I have had a love/hate affair with Tempeh. I’ve enjoyed it as the ‘bacon’ in a BLT and in curries at restaurants, but when I tried it at home, I was always disappointed by the fact that I thought it was totally gross!!

It wasn’t until I went to school at the Natural Gourmet Institute that I figured out how to prepare it and love it! Tempeh, like tofu, is made from soybeans, but the taste and texture are completely different. This superfood has all of the nutritional benefits of soy, but it has some added ones as well. Because of the fermentation process it undergoes some of the nutrients are ‘unlocked’ making them more bioavailable to the body.

It can also be another option for a ‘meat substitute’ because of its ability to absorb flavors and because it crumbles so well. I like to make these in a big batch so that I can freeze half of them and have another meal ready in minutes on those days that you don’t have time to whip up something from scratch. So if you’ve never tried Tempeh, or have tried it and didn’t liked it, try this recipe, you may be in for a surprise!

*Bonus- My kids not only love to help me make these, but also love them because they can eat dinner with their hands!

Black Bean and Tempeh Empanadas

Yield: approx. 24-4-inch empanadas

Ingredients:

1-8 oz package tempeh, cut in half

2 Tablespoons Tamari, Shoyu or Soy Sauce

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion,diced

1 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ¼ teaspoons oregano

1 ¼ teaspoons smoked paprika

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

¾ tsp salt

2 15-ounce can black beans, drained

2/3 cup vegetable broth

Ingredients for Dough:

(adapted from Veganomicon’s Empanada dough)

¼ cup vegetable oil (chilled in freezer)

1-1 ½ c very cold water

2 cup All Purpose Flour

2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

½ cup Cornmeal

2 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Procedure:

-In a small saucepan, place tempeh, soy sauce and liquid smoke. Add water to cover tempeh and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 30- 40 minutes.

-Remove from liquid and set aside to cool while you prepare your other ingredients.

For Dough:

-Measure out oil. Place in the freezer while you gather the other ingredients.

-Put 1 cup of water in a bowl or cup. Fill with ice.

-In a sifter placed over a bowl, add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Sift them, then whisk the ingredients until well blended.

-Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the cold oil in until dough is consistently crumbly.

-Measure out ½ cup of the water. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water. Slowly add to the dough, gently mixing with a fork after each addition.

-Add more water if necessary by Tablespoons just until it can form a pliable ball.

-Wrap in plastic or in an airtight container, and let rest while you prepare your filling.

For Filling:

-In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil, then add onion. Sauté about 3-5 minutes or until onion is transluscent.

-Crumble in the tempeh, then add add the cumin, oregano, smoke paprika, garlic powder and salt and cook an additional 2 minutes, making sure the tempeh gets well coated with the spices .

-Add beans and vegetable broth and stir, cooking until mixture is hot and liquid is absorbed. About 3 minutes. Spoon into a bowl and set aside.

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 pans with parchment paper, or use a silpat.

Forming Empanadas:

-Dust a clean, hard surface with flour, and roll out dough to approximately 1/8 thick. Use a large biscuit cutter to cut uniform circles about 4 inches in diameter or into 4 in squares.

-Place one heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each . Brush edges of the dough with water, and fold one side of the dough over the filling to the opposite corner, forming either a triangle or a half moon . Using a fork, seal the edges. (I used an empanada press)

-Arrange on sheets. Bake empanadas until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

*If you want to freeze half of them, do it before you bake them. Lay them in a single layer in the freezer until frozen, then transfer them to a freezer safe bag, and bake them from frozen when you are ready!

*UPDATE: If you don’t like Tempeh, feel free to use your favorite burger crumbles. I make these ALL the time and honestly I  make them without the tempeh just as many times. AND I often use frozen crust *gasp*!  But with those changes this is really a pretty quick meal option. If you just do the beans, knock back the spices by 1/4 tsp.

Just a heads up to all the busy parents out there!!