Tempeh Mole Meatballs

After seeing a post for Tempeh Mole Muffins from Laura's blog  I immediately decided I had to make them. I talked about my love for tempeh in a previous post that features one of my favorite ways to prepare it. I thought it was time to try something new and this recipe looked delicious! I modified the original recipe slightly and substituted the sweet potato with pumpkin, swapped fresh garlic for garlic powder (I was all out of fresh!), and adjusted some of the amounts of the spices according to my taste. I also decided to make my tempeh into the shape of meatballs instead of muffins. I ate them throughout the week (see my Instagram pictures @adena86). I loved the unique texture and flavor it gave to my meals! And look how cute they are!

Tempeh Mole Meatballs
Modified from www.sprint2thetable.com

Ingredients:

8 ounces tempeh
1/4 cup egg whites
1 1/2 tablespoons lime
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder. 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 cup canned pumpkin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a baking sheet or muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Place tempeh, egg whites, and lime juice and pulse. Add all remaining ingredients except for the pumpkin and pulse until mixed. Stir in the pumpkin.
3. Form the batter into meatballs. I used a cookie scoop that is approximately one tablespoon.
4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until browned and set. Allow to cool.

I made 15 meatballs out of my mixture (yes, I know there is 14 in my picture- I ate one before taking it!). I usually had three meatballs as a serving. This is mostly because I used them as a side dish, or small protein boost to my meals. Feel free to make your serving size larger if you'd like to make it the main protein in your meal. 

Nutrition Facts (per 3 meatballs): 98 Calories, 3.2 g Fat, 6.8 g CHO, 10.6 g Protein  

Maple Dijon Roasted Tempeh

I spend way too much time in the kitchen :) . I would seriously spend all day cooking if I could. Did some meal prep yesterday:

Here we have paprika sauteed mushrooms, miso-roasted eggplant, grilled eggplant, roasted acorn squash, and Maple-Dijon Roasted Tempeh. I'm OBSESSED with tempeh. I need to dedicate an entire post to it. Unfortunately, I'm super busy and work 439205834 hours a week. Therefore, I'll just post a yummy recipe and give you the short and sweet tempeh rundown until my schedule calms down a little bit:

Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans, it's high in protein, it has a FABULOUS nutty flavor, and a great meaty texture. My Maple-Dijon Roasted Tempeh recipe is a modified version of the one from Clean Food, and it will make you a tempeh lover IMMEDIATELY.

I use Soy Boy Organic Soy Tempeh. One three ounce serving provides 160 calories and 17 grams of protein! The entire package is 2.5 servings. I eat half the package for a total of 200 calories and 21 grams of protein.

Maple-Dijon Roasted Tempeh

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) block of tempeh
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons sugar-free syrup (or regular)
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400.
2. Cut the tempeh into 1/2 inch strips and steam for 10 minutes.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, syrup, soy sauce and olive oil.
4. Pour marinade over the tempeh and stir until the tempeh is evenly coated. Marinate for 30 minutes.
5. Place tempeh on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
7. EAT!!

I served my tempeh alongside some grilled eggplant, mushrooms, and maple smashed acorn squash (greek yogurt + sugar-free syrup + cinnamon + stevia + my roasted acorn squash all mashed together!) The next day, I served it cold over a huge arugula salad with roasted brussel sprouts, miso-roasted eggplant, roasted acorn squash, heirloom tomatoes, fat-free feta, and my GO-TO three ingredient Dijon-balsamic vinaigrette (dijon mustard + balsamic vinegar + Truvia). Holy YUM.