Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Country Fried

I followed Raw Food Monday with Fried Food Tuesday. I didn't mean to go to extremes. It just kinda happened. I'd been planning on developing Country Fried Tempeh Steak for my cookbook, and it worked out that I had a little time on Tuesday afternoon.



Wow, was this ever tasty! I marinated tempeh in a beefy-tasting broth overnight. Then I coated it with whole wheat flour and fried in canola oil in my cast iron skillet. It's my variation on the traditional Chicken-Fried Steak or Country-Fried Steak (the name I prefer because "chicken-fried" sounds disgusting).

The milk gravy was made by whisking flour, soymilk, and sage into the skillet after removing the tempeh steak. I left the oil in the skillet for added flavor.

On the side are Green Beans with Mustard and Almonds from "The Complete Vegan Kitchen."



Basically, it's just fresh steamed green beans mixed with a little Dijon mustard, red onions, garlic, and sliced almonds — a combo I wouldn't have ever thought about, but very tasty.



By the way, you may have noticed new plates in the past couple posts. That's because my mom and Granny (who both check the blog regularly) felt sorry for me since I kept repeating plates in my posts. They've started collecting individual plates (since I've no need for sets) at thrift shops and yard sales. Now, I have a ton of new plates! Yea! Thanks Mama and Granny!

12 comments:

J said...

How cool of your mom and grandma to get you plates. I only have one set of plates myself (mine are from my Nanny too - thanks Nanny!). Anyways, they are very 'countryish' and I'm very not. Not to mention sushi and authentic Mexican food looks pretty weird on those plates.

Oh well, they work just fine and I can't bring myself to replace them! It would be a waste, I don't need anymore plates than I already have.

Those green beans, Bianca, oh those green beans.

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

ugh.... i want. i cannot wait for your cookbook~ MMM

ps when i came off the detox i came off all right. i think i had at least 3 servings of bread the following day.

Anonymous said...

oh WOW that tempeh looks amazing! I've never even had it before but I might have to go buy some and fry it up! mmmm

Anonymous said...

Sometimes you've gotta eat fried food!

funwithyourfood said...

Hi there
I love that your fam supports your blog! Mine does too. It's adorable.
I've collected quite a few plates now, it's starting to get ridiculous

Teddy

Kumquat Peekapoo said...

Southern vegan cooking?! I love it!I don't think that particular niche has been filled yet in the cookbook world.

Kenny T. said...

hey, i tried emailing you but it didn't go through...i think?? but anyways...i was on nashveggie to see if reggie posted earthlings and i saw your comment/blog. it is awesome! there are not many vegans in tennessee....here in murfreesboro i have like 3 vegan friends. but yea, keep it up, and i'll definitely be checking out the food blog.

peace,
kenny

Andréa said...

I love different plates from thrift stores. We never use sets at home. It's a lot more colorful and fun this way.

I'm mouth-watering for that tempeh stake!

Andréa said...

Ops! I mean "steak"! Sorry...

Anonymous said...

I want - no, need - that country fried tempeh! *drool*

Yeah, Wal-Mart has quite a few cake decorating supplies, but there is a tiny little place down on Summer that is like the Memphis cake decorating Mecca. It's packed wall-to-wall with fun cake toys!

If you're interested in fondant then the Wilton brand (the kind they sell at Wal-Mart) is fine to practice with, but I wouldn't recommend eating it. It's vegan, but it tastes like paint. Better options are Satin Ice and Pettinice.

If it looks like something you'd enjoy, I say go for it. A warning though - it can be addictive :)

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Daaaamn, that looks GOOD!

Jess said...

That "steak" looks so yummy, and that is so sweet of your mom & grandma to collect plates for you!!