Tempeh Revisited

What to do with your leftover tempeh?? This sandwich is super yummy. The tempeh is crispy, almost the texture of bacon. Actually, I have to say that a crisp tempeh is better than bacon, and is amazing in sandwiches. I promise for the skeptics, this is REALLY good. I ate it even in the dark years when I ate meat. It's not a substitute, but a food. I hate the concept of substitute, it connotes that vegetarians are lacking and always seeking meat. We aren't. Instead, we are looking for meals. Tempeh is an alternative, something that unadventurous eaters ignore, and the rest of us enjoy.


Tempeh Sandwich

*This recipe makes about 6 pita halves, which you can serve for a crowd with chips or salads.


Ingredients:

• Half of a tempeh loaf
• 2 tb of olive oil
• 2 tb of soy sauce
• 3 Pita pockets (or 6 pieces of thicker whole grain bread)
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 2 tb mayo or yogurt
• 2 tb feta
• roasted red pepper
• mixed greens

Directions:

1. Slice the short side of the tempeh loaf very thinly, about 1/2 inch
2. Warm olive oil a saucepan over medium high heat
3. Meanwhile, pour the soy sauce over the tempeh.
4. When the oil shimmers, lay the pieces of tempeh flat in your pan. Let it simmer in the pan, and gently brown each side. The tempeh should be a crispy brown, but not a burned black (about 2 minutes on each side)
5. Half three pita pockets, making six halves.
6. Stir together the garlic and mayo/yogurt, then put on the inside of the pita
7. Add feta, then lettuce, next red pepper, followed by the tempeh. 

I served them the sandwich homemade potato chips here.

Dealing with a budget and food cravings.

This week I took a look at my spending habits, and realized that maternity leave had many hidden costs. Many of the ways to get out of the house, and I try and get out at every chance, involve spending money. From running errands to having lunch with friends, it just seems to be a huge financial drain. Instead of being busy making money, I was spending money to be busy. I became a thoughtless consumer, not good. As I said to a friend, how do I explain to Serafina that she had no college fund because mommy needed to go out to lunch with her friends?

So, I challenged myself to not spend any money this week. We have a full pantry and I have been getting free veggies in exchange for tending a friends garden plot while she is out of town. Instead of meeting people for coffee, I invited them over. I have also sought out free activities; my best friend and her daughter are meeting us at the zoo tomorrow.

A funny thing happens when you stop spending money,  you first realize how ridiculous some purchases are, and then you start having cravings for new ridiculous things. So although, I realize that my home-brewed coffee is actually better than Starbucks, today I really, really wished I had chips to go with my tuna sandwich. I didn't. So, instead of going grocery shopping, I chopped up a red potato and quickly roasted it in oil with salt and pepper (425 for 30 minutes). It hit the spot, and I didn't break my vow to not spend money. Satisfied, I looked back in our kitchen and realized we could go three weeks without grocery shopping, and that I could make it just as long without buying anything. Maybe we will be able to afford college after all?