Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh with Mashed Potatoes and Jalapeno Corn Gravy

I am slowly starting to like tempeh, after being traumatized from a bad tempeh cooking experience last year. I think its more the texture that I have to get used to than the taste. I really like it crumbled but having it as one slice is something I am still getting used to.

The marinade for this tempeh can be really spicy or mild, depending on the hot sauce you use. I used Cholula's Chili Garlic hot sauce and it wasn't that hot. The gravy was also a little on the spicy side because of the jalapenos, so if you are not a fan of spice, this dish is not for you. But like I said, the heat is controllable depending on what type of sauce and how many jalapenos you add. If you would like, you could even leave the jalapenos out all together..a corn gravy would be just as good!

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Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh
Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main
Time - 20 minutes, plus time for marinating

Ingredients
* 1 ( 8 oz ) package tempeh
* 1/2 cup wine ( whatever kind you've got on hand, just nothing sweet )
* 1/4 cup hot sauce
* 2 Tb olive oil
* 2 Tb soy sauce
* 3 Tb lemon juice ( juice of 1 lemon )
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano
* 1/8 tsp cayenne

Directions
1. Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl large enough to fit the tempeh slices.

2. Cut the tempeh in half, width wise, then cut each of the resulting squares diagonally, to form four triangles. When the water is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook the tempeh triangles for 10 minutes. This steams the tempeh and removes and bitterness, plus readies the tempeh to absorb the marinade.

3. Use tongs to immediately place the tempeh in the marinade bowl. Let marinade for 1 hour, flipping the tempeh every now and again to cover with the marinade.

Grilling Instructions
Preheat a greased cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat. To grease it, brush lightly with olive oil or, if you have a spray bottle of olive oil, that works, too.
Grill each side of the tempeh for 5 minutes. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let it cook for 30 more seconds.

Panfrying Instructions
Preheat a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add about 1 Tb of oil to the pan. Cook the tempeh for about 10 minutes, turning often and spooning a bit more marinade over the tempeh as you turn it.

Broiling Instructions
Preheat the oven to broil. Place the tempeh in an oven-safe pan ( such as cast-iron ) or a rimmed baking pan. Spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and broil for 5 minutes. Flip it and spoon some more marinade over it, and cook for another 5 minutes. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let cook for 30 more seconds.


Jalapeno-Corn Gravy
Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients
* 1 cup vegetable broth
* 1 Tb cornstarch
* 1 Tb olive oil
* 1 medium-size onion, chopped coarsely
* 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* Generous pinch of dried rubbed sage
* 2 cups fresh or frozen corn ( thaw partially if frozen )
* 1/4 cup plain soy milk
* 1/4 tsp salt
* Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions
1. Preheat a sauce pan over medium-high heat. In a measuring cup, mix the cornstarch with the vegetable broth and set aside.

2. Saute the onion and jalapenos in the oil for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sage, and saute for 1 more minute.

3. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes, until the corn is slightly browned.

4. Add the vegetable broth, soy milk, and salt. Stir often and let thicken for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool a bit, just so that it's not steaming very much. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree. Add the lemon juice to taste and puree again, then taste for salt. Gently heat before serving if not serving immediately.