Home Styl-ee Tempeh Loaf
1 block tempeh, sliced
1 cup stale breadcrumbs (*see note below)
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
vegan egg substitute, equivalent to two eggs (**see note below)
4 oz. mushrooms, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 small or 1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
olive oil, for sautéing
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (1/2 teaspoon if using dried)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon if using dried)
1/2 teaspoon fresh sage (1/4 teaspoon if using dried)
1/4 cup soy sauce (optional, for simmering tempeh)
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional, for simmering tempeh)
*I recommend using stale or day-old breadcrumbs, and I do not recommend using the canned breadcrumbs. You can tear the bread into very small pieces and crisp in the oven if not stale enough.
**You can use an egg replacer, such as EnerG, or you could also use mashed red or brown lentils instead, as the binder.
Preheat the oven to 375.
Prep the tempeh (optional) – in a medium saucepan, place the soy sauce, crushed garlic, and add about 1 ½ inches of water. Bring to a simmer, and add the sliced tempeh. You don’t want to boil it, but you want to simmer it. This tenderizes the tempeh and adds flavor. Simmer as long as you want, or until most of the liquid has evaporated, and drain the tempeh on a couple of paper towels and let cool.
Put the bread and cracker crumbs in a large bowl.
Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms, carrots, and onions for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes, and then pour the sautéed veggies over the breadcrumbs and let cool a little.
Crumble the tempeh into the bowl. Add all the other ingredients except the egg replacer, and mix well.
Add salt & pepper to taste. Add the egg replacer (or other binding agent) and mix until just combined.
Put mixture into an oiled small loaf pan (8 ½ x 4 1/2, I think), and place in the oven.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is brown and crispy, and then remove from the oven.
To serve, invert loaf onto a serving platter and slice, as you would a meat loaf. I love this with a mushroom, onion & red wine sauce!!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I feel like I could play with this recipe and use any mix of veggies I want... I might even try some quinoa and butternut squash in this loaf, or even experimenting with pumpkin as a binding agent. Thanks for posting!
The flavor of this loaf was really good. It was a little mushy but still good. I am somewhat ashamed to say we had it with ketchup. :o
;)b This was delicious!! Thanks for the recipe! This was enjoyed by everyone in my family! I did cheat a little - I used panko breadcrumbs from a packet; I don't like mushrooms, so I substituted a green pepper.
(ps lightlife is owned by con agra, one of the largest meat packing companies)
Yep, that sucks that it's the most easily accessible brand. I can only get White Wave when the health food store isn't out of stock (which is quite often!)!
lightlife and white wave tempeh come in 8oz packages. most big grocery store brands do. Ive only seen larger or different sizes at the health food store. (ps lightlife is owned by con agra, one of the largest meat packing companies)
I use the Lightlife tempeh, and I've only seen it in one size at the grocery. I have no idea how many ounces it is! You could also use the White Wave, and I'm pretty sure that is 8 oz.
How big, exactly, is "1 block tempeh"? How many ounces?