Taco Tuesday #5 - Korean BBQ Tempeh Tacos

Taco Tuesday is here!  These tacos are a play on a food truck favorite.  Korean BBQ tacos are trendy right now (and delicious), so I figured I'd make a whole food plant based version to increase my overall coolness.  When I asked my official food taste tester what I should say about these to convince you to try tempeh he said, "Just tell them to make this, it's awesome."  So, just make these tacos, they are awesome.  Trust me, I'm a doctor :)

Korean BBQ Tempeh Tacos with a Rice Vinegar Slaw, Creamy Tahini Sauce, and Cilantro

Tempeh...

What is tempeh?  Tempeh is cooked whole soy beans (and sometimes grains such as millet, wheat, quinoa, etc depending on what kind you buy...I like the kind with grains myself) that are then fermented and packed together so that it forms a loaf.  Sounds appetizing right?  Well remember that there are lots of tasty fermented foods: kimchi, sauerkraut, some pickles, soy sauce, yogurt, and beer.  If you have been following any recent food news you have also seen that fermented foods are trendy right now too.  They have been around for ages, but recently regained popularity for their good bacteria.  Your gut (basically your mouth all the way down to your rectum) is loaded with bacteria.  The greater the amount and variety of bacteria that you have in your gut, the better you will digest food and the stronger your immune system is.  When you eat fermented foods they deposit these good bacteria aka probiotics throughout your gut.  Got it?

Also, just in case you are still nervous about soy here is Dr. Andrew Weil, one of the leading integrative medicine docs in the US, with his take on soy.  Spoiler alert: he says healthy.  The video is 5 minutes, educate yourself! 

OK are your ready to cook now?

Korean BBQ Tacos:

Here is what you will need:

Whole wheat tortillas

Cilantro for serving

Sesame seeds for serving

For the tempeh:

1 tempeh loaf

Korean BBQ sauce thinned with water (store bought or google a recipe)

Simply cut your tempeh into strips and place in a glass baking dish.  Then thin out your Korean BBQ sauce (a 1/2 cup maybe) with some water and pour over the tempeh.  You can leave these in the fridge overnight to marinate, or if you don't have time for that just skip it and cook them right away.  

Cover the tempeh with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Then uncover the dish and bake for another 10 minutes.  

While the tempeh is baking make the slaw then the sauce.  Make the slaw first so it can breakdown in the fridge for a few minutes before serving, ok?

For the slaw:

3 cups of shredded cabbage and carrots

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons honey 

salt to taste

Mix it all up in a bowl and then put it in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow the vinegar to breakdown the cabbage.  Done. 

Creamy Tahini Sauce:

2 tablespoons for tahini paste or cashew butter

1-2 tablespoons of warm water

juice of 1/2 lime 

zest of a lime

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon minced red onion or shallot

Put the tahini, warm water, lime juice, garlic cloves (microwave them for 15 seconds to take out the bite), and ginger into a blender and blend until smooth.  Add the water slowly to your desired consistency.  Transfer the sauce into a bowl and stir in the lime zest and onion/shallots.  Pop this in the fridge until the tempeh is done.

Now it's time to assemble your tacos.  

Put some slaw down on the tortilla, then pile on the tempeh.  Add a few sprigs of cilantro, sesame seeds, and drizzle on some sauce.  

Happy Taco Tuesday! 

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Happy eating and best health, 

Dr. G