Kung Pao Tempeh

A flavorful tempeh stir-fry with fresh veggies and a spicy orange Szechuan sauce. The dish comes together in less than 30 minutes, making it quick and easy to enjoy the benefits of fermented foods. 

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be partnering with Lightlife this year. I’ve used their tempeh for years — it’s organic, non-gmo and many of the varieties are gluten-free! They are a leader in sustainable plant-protein and I’m thrilled to be teaming up with them to create mouth-watering tempeh recipes for their website, like this Kung Pao Tempeh.

I am going to do a full post on this soon, but fermented foods have amazing health benefits. We should all be eating more of them! Tempeh, in particular has a fungus called rhizopus oligosporus which produces an antibiotic that is effective against certain bacterias. The protein and nutrients in the soybeans are easier to digest after the fermentation process and tempeh is less likely to cause gas or indigestion. Less gas is always a good thing in our house. 😉

I love cooking with tempeh because it cooks up quickly, easily takes on whatever seasonings you’re using and it’s loaded with protein (1 cup = 31 grams).

The Kung Pao Tempeh recipe I’m sharing makes is crazy easy to enjoy all the health benefits of tempeh. It’s not only flavorful, but the whole meal can be prepared in less than 30 minutes, in one large skillet. Perfect for a weeknight, plant-based meal!

Onions, peppers, fresh broccoli and snow peas are tossed with the stir-fried tempeh and coated in spicy, but somewhat sweet orange Szechuan sauce that’s really flavorful and delicious. This stir-fry served over brown rice with a garish of crushed peanuts = perfection!

Kung Pao Tempeh

• Author: Brittany Mullins

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Description

A flavorful tempeh stir-fry with fresh veggies and a spicy orange Szechuan sauce. The dish comes together in less than 30 minutes, making it quick and easy to enjoy the benefits of fermented foods. 

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• 1 package (8 oz) Lightlife Garden Veggie Tempeh, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• juice of 1 navel orange (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 Tablespoons Szechuan sauce
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 cups broccoli florets, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 multi-colored mini bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup snow peas
• 2 Tablespoons roasted, salted peanuts, crushed
• brown rice, for serving

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Instructions

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cubed tempeh and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. It should take about 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer cooked tempeh to a plate.
2. While tempeh is cooking, whisk together orange juice, Szechuan sauce, tamari, rice vinegar, fennel seeds, cinnamon and ground cloves in a small bowl.
3. Using the same skillet, heat another tablespoon of coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute. Reduce heat to low, add the Szechuan sauce mixture and cook, stirring for another minute.
4. Return the tempeh to the skillet along with snow peas and stir to coat with sauce. Serve tempeh and veggies over warm brown rice with crushed peanuts on top.

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Want even more tempeh recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

• Lemon Garlic Tempeh — 21 Day Fix approved.
• Maple Lemon Tempeh Cubes — These cubes are perfect for topping salads.
• Tempeh with Kale and Coconut Aminos — This is such a simple one skillet meal.
• Tempeh and Sweet Potato Collard Wraps — I love these.

This recipe was created as part of the Lightlife Blogger Ambassador Program. Thank you for supporting the brands that make EBF possible.