Vegan Sweet and Sour Tempeh

The Mid-Aughts

If you’ve been a vegetarian for a while, maybe you remember that in the mid-aughts, Gardenburger was a really big deal. (Sidenote: Don’t you love the word “aught”? It’s so old timey.) When it came to vegetarian convenience foods, there was Gardenburger and there was Amy’s. But then Gardenburger went bankrupt and they were bought out by Kellogg’s and suddenly all the yummy frozen meals were no more. They still make the burgers, but even those aren’t in every grocery store like they used to be. And when I can find them, it’s only the Original flavor, not any of the others. This makes me sad!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 8 oz packages tempeh, quartered and cut into thin strips
• 1 large green pepper seeded and diced
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 5 cloves garlic sliced
• cooked white rice for serving

Instructions

• Whisk together soy sauce, cornstarch, rice vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, and water. Set aside.
• Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tempeh, green pepper, pineapple, and garlic. Cook until just beginning to brown, 5–7 minutes.
• Whisk sauce again and add to skillet. Cook until sauce is thickened, 1–2 minutes more, then remove from heat. Serve over rice.

Nutrition