Vegan Tempeh Umami Bowl

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This recipe for Vegan Tempeh Umami Bowl is inspired by Dr. Michael Greger’s new book, How Not To Die Cookbook. If you haven’t checked out his first best selling release, How Not To Die, you really should! I personally am following the principles because of the science behind it. Plus, it just makes sense to consume whole, plant-based foods…right?

Because this journey is a personal one for me, this site will be leaning more towards a whole food, plant based, oil free, no processed foods blog. For everything else, just visit my sister-site The Veg Life!

So let’s get into this really simple recipe.

So what exactly IS Umami? Umami (/uˈmɑːmi/), or savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It has been described as brothy or “meaty”. 

Tempeh is something I have avoided for the longest time. As someone who really just can’t do tofu, I was expecting the worst but I LOVED it!  Tempeh is a traditional soy product originating from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form.

I cubed it up, tossed it with my Umami Sauce and pan sauteed until golden.  If you prefer, go ahead and use extra firm tofu here. It will work just fine!

Then, I added the mushrooms.  Just cook for a minute or two.

In a separate saute pan with vegetable broth, I saute the red onions and baby bok choy.

Next come the diced red peppers.

I remove the baby bok choy, because for presentation purposes, I like to maintain both it’s shape and some of it’s texture.

Combine the veggies with the tempeh and the remaining vegetable broth, bringing up all of those brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Ladle into a bowl with the baby bok choy and garnish with chopped parsley and sesame seeds (if desired).  Top with an additional swirl of that umami sauce if you’d like. SO good!

Did you make this recipe for Vegan Tempeh Umami Bowl? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought!

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Vegan Tempeh Umami Bowl

Vegan Tempeh Umami Bowl

Course Main Course

Cuisine vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 1 generous bowl

Author Living Vegan Staff

Ingredients

• 8 oz Tempeh cubed and pan sauteed with umami sauce
• 1 tbsp Umami Sauce plus more (to taste) for serving
• 2 c Vegetable Broth
• 1/4 Red Onion halved and sliced thin
• 2-3 Baby Bok Choy trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1-2 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 tsp Fresh Ginger grated
• 1 tbsp White Miso Paste
• 1-1/2 tsp Rice Vinegar
• pinch Red Pepper Flakes optional
• 1-1/2 tsp Date Sugar
• 1/4 Red Bell Pepper small dice
• 1/2 c Baby Bella Mushrooms quartered
• 1 Scallion/Green Onion chopped
• White Sesame Seeds for garnish
• Italian Flat Leaf Parsley chopped, for garnish

Instructions

• In a hot saute pan, add the tempeh cubes and the umami sauce. Saute until golden.
  
• Add the mushrooms. Saute for a minute or two.
  
• Meanwhile, in a separate saute pan, add 1/2 c broth, the baby bok choy and sliced red onions cooking just a few minutes.  Add the diced red bell pepper.
  
• Remove from the skillet and set aside.
  
• Add the remaining 1-1/2 c broth to the same hot saute pan along with garlic, ginger,miso, vinegar, umami sauce, red pepper flakes and date sugar. 
  
• Return the vegetables (except bok choy) to the saute pan along with the cooked tempeh, lowering the heat and stirring to combine the flavors and reduce the mixture just slightly, about 5 minutes.
  
• Ladle into a bowl with the reserved bok choy.
  
• Garnish with chopped parsley and white sesame seeds, if desired.
  

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