Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh with Shiitake Mushroom Gravy for a Vegan Thanksgiving Feast

From appetizer to dessert follow the trail each day to a scrumptious, compassionate Vegan Thanksgiving Feast!  Each day this week we’ll offer you another recipe or two to add to your holiday menu plan.  Make this a Thanksgiving to remember with recipes from  Vegan Fusion World Cuisine…recipes that will tantalize your taste buds, stimulate your senses and just plain make you feel good!

Vegan Holiday Menu

( new links will be added each day)

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms (Monday)
Organic Mixed Green Salad with Toasted Pecan Vinaigrette (Tuesday)
Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh with Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pilaf (Thursday)
Cranberry Sauce (Thursday)
Pumpkin Pie with Dairy-free Maple Whip (Friday)

Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh with Shiitake Mushroom Gravy

25 min prep / 20 min cooking / 4 cutlets

16 oz Tempeh, sliced into 4 cutlets
1 Tbl Water
2 tsp Soy sauce
1 recipe Creamy Tahini Marinade (see below)

Crust
1 C Pistachios or Pecans, roasted no salt
½ C Blue corn chips, crumbled
2 Tbl Blue corn meal
1 Tbl Coconut, shredded & toasted, optional
1 tsp Cilantro, minced
½ tsp Cumin
¼ tsp Chili powder
Pinch Crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place soy sauce and water in a 9” x13” casserole dish, add tempeh cutlets and allow to sit for 5 minutes before flipping. Let sit for another 5 minutes. Prepare Creamy Tahini Marinade and pour over tempeh cutlets. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Cutlets may also be marinated the day before the dish is prepared. Place dish in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
2. While tempeh is marinating and baking, place crust ingredients in food processor and process until chopped fine.
3. Remove tempeh from oven, cover liberally with crust mixture, return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve while hot.

Creamy Tahini Marinade
¾ C Water
1 Tbl Soy sauce
¼ C creamy tahini
1 Tbl freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well

Shiitake Mushroom Gravy

10 min prep / 15 min cooking / 3 ½ cups
1 Tbl Olive oil
1 medium Onion, ¼” dice (1 C)
¾ C Shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
1½ Tbl Garlic, minced
2 C Water or vegetable stock
¼ C Soy sauce, or to taste
Pinch Nutmeg, ground
Pinch Cayenne pepper
Roux
2 Tbl Spelt flour
2 Tbl Olive oil
1 Tbl Filtered water

1. Create a Roux by placing spelt flour in a small bowl. Add 2 Tbl olive oil and 1 Tbl
filtered water and whisk until a thick paste is created. Set aside.
2. Place 1 Tbl of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients except roux mixture and cook for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add roux mixture and cook until gravy has a thick consistency, approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Next recipe for the Vegan Thanksgiving Feast:  Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pilaf