight, I made breaded tempeh with vegetables. I could have easily made tofu the same way, without the pre-steam. Beans are also another good centerpiece, if you have them on hand. I used the vegetables that I had in the refrigerator and my two-minute-perfectly-smooth-mashed-potatoes! Now, how easy is that?
Breaded Tempeh
1 package soy tempeh
1 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons tamari
Flour
Vegan milk (I used oat)
Panko breadcrumbs
S and P
Vegetables
Carrots, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, spinach
Mashed Potatoes
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup oat milk
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
1 1/4 cups organic potato flakes
S and P
Cut tempeh in half, half again, and then into 8 cutlets. Steam in apple juice and tamari for 10 minutes. Let cool.
If using tofu, press it and then bread it. The rest is the same. If using beans, just heat up.
While the tempeh is steaming, cut the vegetables and prepare the breading station by pouring each element into a bowl. I have no measurements, just use your judgement!
1 – flour
2 – vegan milk
3 – panko + salt + pepper
4 – plate for breaded tempeh
Dredge the tempeh in the flour, then the milk and then the panko.
Get the vegetables into the pan with olive oil, starting with the hardest ones first. In this case, I added the carrots first to let them soften up a bit, then added the Brussels sprouts. Next the zucchini and finally the spinach, letting it wilt. Season with salt as you throw in each vegetable.
Heat up sunflower oil in a non-stick skillet and cook until tempeh is crispy on the first side. Using tongs, turn and cook on the other side.
Boil the water, oat milk and Earth Balance. Take off the stove and add the potato flakes. Mix well.
Plate it up and enjoy!