Appetite for Reduction ? Buffalo Tempeh and Black Bean, Zucchini and Olive Tacos

This is the second review of the cookbook Appetite for Reduction which is the book chosen by Cooking For A Vegan Lover.  You may recall that I recently reviewed Lentil Chipotle Burgers and Scallion Potato Pancakes.  Those burgers came out great and I have received so many requests for the recipes but I held out and told them to check out the post first.  I dipped back into the cookbook to see how I could match two other recipes together.  Were there a couple more that I could pair to make a good meal out of?  Sure enough I came across Buffalo Tempeh and Black Bean, Zucchini and Olive Tacos.  Reminded me of going to a bar and ordering chicken wings and beef tacos so that was my basis for comparison.  In case you haven’t been reading this site that long it was back in December that my wife and I decided to try out a vegetarian diet.  We are now in March and going strong so I guess you can say it works for us.

As with the burgers and ‘fries’ the ingredients for both dishes were minimal and that made the dishes all the more appealing to me.  I believe that good food should be simple, wholesome and with only a few key ingredients.

Ingredients For Both Dishes

My first thoughts to making this recipe was along the lines of why didn’t I think of this?  Back in the time I could eat two dozen wings without even using a napkin.  My standards for these was sky high because of my past but I was not skeptical at all considering how good the burgers and fries came out.

In looking at the recipe list the first thing I noticed was no butter and no vinegar.  When I made my homemade wings I would use hot pepper sauce, vinegar and butter.  The heat was from the pepper sauce but the sting came from the vinegar and the butter was the adhesive to keep the sauce on the wing.

The other item I noticed was that we were going to steam the tempeh first.  That was a first for me but it proved to be essential in this recipe.  After steaming you marinate to get the heat to permeate the ‘wings’.  Once that is done you brown the tempeh and after flipping and flipping you pour in the remainder of the sauce (something I would never do with chicken because of the contamination scenario if I had marinated the wings first.)

The heat was there.  The flavor was there.  The texture was there.

I looked at my wife as I was eating them with the smile a child has when he has tasted a cupcake for the first time.  It was devilish but also like I felt I had just taken a peek into what vegan bar heaven looks like.

Grade:  A+++++

Can you think of anything better to go with wings (Remember I live in Texas)?  I think tacos are the perfect choice for bar food and with this healthy choice I was on the right path to bar food bliss.

Unlike the last set of recipes I changed nothing here.  I followed the recipe to a T and it was PERFECT for a taco in Texas.  There is a standard here that needs to be met when it comes to tacos and this recipe hits the nail on the head.  With the recent change to vegetarianism my taco consumption has been grilled veggie tacos that typically consist of lots of black bend nothing else.  When I saw the ingredients I thought to myself the zucchini is going to get really soft and resemble ground beef or chicken in texture.  The black beans are standers but the olives are going to be salty aren’t they?

When you put all the ingredients together the saltiness of the olives is hidden almost completely.  It never felt like I had to remove salt nor add salt so the recipe called for the perfect amount.  The secret to the taco though was the hint of jalapeno.  That heat showed up but didn’t over power the rest of the ingredients.

If I were drinking beer at the time I made these dishes (I am about one month away from 70.3 Oceanside so no drinking) that would have been the perfect accompaniment.

Buffalo Tempeh and Black Bean, Zucchini and Olive Tacos

Just like the previous meals were simple and the recipes easy but the flavor was outstanding.  There is no doubt I would make this over and over.  As a matter of fact I made the Buffalo Tempeh the next night and this time I accompanied it with pizza.  The topping on the pizza was the Garlicky Mushrooms and Kale recipe from the cookbook as well.

In addition to that is the nutritional information for these two recipes (per serving):  290 calories, 5g Fat, 13g Fiber, 16g Protein, 47g Carbs

Just like the burgers these two recipes cost next to nothing to make.  The grocery list was minimal but the flavor was maximum.

Garlicky Mushroom and Kale Pizza with side of Buffalo Tempeh (Celery and Carrots a must for Buffalo Tempeh)