Blackened Chipotle Tempeh Tacos

For those of you who may not be familiar with Tempeh (temp-ay), it is made from soy beans which have been soaked and partly cooked. Tempeh is made from fermented soy (see post on fermented vs. unfermented soy here), which is much healthier than unfermented soy, and is quite high in essential daily nutrients like protein, dietary fiber, magnesium, and riboflavin. Tempeh has a very different taste and texture from tofu, but still absorbs flavors very well.

I was inspired to make these after having the Baja Tempeh Tacos from Native Foods Restaurant. I would highly recommend checking the restaurant out if you are near one of their locations.

These tacos are a healthy, vegan, nutrient-dense alternative to fish or chicken tacos. You can spice them up a bit more by adding 1+ tsp chipotle instead of the indicated 1/2 tsp– I’m a wimp when it comes to spiciness, so all of my recipes are pretty mild. I threw some capers into the taco sauce for a little kick. They compliment the sauce very well, but are not necessary if you do not have any on hand.

Cook tempeh as is or soak slices in marinade (recipe below) before grilling:

Blackened Tempeh:

Makes approximately 6 Tacos.

Blackened Chipotle Tempeh Tacos
1 8oz package Tempeh
2 c. chopped Cabbage
2 Tomatoes, diced
Green Onion, dicedGuacamole
4-6 Corn Tortillas (6″)

**Marinade (optional)
3 Tbsp veggie broth or water
2 tsp lemon
1/4 ts garlic powder
1/4 paprika
1/4 salt

Cooking Directions:
Cut tempeh into long, thin pieces. I cut the tempeh into strips and additionally cut the width of the strip in half.
**Marinade Option: Mix marinade ingredients and pour into a bowl or ziploc bag. Add tempeh and let sit for at least 1 hour. Otherwise, grill plain tempeh- won’t be quite as flavorful, but still good.
Set a pan on high heat with 1 Tbsp Oil. Cook tempeh strips until blackened. Set aside once finished.

Chipotle Taco Sauce
2 Tbsp Vegan Mayo
2 Tbsp Marinade or water
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Chipotle Seasoning
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Capers

-Whisk sauce ingredients together until smooth

Taco Assembly:

1. Heat tortillas in a pan or microwave so that they are soft and durable.

2. Fill each taco with 3-4 strips of tempeh, then drizzle tempeh with 1 Tbsp Chipotle Sauce.

3. Add 2 Tbsp diced tomato, cabbage, green onion, and guacamole.

4. Garnish with paprika and/or fresh squeezed lemon.

Enjoy!

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