Chimichurri Tempeh

There are few things in this world that O and I collectively love more than chimichurri. Garlicky, spicy, and so perfectly herbaceous, I’ll smother almost anything I put on my plate with the stuff. We go through about 2 cups per week, which may or may not be slightly embarrassing, but can you blame us? My recipe is the best we’ve ever had, despite being positively (yet traditionally) drowned in oil.

We first ate chimichurri tempeh after I saw the recipe on the Post Punk Kitchen, and we fell in love. The garlicky chimichurri married the nutty tempeh beautifully, and it was an excellent way to break up the all-veggie or seitan-based recipes we were scarfing down. I revisited this recipe when I decided to lighten up my original chimichurri recipe, cutting out the majority of the oil and replacing it with veggie broth and more herbs.

By steaming the tempeh before marinating, you really allow the chimichurri to invade it with bright, spicy flavor. The tempeh then marinades in a soy sauce-fortified bit of chimichurri to absolutely ensure mega-flavor, perfectly balanced.

The recipe takes a little over an hour–about 75 minutes or so–but most of that is hands-off marinating time. What ends up on the plate is omnivore-approved, unprocessed (besides that whole.. soybean fermentation thing, and however you feel about olive oil), and most of all, freaking delicious.

The lightened-up chimichurri recipe is on my other recipe blog, the Stylist Quo. Use that (no, really; it’s bad-ass) or your own favorite chimichurri ……….traitor.

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Chimichurri Tempeh

Nutty slabs of tempeh positively drenched in bright, garlicky flavor from a solid marinade with herbaceous chimichurri. Nom, nom, and more nom.

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 8 oz . tempeh , sliced into 4 slabs
• 1/2 cup chimichurri , plus more for serving -- use this recipe
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon olive oil , or olive oil spray

Instructions

1. Steam tempeh for 10 minutes, to really allow the marinade to get in there and do its job.
2. Make the chimichurri now, if you don't already have some on hand. See this post for my ultimate chimichurri recipe.
3. Mix together 1/2 cup of chimichurri and 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari (you don't want the soy sauce in the final sauce, as it would be far too salty and with an aggressive flavor).
4. Place steamed tempeh on a plate and pour marinade over. Rub into the tempeh and let sit for 1 hour, flipped in between and rubbing marinade into the other side.
5. Preheat large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Pour in olive oil or spray with olive oil spray and add tempeh in a single layer. Let cook about 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip and let cook another 3-4 minutes, until other side is lightly browned. Add remaining marinade from the plate to the pan and cook another 3-4 minutes or so, turning occasionally.
6. Plate and serve with additional chimichurri.