This is a meal my husband and I brought back with us from a small restaurant cafe in western Michigan. It traveled over 3000 miles to find it’s way to our dinner table. After traveling all those miles and over all that time, the dish has inevitably changed, but the inspiration behind it remains and several times a month we sit down to this, enjoying our meal of tempeh and nostalgia.
Cuban Tempeh
gluten-free
preparation: 45 minutes
yield: 2
Ingredients:
1 package tempeh, cut in thin strips
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime
1 cup brown basmati (or any other kind of) rice, cooked
1 can or 3/4 cup dried (soaked and cooked) black beans
1 tbsp cumin
pinch of salt
2 corn tortillas
your assorted toppings (lettuce, green onions, salsa, avocado, etc)
Directions:
- Marinate the tempeh in vegetable broth, chili powder, coriander, cumin, and lime juice for at least 1 hour.
- While tempeh is marinating, cook the rice according to directions. Once rice reaches a boil, turn down to a simmer, set aside and prepare the rest of the meal.
- Heat up a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan. Once hot, pour in marinated tempeh (with liquid). Bring liquid to boil then turn down heat to a simmer. The broth will evaporate as it soaks into the tempeh. Cook until all the broth is gone and the tempeh has a chance to brown on both sides.
- Meanwhile heat up the black beans. Stir in cumin and salt. With a masher, smash the beans until no whole beans exist. Remove from heat and set aside.
Okay, you did it! Now it’s time to assemble….
Place a corn tortillas on the bottom of the plate. Top with rice, black beans, and tempeh in that order. Then top with your favorite toppings.
Enjoy!
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