Tempeh Chili

This is my first ever time preparing or eating tempeh, and it was a hit! Both my husband and I really enjoyed this chili, and he packed the leftovers for lunch, which is a clear indication that it is good! I liked the texture a lot, and will be experimenting with other applications soon, like Asian lettuce cups, scramble, and who knows what else!

I have been craving chili for a few weeks, at least, but I never got around to making it for whatever reason. I usually just make vegan chili with veggies and beans, but I bought a pack of tempeh at Whole Foods a few weeks ago on a whim. I have never cooked with it before, and was curious about it. As luck would have it, today I had a bunch of tomatoes on the counter that were getting super-ripe and a bag of padron peppers in the fridge. I know this is not the usual application for padrones, but they worked great!

Since I had never used tempeh before, I was a little unsure how to proceed. I read a few different ways to get 'crumbles'. One was to use the food processor, one was to use a box grater, and one was to simply chop it with a knife. I am a fan of not having a ton of dishes to wash after dinner, so I went with the knife-chop method. I cut the tempeh into strips, then essentially just chopped/diced them until they were about the size I wanted. (Basically resembling crumbled ground meat.)

I used black beans and garbanzos for this, but you can use whatever you like. I also used fresh tomatoes, but a 14 oz. can would be great. Fire-roasted or diced with green chilis would also be appropriate here. I also used Padron peppers because I had them, but you could use bell peppers, anaheims, poblanos, or leave them out altogether. I also meant to use fresh garlic, but I forgot so ended up sprinkling some garlic granules instead.

Tempeh Chili

2 tsp Olive oil

1/2 an onion, diced, 

1/2 cup diced padron peppers, or other peppers of choice

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (or 1/2 tsp or so garlic powder or granules)

3-4 tsp chili powder

1-2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1 8 oz pack of tempeh

~1/2 cup veggie broth

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)

1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 14 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

diced green onions for garnish 

sliced fresh jalapenos for garnish

Cook the onion and peppers in olive oil until nice and soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and Mexican oregano. Stir for about a minute to let the spices bloom, then add the crumbled tempeh. Stir to coat with the spiced, then add the broth. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans. Add more broth if the chili seems to dry and continue simmering for about another 30 minutes to let the flavors really come together. Check periodically to make sure there is enough liquid to keep the chili from sticking. Serve topped with green onions and jalapenos, if desired.