Stir-Fried Tempeh with Spinach and Thai Basil

Thai basil has small purple leaves and a stronger taste than sweet basil; if unavaliable, use the latter. The longer you marinate the tempeh, the more flavorful it will be. We liked this dish best with soy tempeh, but any variety (five-grain, three-grain, soy-rice) will work.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup tempeh mixture, 1/3 cup spinach, and 3/4 cup rice)

Ingredients

• Tempeh:
• 3  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  sake (rice wine)
• 2  tablespoons  minced shallots
• 1  teaspoon  dark sesame oil
• 1  pound  soy tempeh, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 
  Spinach:
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  sake (rice wine)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (10-ounce) package fresh spinach
• 
  Remaining ingredients:
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 3  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 3  tablespoons  water
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 3 1/2  cups  thinly, vertically sliced red onion (about 3 medium)
• 3  tablespoons  chopped garlic
• 2  cups  loosely packed fresh Thai basil leaves or coarsely chopped sweet basil
• 4 1/2  cups  hot cooked basmati rice

Preparation

To prepare tempeh, combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with whisk. Add tempeh, turning to coat. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to 4 hours, turning once. Remove tempeh from marinade; discard marinade.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tempeh; sauté 2 minutes. Remove tempeh from pan.

To prepare spinach, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons sake, salt, and spinach; stir-fry 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Remove spinach from pan with a slotted spoon.

Combine sugar, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, water, and juice; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Add tempeh, sugar mixture, and basil, stirring to combine. Cook 2 minutes or until heated, stirring frequently. Spoon tempeh mixture in the center of a serving platter; arrange spinach around tempeh. Serve with rice.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

416 (26% from fat)

Fat:

11.9g (sat 2.4g,mono 6.1g,poly 2.7g)

Protein:

22.6g

Carbohydrate:

54.7g

Fiber:

7.5g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

5.8mg

Sodium:

646mg

Calcium:

218mg