Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned.
It's been more than three weeks since my last food post.
I have no good excuse.
I've eaten since then. Plenty.
It's just that...well...you see, nothing turns out looking very pretty after sundown and while I (for better or for worse) think nothing of leaving the house wearing no makeup and my hair snarled atop my head, I just cannot--I will not--photograph my food in anything but the most becoming light.
(This atrocity still haunts me four months later.)
But after spilling my popcorn-for-dinner, dessert-for-breakfast, lunch-hating beans, who am I to put on airs?
So until natural light is on my side again, I'll tell you what dinner was in all its splendor.
- maple-tamari glazed tempeh with miso-buttered acorn squash and gingery-garlicky Asian greens -
And then show you what it (or some of it) looked like the next day.
Balled up in aluminum foil, snatched from the fridge, and eaten with all the decorum of a raccoon.
A raccoon on a deadline.
Take it or leave it, folks. Some of us are trying to hibernate.
MAPLE TAMARI-GLAZED TEMPEH
Serves 2 (plus a raccoon or two for lunch)
- 2 Tbsp. cooking oil (I use coconut)
- one package 3-grain tempeh, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 2 Tbsp. tamari
- 1-1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmying but not smoking. Add tempeh slices, leaving them undisturbed for 4 minutes or so in order to develop an enviable tan. Turn the slices over for the same treatment on the other side.
Add the tamari and maple syrup, giving the pan a shake (or a flick of the wrist if you are so advanced) to coat the tempeh.
Cook for a few minutes, until the once pale, peaked looking slabs are now most tempeh-ting.
MISO-BUTTERED ACORN SQUASH
Serves 2
- 1 acorn squash, halved and scooped clean
- 1 Tbsp. white miso
- 1 Tbsp. coconut butter
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your squash halves cut-side down onto it, sliding the pan into the oven.
In a small bowl, mash together the miso and the coconut butter. Start plotting other items to butter up.
Cook the squash for about 45 minutes--more or less depending on its stature--until soft, caramelized, and free of any tension.
Turn the halves over and generously paint the squash's flesh with the miso-coconut butter, returning them to the (turned off) oven if some residual warmth is needed for melting.
Serve with your favorite greens (or green vegetable) stir-fried in oil infused with crushed garlic, chopped fresh ginger, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Finish with a scatter of sesame seeds or a drizzle of sesame oil.