Kiss My Grits!

On Monday night, I worked on the "Cheesy Tempeh Bacon Grits" recipe for my cookbook (I had to wait and get pix of the leftovers today because my battery died while shooting Monday's dinner). Though it's going in the breakfast section, I made it this batch for dinner because down South, grits are perfect any time of day!



I won't reveal the exact recipe, but it's a combo of nutritional yeast, yellow corn grits, and my homemade tempeh bacon. The picture might not look like much, but oh my god (and I hate to brag) but these were some darn good grits, folks. No lie. I had a hard time not finishing every bite in my bowl, even though they're super filling and I was full about halfway through. A few people did ask for the tempeh bacon recipe in my last post, and I will provide that at the end of this post.

On the side, I steamed some asparagus, which is at its most tender (and most inexpensive) this time of year. I love, love, love asparagus season! I smothered it in the Vegan Holladaise Sauce from the latest issue of Vegetarian Times. It's a simple sauce with a silk tofu base. I have quite a bit leftover that I may try to use for some faux eggs benedict later this week ... or maybe not.



Tempeh Bacon
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1 pkg. tempeh
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. hoison sauce
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. Liquid Smoke

Slice the tempeh lengthwise into about 16 long, thin strips. Steam tempeh in a steamer basket over boiling water for 10 minutes. Or if you don’t own a steamer basket, place tempeh directly in water and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix the veggie broth, soy sauce, hoison, maple syrup, and Liquid Smoke in a large plastic storage container. Place tempeh slices in container and make sure liquid is covering each slice. Marinate overnight.

To cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drain marinade and place strips on a greased baking sheet. Cook for 10 minutes and flip each slice. Then bake for 10 more minutes.

Makes about 16 slices.