Tempeh-rary Insanity!

Where to begin? Tasting homemade tempeh changed my life. Making it? Even better. It is definitely worth the time, and hey, who's not looking for another way to use their feet in the kitchen?

Tempeh is the result of the fermentation of cooked soybeans by a Rhizopus mold. It originated in Indonesia, where written sources mention it in the 16th century, although it's probably much older (it's similar to Chinese soybean ferments). A staple source of protein there, tempeh didn't really hit the U.S. until the 1960s, where, until recently, it remained the purview of hippie communes. I was interested to read (on this site) that efforts have been made to introduce tempeh to developing countries as a cheap source of protein, but they have mostly failed in areas where there is no local tradition of mold-fermented foods.

I like tempeh's texture better than tofu's, and I've heard rumors that fermented soy products are better for you. Another plus is that tempeh is less processed and uses more of the actual soybeans (whereas tofu is produced from soymilk). I don't mean to knock tofu, it's just not as life-changing.

If you're interested in turning soybeans into soymagic, read on...

Taking Food Blogging to the Max

So, we may be a little jealous that Max can get things like citrus, olives, and avocados grown within a stone's throw out there in Cali, but we're glad that he'll be sharing these (and other) delights with us.

Welcome, Max, your public awaits (well, really just my mother and Colin and I).

Eat Your Heart Out

We did it! We found a great cornbread recipe! Please don't think that two exclamation points is overdoing it--good cornbread is tricky. Some people like it dry and crumbly, some wetter, some with pieces of corn or chilis in it, and still others like it to be cakey and sweet. Necessity did play a part in mothering this creation (er, finding it on the internet)--Kate and I couldn't remember what we'd done for cornbread in the past (did we use a mix? was it vegan?), only that it was and is a critical part of our "chili and cornbread" evenings. Which are, in turn, critical to my sanity.

This recipe makes for a fairly dry, mildly sweet cornbread that complemented our chili perfectly. The heart-shaped pan is a crucial ingredient (this one was flown in special for the occasion), but if you have to substitute, just hope for the best.

Roll 'Em Up

The post-holiday season brought a string of visitors to E-town this year. And they all brought their own brand of food inspiration. In Brazzell's case, it was a package of Nasoya egg roll wrappers and miso paste.

No real recipe here, just notes. We briefly sauteed some onion, cabbage, and carrot strips to use as the filling. The cabbage (and we may have thrown in some lettuce, too) was a good stand-in for rice noodles or other fills. Not much more work than the average stir-fry, but the wrappers really upped the presentation points. Served with a batch of John's peanut sauce.

For the dessert rolls we used cinnamon-sprinkled banana slices drizzled with honey.