Test Kitchen Tuesday: Tempeh Broccoli and Beef

I’ll tell you up front, this one is just kind of “meh.” The idea is right, and I got close, but no cigar.

Speaking of cigars, why would I say “close, but no cigar” in 2011?  A co-worker mentioned to me the other day that I have a knack for working words or phrases from the past into everyday conversation without really realizing it. A person says “alas” in an instant message or “nary” in a passing hallway conversation and all of the sudden she’s Anne of Green Gables.

But, I digress.

I wanted something with an Asian flair this week, so I thought a tempeh version of Broccoli and Beef would be good. We had a bunch of veggies on hand, so this really became a veggie stir fry with marinated tempeh based off of this recipe.

Marinated Tempeh Stir Fry with Broccoli and Red Pepper

Recipe Source Epicurious

Time Required: About 20 minutes, start to finish, aside from marinade time

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 3

He liked this “alright” and his plate was clean, but I don’t think I’ll be invited to make it exactly as-is again. The sauce was just not quite right.

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 3.5

I also thought this was “alright.” I used low sodium soy sauce (I always do) but omitted the crushed red pepper because 2Chili is not a fan. I ended up adding yellow onion and zucchini as well. It is a nice combination of flavors, but just not restaurant quality.

Nutrition

This dish is pretty high in sodium even with “low sodium” soy sauce, so definitely not for a day when you’ve had a lot of salt already! I did this calculation based on 2 servings. The recipe says it serves 4 as a side dish, but, we used it as a main course.