Spicy Slow Cooker Almond Tempeh

Spicy Slow Cooker Almond Tempeh

It's been a fast-paced start to the school year and this has meant a lot of quick and easy meals. It has also meant a lot of dining out. However, a friend of mine mentioned she was making a tempeh dish in peanut sauce this weekend and it got me dreaming of a dish I made last year and never got to blog! 

I am participating in Eating Rules October Unprocessed challenge and so I am trying to make meals that don't require a lot of kitchen prep. Taking the ideas of the dish that was never blogged, amending it to be peanut-free so I could take it to work (I teach at a peanut-free campus), and modifying it to include veggies I could buy pre-prepped... and you get something fabulous!

Spicy Slow Cooker Almond Tempeh

Serves 8

Ingredients

3/4 cup Almond Butter

2 8-oz packages of 3-grain tempeh (or your favorite tempeh)

10-oz shredded carrots

8-oz sliced crimini mushrooms

10-oz peeled, cubed butternut squash

2 red bell peppers chopped into medium pieces

Pacific Natural Foods Vegetarian Pho Soup Starter

2 tbsp diced ginger

1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (more if you want really spicy, less if you can't handle heat)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Mix everything together in the slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours. The dish will go from liquidy to more liquidy, and will then start to thicken.

Serve over quinoa or rice.

Nutritional Information

Each serving is approximately one cup however it will vary on how long you let the liquid cook down. This is a large portion when paired with a grain, so I am also including nutritional information for a half the serving as well.

1/8 recipe -- 330 calories, 29 carbs, 18 fat, 17 protein, 9 fiber

1/16 recipe -- 165 calories, 14.5 carbs, 9 fat, 8.5 protein, 4.5 fiber

Mustard-Tarragon Tofu Steaks with Balsamic Mushroom Pockets

This recipe was crafted to pair with a California Zinfandel for my round three Project Food Blog challenge. Other than knowing I used a pound of mushrooms, a cup of vegetable broth, and a half-cup of balsamic vinegar, the rest of the dish was made by feel. It is really easy to make even if you aren't used to cooking without measurements.

Mix mustard that contains whole seeds with fresh tarragon and brush it over extra-firm tofu which has been pressed to remove excess water. Bake the steaks at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes.

The mushroom pockets are made by pan-frying a pound of sliced mushrooms (I used a local mix) in olive oil and then adding a cup of vegetable broth and a half-cup of balsamic vinegar. I cooked the mushroom mixture on medium-low until the sauce has reduced, about 10-15 minutes. Scoop mushrooms (save the liquid!) into whole wheat phyllo dough and fold into pockets. Baked at 450 degrees until lightly brown, less than eight minutes. You can drizzle the remaining liquid over the pockets once you have plated.

Shiitake and Cherry Tomato Couscous

This is an easy dish to throw together on a hot day. I served it as an entree with Greek yogurt and strawberries for dessert. This recipe makes one entree serving, or two sides.

1/4 cup couscous, dry
1 cup organic mixed medley cherry tomatoes
1/6 oz fresh Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp Garlic Gold olive oil
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
hot water, 1/4 to 1/3 cup

Heat oil in saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Toss cherry tomatoes in warmed oil. Just before tomatoes begin to wilt, add mushrooms. When tomatoes begin to wilt, add 1/4 cup of hot water. Add couscous and stir. You may need to add slightly more water. Add seasoning to taste. While stirring in seasoning, pop a few of the tomatoes and mix into the couscous. Enjoy!

For complete recipe: 237 calories/2.7 grams of fat/5 grams of fiber/7.4 grams of protein

Cocoa-Merlot Chicken with Golden Greens

Serves Four

2 cups GOOD Merlot
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp cocoa nibs
4 oz trumpet royale mushrooms (or mushroom of your choice)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders
1-2 bunches golden beet greens

Bring Merlot, chicken broth and cocoa nibs to a boil and continue to reduce until liquid is halved.

Meanwhile, grill one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (the tenders are quicker to cook!) sprinkled with just a little salt and pepper. You can add healthy oil to the mix by cooking the chicken in 1 tbsp of oil (add in the calories/fat/etc).

After removing chicken from pan, add mushrooms and sauce and cook, scrapping pan, until sauce has reduced again.

Serve with steamed golden beet greens. To make, just chop fresh beet greens and steam in a steamer or micro for a couple minutes.

Nutritional Information is for 1/4 of the sauce, 3 oz of chicken, and 1/2 cup of steamed beet greens.

311 calories / 9 grams of fat / 6 grams of fiber / 31 grams of protein

Poppin' Cauliflower and Mushroom Casserole

1 head cauliflower, washed and chopped
1/4 lb fresh shitake mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 large shallot, sliced thin
1 can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
black pepper, to taste
1 bag Parmesan and Garlic Popchips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix cauliflower, mushrooms, shallots, and soup together. Depending on how soupy you like the sauce, add up to 1/2 can of water (I added 1/2 can of water which gave it a thinner sauce). Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle with black pepper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, uncover and stir. Place back into oven uncovered for 15 minutes (less time if your sauce is thicker, you want the casserole to be removed before it browns over).

Crush bag of Popchips and sprinkle over casserole. Place back into oven for 5 minutes, or until chips have browned.

You do not need a lot of seasoning. The soup adds salt and the chips add a lot of flavor to the dish.

This dish makes four large servings at 1 point each.

Spicy Veggie Blue Cheese Polenta Casserole

You can change up the vegetables in the scramble based on what you like and is available. You could also make your own polenta if you are feeling ambitious!

1 tube Sundried Tomato Polenta (I find mine in the produce section, 1 serving is 1 point)
1 white onion, diced
8 oz Cremini mushrooms, sliced (I buy mine presliced)
1 TBSP olive oil
3 small zucchini, diced
5 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh spinach
2-4 TBSP dried crushed red pepper
1-3 tsp garlic salt
1-3 tsp black pepper
2 oz reduced fat crumbled blue cheese

Slice polenta tube into 8 slices. Pan fry in a pan sprayed with cooking spray until both sides are browned. Lay in one layer in casserole dish.

Heat olive oil in pan. Cook onions until almost translucent and add zucchini. Add spices and cook until zucchini starts to soften. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms start to soften. Add tomatoes and spinach and toss in pan until spinach is starting to wilt. At this point you will have a sauce in the bottom of the pan. If you are making this dish ahead of time, you want to used a slotted spoon for the next step. If you are serving immeadiately, you might want to keep the gravy.

Spoon vegetable scramble in an even layer over polenta. Sprinkle blue cheese over dish immeadiately.

This dish makes 4 servings at 3 points each.