Tempeh has a definite affinity for lemon and other citrus. This interpretation of a classic Middle Eastern dish will have your guests asking for more! Simmering the tempeh in broth before frying it results in a subtle yet rich flavour. To reduce the sodium further in this dish, be sure to rinse the brine from the olives, as instructed. You could also use fewer olives or use a low-sodium brand, if it is available.
3 cups (750 mL) low-sodium vegan “chicken-style” broth, divided (see recipe here)
2 - 8 oz (230 g) packages tempeh
1/2 cup (125 mL) whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp (15 mL) nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp (1 mL) fine salt
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup (60 mL) dry white wine or white vermouth
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 2 medium lemons
1/2 cup (125 mL) large cracked, pitted green olives, rinsed and drained well
1/2 cup (125 mL) large pitted kalamata olives, rinsed and drained well
1/4 cup (60 mL) Italian parsley, chopped
Bring first 2 cups (500 mL) broth to simmer in wide skillet or sauté pan. Add tempeh and simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Lift out tempeh using wide spatula and place on plate. Rinse out pan and dry. Quick-cool tempeh in freezer while you assemble remaining ingredients.
Mix together flour, yeast, and salt in shallow bowl. Remove tempeh from freezer and cut each rectangle horizontally in half, and each half into 3 rectangles. Coat rectangles all over in flour mixture.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in same pan used to simmer tempeh. When oil is hot, but not smoking, add coated tempeh and brown on both sides. Remove tempeh from pan to plate and add onions and garlic to oil remaining in pan. Sauté onions and garlic, stirring vigorously and adding drops of water as needed to keep from sticking, until softened. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated. Stir in oregano, cumin, lemon juice and zest, remaining broth, and olives.
Slide in browned tempeh pieces and cook down until tempeh is coated and sauce has thickened to your liking.
Serve tempeh and sauce over steamed brown basmati rice, bulgur, or quinoa, and sprinkle each serving with parsley.
Serves 6.
Each serving contains: 318 calories; 18 g protein; 19 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 22 g carbohydrates; 3 g fibre; 590 mg sodium
source: "Tempeh for Dinner", alive #358, August 2012
While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili. Sustainability status Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest. Skin and bones Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove. You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.
These mildly spiced salmon tacos served with sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds will bring a party together. Make a small quantity of salmon go further when you pair it with a fresh red cabbage slaw featuring citrus and cilantro. Drizzled with some bright lime yogurt, the flavours come together perfectly. Sustainability status Wild salmon from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska are considered among the most sustainable, as the fishery is subject to limited harvests. With salmon stocks in decline, supporting managed fisheries such as these can help maintain populations into the future. That may also mean eating salmon less often than we do now. Salmon is a favourite Salmon is the most popular variety of fish in Canada and the second most popular in the US.
B12-rich mussels are a very good and economical source of protein and iron. Steamed mussels are a classic way to enjoy seafood—and so is this rich, aromatic broth of tomato, fennel, and saffron. Be sure to allow saffron to fully infuse to get the full flavour benefit, and finish off the dish with the fragrant fennel fronds. Sustainability status Farmed mussels are considered highly sustainable due to their low impacts on the environment. They are easy to harvest, require no fertilizer or fresh water, and don’t need to be fed externally, as they get all their nutritional requirements from their marine environment. Mussel prep Selection: Look for mussels with shiny, tightly closed shells that smell of the sea. If shells are slightly open, give them a tap. Live mussels will close immediately. Storage: Keep mussels in the fridge in a shallow pan laid on top of ice. Keep them out of water and cover with a damp cloth. Ideally, consume on the day you buy them, but within two days. They need to breathe, so never keep them in a sealed plastic bag. Cleanup: In addition to being sustainable, farmed mussels tend to require less cleaning than wild mussels. Most of the fibrous “beards” that mussels use to grip solid surfaces will have been removed before sale. But if a few remain, they’re easily dispatched: grasp the beard with your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward the hinge of the mussel and give it a tug. Afterward, give mussels a quick rinse and scrub away any areas of mud or seaweed, which, with farmed mussels, will require minimal work.
The delicate flavour of shrimp is highlighted with just a touch of lemon and a hint of mustard, while radish and celery give some fresh crunch to this dish. Eat it in lettuce cups, on top of greens, or served on whole grain bread for a filling snack. Sustainability status Both wild and farmed shrimp can be sustainable depending on where they’re caught and how they’re raised. See our article “Sea Change” for more information about choosing ethical shrimp.