The big concern I hear from people about a plant-based diet is difficulty. It takes too long. It requires too much focus. For those folks I make this dish, which鈥攊f you cook the rice beforehand鈥攜ou can have on the table in less than 20 minutes. The brown rice gives the dish a nutty texture and provides essential amino acids. Tempeh contains three grams of protein for every gram of fat, which makes it one of the leanest, most protein-heavy of the soy products (which was invaluable when I was cranking up my training, looking for more protein). Better, it鈥檚 fermented and easily digestible, even for people who have trouble with most soy products.
4 cups uncooked brown rice
2 3鈦4 cups water
1 teaspoon coconut or olive oil
8鈥12 ounces tempeh, sliced 1鈦8- to 1鈦4-inch thick
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 tablespoon tamari or shoyu mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Red Curry Almond Sauce
Add the brown rice and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the water evaporates and the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and cool.
Coat a large skillet with the oil and heat over medium-low heat until a drop of water sizzles when it hits the pan. Saute the tempeh for three to five minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Remove from the heat. Squeeze the lime or lemon over the tempeh and sprinkle with the tamari or shoyu.
For each serving, place a cup of brown rice on a plate or in a bowl. Crumble several pieces of tempeh on top and drizzle with one to two tablespoons Red Curry Almond Sauce. Enjoy with a side of Indonesian Cabbage Salad.
Makes 4 servings.
鈥淥f Bears and Gazelles鈥 from Eat and Run by Scott Jurek with Steve Friedman. Copyright 漏 2012 by Scott Jurek. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.