April recipe challenge: Tempeh Chile Colorado

Chile Colorado is perhaps my default recipe when I'm craving beef. It is a simple recipe but a slow cooking process brings out the flavors of this dish. I typically make this recipe with 1lb of stew meat and I add either beans, greens, or both to make it go further. Stew meat is inherently boneless and quite lean, so most of the flavor comes from the sauce. It was therefore quite simple to veganize. The original recipe is simmered for up to 4 hours (or overnight!) depending on the cut of meat used. This version was on the table in less than an hour from start to finish. So, without further ado, here it is:

Tempeh Chile Colorado

Ingredients

2 packages of organic tempeh, cut into 1 inch cubes
6 to 8 Guajillo chiles
1 large onion, quartered
10 garlic cloves
2 cups of chopped tomatoes (tomato sauce works too, but refrain from using canned tomatoes)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1TB Olive Oil
2 cups of boiling water
1qt of high quality vegetable broth
1tb Mexican oregano
Salt and pepper
Optional: 1 large bunch of Dino kale, chopped

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven and brown tempeh on all sides. Pour in vegetable broth, cover and bring to a slow simmer. Turn heat way down.




2. In a small skillet toast chiles until fragrant. Immerse in boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes.

3. Blend together chiles (reserve soaking liquid), tomatoes, onion, garlic, wine, and oregano until smooth.




4. Pour mixture in with the tempeh and bring to soft boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Add Dino kale and taste for seasoning. At this point you may add the chiles soaking liquid if you feel the dish is too dry. It shouldn't be a soup but there should be plenty of sauce. Add salt and pepper as needed.

6. Serve with beans, fresh chopped cilantro and tortillas.

Enjoy




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad