Meatless Magic

Posted by natalie on February 4, 2012 in Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, The Food Magician | 2 comments

Now that the holiday’s are over and I’ve put on my “winter-coat,” (a term I use for the extra 5 lbs I always put on this time of year) it’s time for me to clean up my diet a little and get back on track. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t deprive myself, but I start incorporating extra-healthy meals so I can be bikini ready by May.

I’ve been SO into kale lately, to the point where I’m actually craving it. I know that sounds weird but it’s true. My body must need it, so I’m rollin’ with it.  When I was first introduced to kale a few years ago, I found it tough and chewy…definitely wasn’t impressed. Then I learned to saute it with garlic and olive oil and now I’m hooked!!

My other new favorite thing to eat is tempeh. For those of you that don’t know, tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soy beans. If you’re weary of soy, according to my extremely smart and knowledgeable sister, tempeh is better for you than tofu because it’s fermented, less processed and has more protein and fiber.  Anyway, it’s a fantastic meat substitute if you’re trying to cut back on the consumption of 4-legged creatures. Plus, it tastes SO much better than tofu in my opinion. I’ll definitely be posting more tempeh recipes soon 🙂

I recently combined my 2 new favorite foods and made a light yet satisfying meal.

All you need is:

• 1 bunch of black kale or kale of your choice, washed, stemmed and chopped
  
• 1 garlic clove
• Olive oil- enough to lightly coat bottom of pan
•  3-4 strips of Lemon Pepper Tempeh or tempeh of your choice (you can find seasoned tempeh at Whole Foods)
  
•  1 over easy egg
• A small hand full of raw almonds
•  Salt
• Pepper
• Avocado (optional)
•  Feta (optional)
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat olive oil in a saute pan on medium. Add minced garlic and let the garlic get golden.  Add kale and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover and let cook for about 5 min. on medium or until tender. Add salt and pepper-season to taste.

While the kale is cooking, start on your over easy egg. Heat tempeh in microwave or on a skillet.

Place tempeh and over easy egg over the sauteed kale in a bowl. You probably won’t use all the kale for this one dish, so save the rest for later. Add almonds, avocado and feta if you wish. The yolk should ooze out like a sauce and ‘ta da’! You have a healthy, hearty meal.

Enjoy!