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Tempeh Stuffed Yellow Chile Peppers

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Tempeh Stuffed Yellow Chile Peppers | Chow Vegan

Inspired by the dim sum dishes of steamed, little savory morsels of goodness, I’ve been working on this recipe to create something similar for quite some time now. When it comes to steaming, most people tend to think of the bland, nothing but plain vegetables type of cooking. But in traditional Chinese steaming, lots of different ingredients and seasonings are combined and then arranged nicely on a steaming plate. Moisture is locked in to intensify the natural flavors without drying out the food. Steaming is also a very healthy, low-fat way to cook as very little oil or no oil is used.

Yellow chile peppers are fairly mild as far as chile peppers go, but it’s got enough of a kick to add a bit of hotness to each bite. I usually have to eat mine with steamed white rice to keep it from being too hot. Once again, I’m a wimp.

Tempeh Stuffed Yellow Chile Peppers
Serves 2 as part of a meal

Tempeh Filling
4 dried chinese mushrooms, soaked in water until soft, discard the stems and chopped the caps
3 ounces water chestnuts, chopped
8 ounce package of tempeh, finely crumbled (I like to use Turtle Island Organic Five Grain Tempeh)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat the wok until hot. Add the oil and swirl in the wok to coat. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until translucent. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger, if the pan appears dry, add a little bit of water and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the tempeh, water and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down the heat to medium low and simmer until the water is mostly absorbed about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Stuffed Yellow Chile Peppers
6 medium yellow chile peppers
1 cup tempeh filling

Wash the chile peppers, cut in half horizontally and take out the stems, seeds and ribs. I always wear rubber gloves so as not to get capsaicin (the hot part of the peppers) on my hands. I didn’t use to before but all it took is rubbing my eye once and never again.

Stuff about 1 tablespoon of the tempeh filling into each half. Arrange the stuffed peppers on a steaming plate. Place the plate on a metal steaming rack in the wok over simmering water, cover and steam for 20 minutes, keeping a careful eye on the water level and add boiling water to the wok if it gets too low. Scoop each pepper out on to a dish and serve.

Vegan Corn Chowder

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Vegan Corn Chowder | Chow Vegan

Here I am in sunny California, only it’s not sunny, it’s cloudy and dreary. I tend to eat a lot more soup in the wintertime just to warm up. People in really cold areas are probably thinking I’m a wimp. Which I am. Corn chowder has to be one of my favorite soups – it fills the ol’ comfort food craving plus it’s low-fat, creamy and full of flavor.

Vegan Corn Chowder
Serves 2

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 small onion chopped
1 medium carrot sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
2 medium red potatoes cubed
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1 cup soy milk
1 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
Kelp powder to taste (optional)

In a soup pot, heat the oil until hot, add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the carrots and celery, saute for a few minutes. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock. Cover, bring to a boil and cook over low to medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the soy milk and corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree 2/3 of the soup in a blender and return to pot. Stir to mix well. Add the kelp powder to individual bowls for a briny taste and top with cayenne pepper if using.

Red Swiss Chard Pasta

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Red Swiss Chard Pasta

Sometimes I feel like having pasta. This is one of those times. I like to use fusilli, it’s my pasta of choice for a dish like this. I’ve tried penne several times now and I find it’s just a little too much pasta per bite. Why do I say this? Remember that frozen pasta episode on Top Chef last year where one of the contestants was whining that he didn’t want to use fusilli because it was “boring” and everybody uses it. I was all hey I like fusilli. What? You don’t watch Top Chef? Well, I won’t be watching anymore either. The cable company finally caught on that I was getting more channels than I was actually paying for and they cut me off. Bummer. Actually it’s probably for the best – less time for me to be sitting around on my butt watching other people cook and more time for me to be doing other things like setting fire to the kitchen, I mean cooking.

Red Swiss Chard Pasta
Serves 2 to 4

1 bunch Red Swiss Chard
1/2 lb fusilli
2 veggie sausage, cut into 1/8 inch rounds
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Nutritional yeast for garnish

Wash the chard, cut off the stems and chop crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces, coarsely chop the leaves.

Heat the pot until hot, add 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and the veggie sausage, cook over medium heat covered so the oil doesn’t splatter all over until brown on both sides. Remove from pot and set aside. (I use a wok but you can use a heavy pot and cook everything in progression so it’s just a one pot mess to clean up).

Add 1 1/2 teaspoon oil to pot. Add chard stems and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add a little bit of water if it seems dry.

Add the chard leaves, water and red pepper flakes and turn down to low heat, covered for 5 minutes until the stems are tender. Drain and remove chard to a mixing bowl.

Cook the pasta in the same pot according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl with the chard.

Toss with 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or to taste. Add the veggie sausage and toss well. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast.