Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps

Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps, vibrant veggies and toasted tempeh flavored with ginger, garlic and soy, all wrapped up in a luscious leaf!

Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps, vibrant veggies and toasted tempeh flavored with ginger, garlic and soy, all wrapped up in a luscious leaf! ~vegan, gluten free~

Sorry the posts have been lacking lately.  Last week was school vacation week…nothing got done.  Trying to keep two stir-crazy kids happy was a difficult challenge!  Thankfully, we had a few nice days that we were able to spend outside finding new hiking trails and helpful grandparents willing to give us some relief!  Lesson learned:  I will never go into February vacation without a plan of attack.  If we can’t get away, I will have an activity lined up for every day of the week instead of wanting to bang my head against the wall while the kids trash the house!

Amidst the chaos, we were able to fit in one super nutritious and beautiful meal…Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps!    This is a meal to feed two or you can use smaller wraps such as romaine leaves for an appetizer portion.  I used red bell peppers, mung bean sprouts, red cabbage and scallions but, don’t stop there!  Toss in your favorite fresh veggies…cucumbers, cauliflower “rice” and avocado would all taste great!  You can even add in baked sweet potato wedges or cooked quinoa for a heartier variation!

Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps, vibrant veggies and toasted tempeh flavored with ginger, garlic and soy, all wrapped up in a luscious leaf! ~vegan, gluten free~

Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps, vibrant veggies and toasted tempeh flavored with ginger, garlic and soy, all wrapped up in a luscious leaf! ~vegan, gluten free~

I used a prepared peanut sauce to save time, but making your own is easy!

Here are a couple of recipes to try out:

Peanut Dipping Sauce from Cookie & Kate

Spicy Vegan Thai Peanut Sauce from About Food

Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps, vibrant veggies and toasted tempeh flavored with ginger, garlic and soy, all wrapped up in a luscious leaf! ~vegan, gluten free~
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
  • 1 8 oz. block tempeh, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons bragg's amino acids (or soy sauce for a non-gluten free version)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
  • 3 leaves fresh basil, shredded
  • 2 large collard green leaves, stems removed
Fixings:
  • Shredded red cabbage
  • Chopped scallions
  • Thinly sliced red bell peppers
  • Mung bean sprouts
  • Lime
  • Sesame seeds
  • Peanut sauce
Try adding roasted sweet potato wedges or cooked quinoa for a heartier version!
    Instructions
    1. In a large skillet heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant. Add tempeh and cook until lightly golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in bragg's amino acids, toasted sesame seed oil, shredded basil leaves and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes.
    2. Assemble tempeh on collard green leaf and top with your favorite fresh veggies.
    3. Serve with peanut sauce and a slice of lime, enjoy!

     Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps, vibrant veggies and toasted tempeh flavored with ginger, garlic and soy, all wrapped up in a luscious leaf! ~vegan, gluten free~

    Thai Tempeh Collard Green Wraps, vibrant veggies and toasted tempeh flavored with ginger, garlic and soy, all wrapped up in a luscious leaf! ~vegan, gluten free~

    savory grits with bbq tempeh and collard greens

    Serve up a warm bowl of Savory Grits with BBQ Tempeh and Collard Greens for a hearty meat-free meal!

    Savory Grits with BBQ Tempeh and Collard Greens ~vegan, gluten free~

    Born and raised in the North East I never heard of grits until I did a quick stint of schooling down in Virginia my freshman year of college.  I was instantly hooked on this standard southern soul food!  Traditionally, grits are prepared with butter and often times they are served with cheese and sausage or bacon.  Grits are made from ground corn and are also referred to as hominy.  They are gluten-free and contain vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, iron and selenium.  You can also eat them for breakfast swirled with maple syrup, walnuts and sliced bananas!

    (Note: Not all brands of grits are gluten free due to cross-contamination.  However, Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills are labeled gluten free.)

    Savory Grits with BBQ Tempeh and Collard Greens ~vegan, gluten free~

    savory grits with bbq tempeh and collard greens
     
    Print
    Cook time
    Total time
     
    Serve up a warm bowl of Savory Grits with BBQ Tempeh and Collard Greens for a hearty meat free meal!
    Author:
    Recipe type: Main
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Serves: 4
    Ingredients
    For Tempeh:
    • 8 oz. tempeh, cubed
    • ¾ cup BBQ sauce
    For Collard Greens:
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 bunch collard greens, cut into bite-sized pieces
    • pinch sea salt
    • splash balsamic vinegar
    For Grits:
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup onion, chopped
    • 4 cups vegetable broth
    • 1 cup grits
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    Instructions
    For Tempeh
    1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
    2. In a shallow baking dish mix tempeh and bbq sauce. Marinate for 30-45 minutes. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
    For Collard Greens:
    1. In a large skillet over medium-low heat add olive oil and garlic. Sauté until fragrant. Add collard greens and sauté until wilted. Add sea salt and splash of balsamic vinegar.
    For Grits:
    1. In a medium sauce pan heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Sauté onion until golden. Add broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and slowly whisk in grits to prevent clumping. Add sea salt. Cover and cook until grits are soft and fluffy, around 10 minutes.
    Serve BBQ tempeh and collard greens on top of grits, enjoy!

       Savory Grits with BBQ Tempeh and Collard Greens ~vegan, gluten free~

      probiotics for weight loss

      13-400-species-probiotics

      Probiotics or the “healthy” bugs found in our stomachs are well known for being the main players in keeping our digestive and immune systems running strong.  However, new research is showing that these little buggas are responsible for whole-body health including our ability to lose weight.  They are even responsible for keeping the weight off of our mid-sections, which is one of the most dangerous places for holding excess weight.

      All this from teeny tiny bugs?  

      How do they do it?  

      By keeping our hormones in check.  

      The hormones ghrelin and leptin send signals to our mind when we feel hungry and full.  When these hormones are out of line, we tend to overeat leading to weight gain.  When our gut has a healthy “microflora” or when the healthy bacteria are doing their job our hormones function properly.  Unfortunately, many people do not have a healthy microflora due to eating processed foods, taking antibiotics, eating dairy and meat products raised on hormones and antibiotics, and drinking carbonated beverages.  To sum it all up, the Standard American Diet is detrimental to our microflora!  

      The probiotics lactobacillus fermentum and lactobacillus amylovorus have been found to interfere with the absorption of calories meaning less calories are being stored as abdominal fat.

      Hello bikini season, bring on the bugs!  

      Not only do probiotics boost our immunity, fuel our digestive health, aid in weight reglulation, they also give us energy!  When we have a healthy microflora, our digestion is running at top speed leaving more energy for us to burn doing the things we love!  Sounds to good to be true, right?  It’s not!  It’s a beautiful symbiotic system that was designed to keep us healthy, happy and radiantly energized!

      Where do I find these healthy bugs?

      You can build up a healthy microflora by taking a probiotic supplement or consuming fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, tempeh, miso and kombucha.

      ~Add kefir to your morning smoothies, make overnight oats with yogurt, add tempeh to salads, enjoy a tall glass of kombucha or eat miso soup daily~

      yogurt

      www.beginwithinnutrition.com