Lemon-Caper Braised Tempeh

I know, for many of you tempeh is like the 'last frontier' of vegan cookery. You see those mysterious blocks of tempeh sitting in the freezer section of your store, and pass by those foreign objects for fear of culinary defeat.

No fears, my dear vegans! Tempeh can be delicious... and easy, like with this Lemon-Caper Braised Tempeh (new recipe). Now, with tempeh, I find it's important to infuse flavor... much like tofu. The beauty of tempeh though, is that it does have a natural nutty, earthy flavor. And while it's flavor (and texture) might take some getting used to for those accustomed to tempeh's better-known relative tofu, it is really very appealing when prepared the right way and with some of your favorite seasonings.

In this recipes, tempeh slices are first pan-fried to sear both sides.

<-- And just look at that golden-brown crust! That's flavah, flavah!

Then, the tempeh is finished by braising in a lemon-caper sauce. I add full slices of lemon as well as fresh lemon juice to the dish, since it infuses a lot of flavor (okay, and I think it looks pretty)! But, eating those lemon slices with your meal is optional, as they are quite bitter with the rind intact.

Now, 'spot the difference' in the photos! See here on the right, the lemon slices are part of the sauce... but in the large photos above, whoops, I forgot the lemon slices during that recipe trial. Which, of course meant that I then had to retest the recipe again to get a fully accurate flavor result.

Yeah, that's what happens to us cookbook authors that recipe test while multitasking mom duties! Had to start the recipe alllll over again another day....

not that I minded too much... it was delicious enough to make again!