My parents have been visiting from New Jersey for the month so I’ve been having them be my taste-testers. They are great sports and always up for anything so it’s been fun! I’ve been enjoying creating new recipes and getting their feedback, and I especially like it because they are NOT vegan or vegetarian. If even THEY like something, I know it’s a hit!

For Shabbat dinner I made Tempeh Piccata, and my folks (who don’t even eat tempeh) were impressed.

So what is tempeh? It’s is a fermented soybean product, much firmer in texture than tofu. 1 cup of tempeh has 31 grams of protein, and is actually a complete protein, meaning it has every amino acid essential to building your cells!

Tempeh has calcium, copper and manganese plus several B vitamins like niacin riboflavin. The vitamins and minerals in tempeh are also much more bioavailable than many other sources, so your body can extract and use more of them!

I served it over quinoa with a side of Swiss chard. It was super easy and very yummy! This makes a great main dish and makes for great leftovers. The next day, I chopped what was left in cubes and added it to my veggie stir fry! Delicious!

Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think in the comment section below!

Lemon Thyme Tempeh Piccata

Total Time: 30 min
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3, 8-oz packages of organic tempeh
• 4-6 tbsp vegan butter (I use soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread)
• 2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup (or a touch more!) of a GOOD drinkable white wine
• ½-1 cup all-purpose gluten free flour, for dredging
• Pink Himalayan salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
• thyme sprigs for garnish

Directions:

1. Carefully cut tempeh in half through its thinnest edge (so you end up with two large, flat pieces) and then cut that in half right in the middle, so you end up with 4 fillets per package.
2. On a plate or shallow bowl, mix the gluten free flour, salt and pepper.
3. Coat tempeh in flour and shake off excess.
4. Melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. When hot, add tempeh and cook for about 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes, then remove the tempeh.
6. If the tempeh doesn’t fit in one batch, repeat the last step as often as necessary. If the Earth Balance and olive oil mixture gets low, add 2 more tbsp of each.
7. After all the tempeh is cooked, add the lemon juice, wine, thyme and 2 more tbsp Earth Balance.
8. Bring to boil, whisk to combine and reduce to a simmer.
9. Add the tempeh back in and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. To serve, pour extra sauce over tempeh and garnish with a thyme sprig.
11. Enjoy!