I recently had a friend who is a new vegetarian tell me that she loves begin vegetarian because it has opened up so many new options for her. That statement made me smile because being a vegetarian is fun; it forces you to get creative in the kitchen.
One of my vegetarian staples is tofu. I usually make it at least twice per month, but every time I pick up a block of tofu at the supermarket, I see tempeh staring at me. It's kind of like it's secretly judging me for never cooking it before. It's like it's saying, "What kind of dietitian are you?". So finally, one day, I gave in. I picked up that tempeh and yelled, "I OWN YOU NOW, TEMPEH". Okay, well, I didn't really yell that, but I definitely thought it in my head. So then I needed to figure out what the heck to do with it.
Let me give you the short story on what tempeh is. Tempeh is made by fermenting cooked soybeans with a mold, whereas tofu is made by curdling fresh, hot, soy milk with a coagulant. I know; neither process make them sound super appetizing. But they are both excellent vegetarian sources of protein.
Soybeans contains a significant amount of galacto-oligosaccharides but both tofu and tempeh are low FODMAP due to their processing or fermentation.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 Tbsp. almond butter
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. miso
- 2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp. canola oil
- 1 8-ounce package of plain tempeh, cubed
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
Directions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.
- Mix together almond butter, lemon juice, miso, and ginger. Add in 1/2 cup water. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and sugar snap peas. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add tempeh, saute for 5 minutes.
- Fluff quinoa and place in a bowl or on a plate. Top with vegetables, and drizzle with almond-miso dressing.
- Serve and enjoy!
