Who needs chicken? Buffalo tempeh with roasted red potatoes andkale/mushroom saute
The first of the month is always the busiest time for me at work. Add to that my duties as "fill-in" for just about anyone who goes on vacation, and it's been a very hectic couple of weeks, today being the craziest of all. After waking up an hour early because Charlotte had new sounds she wanted to practice, I knew it was going to be a very long day. What I didn't anticipate was only getting to nibble some walnuts and an apple for lunch. The avocado I had packed was a sad, brown bomb when I cut into it. I hate when that happens. It felt perfect and the stem spot was bright green. Very deceptive. Surprisingly, though, I didn't get all that hungry by the end of the day. I suppose my supper fatty breakfast smoothie held me over better than I had expected.
After picking up Charlotte and greeting a few trick-or-treaters at my in-laws' house, we made our way home and settled in for the night. After nursing my baby girl and coaxing her to sleep, it was time to throw together some dinner. I was really wanting something tangy and spicy, and because I missed out on lunch, I wanted something green. You know me... Greens are my thing! I had bought some organic kale a few nights ago, so I dug that out. Plus, I still had half a block of tempeh left over from last night's dinner. I thought buffalo tempeh sounded like a great idea. I just love that vinegary, hot, and smokey flavor. So, I put my iron skillet on medium, sliced the tempeh about 1/4" thick, added a tablespoon or so of coconut oil to the pan, and sautéed the tempeh until it was crispy and golden. I set that to the side and mixed up the sauce. Basically, some Frank's Red Hot and lots of garlic powder. I tossed the tempeh in the sauce, and called it "done".
While the tempeh was cooking, I also had some red potato chunks roasting in the oven on 425. I seasoned them with olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder, and rosemary. Since I'm breastfeeding, I've noticed that potatoes tend to help keep up my milk supply. I'm not sure of it's something in the potatoes themselves, or if it's just the increase in carbs, but something is working to my advantage. I try to have oatmeal or potatoes every day for that reason. Tonight's potatoes were done when they were just starting to brown.
When I saw that the potatoes were getting close to done, I sautéed three cloves of garlic, 1/4 of a white onion, and about 4 ounces of baby Bella mushrooms in a little coconut oil. Once the liquid was almost gone, I added a bit of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (wheat-free soy sauce), maybe a tablespoon or so. Lastly, I tossed in a whole bunch of chopped kale and stirred it around until it was bright green and tender. It was tasting pretty good, but just for a little extra pizazz, I decided to juice a lime and pour that over it. Finally, it was time to eat. I'm not one to try and stick with a theme in my dinner, so this may seem a bit eclectic, but it hit all the spots. All in all, dinner took about thirty minutes to prepare.
So now, I'm sitting here typing this and sipping on an after-dinner vanilla Sleepytime tea with a dash of honey and coconut milk, and all is right with the world. I'm looking forward to spending a calm weekend at home playing with Charlotte and the pups... And hopefully inventing some new recipes to share with all of you. Have a wonderful weekend and eat your veggies!
