This is a vegetarian friendly version of pan fried brussel sprouts with tamari sautéed Tempeh instead of pancetta! I must admit that I am not ordinarily a big fan of brussel sprouts. In this dish they are caramelized to perfection with onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar and then tossed with crisp bacon like tempeh! A perfect vegetarian accompaniment to a holiday feast!
If you haven’t tried Tempeh before, it is it much like tofu in that it absorbs whatever flavours that you mix or marinate it with. Unlike Tofu, it is fermented and is much more easily digested by the body. It is usually found frozen and because it is fermented often appears a little mouldy on the surface. It is completely normal for Tempeh to have a dark mould on it.
Ingredients:
- one package of tempeh, thawed and sliced thinly
- 6 tbsp. of olive oil, divided
- 4 Tbsp. tamari
- 1 pkg. of Tempeh, thawed and thinly sliced
- 4 cups of brussel sprouts, cut in half and trimmed
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
- 4 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. himalayan pink salt or more to taste
- fresh cracked pepper
- 1/2 cup dried fruit juice sweetened cranberries to garnish
Heat 3 Tbsp. of olive oil in a medium sized fry pan over medium high heat. Arrange the thinly sliced tempeh in the pan and drizzle the tamari over top. Saute until browned and slightly crisp on both sides. Feel free to add a little more tamari as it cooks to make sure that the tempeh is well coated. Remove from the pan, cut into bite sized pieces, and set aside while you prepare the brussel sprouts.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan over medium high heat. Add the brussel sprouts, onions, balsamic vinegar and salt. Stir every few minutes to make sure that the brussel sprouts brown on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes. During the last few minutes add the minced garlic. Add more salt if desired but keep in mind that the tempeh bites are salty.
Add the tempeh to the pan along with the dried cranberries. Toss to combine. Serve topped with lots of fresh cracked pepper!