Pan-Seared Tempeh Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce (Recipe #74)

        When I saw this recipe in the cookbook, I first noticed that there were two versions of the tempeh steaks. One version had a chimichurri sauce and the other had a chermoula sauce. The marinades were also slightly different. The sauce and the marinade included the same spices. This was an easy to put together main dish for a meal.

I started by cutting the seitan into steak like shapes and putting them into a marinade to sit for an hour. This marinade included red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. After the tempeh had an hour in the marinade, I pan fried them in a little bit of oil. While on the stove, I prepared the chimichurri sauce. The sauce consisted of oil, parsley, salt, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. I placed the tempeh on a serving platter and topped with the chimichurri sauce.

I do want to note that I did not love the tempeh steaks. I am thankful for tempeh and other meat alternatives, but I do not enjoy eating them as the “main dish”. I like using these types of foods in other dishes, but I don’t love when my whole meal is surrounded by it. On the other hand, I did enjoy the crispy orange seitan, but I did make sure to pair that meal with rice and veggies. That being said, I typically do not enjoy the “steaks” from meat substitutes. I wanted to try this recipe as part of cooking through every recipe in this book, but I probably will not be making it again. The flavor was interesting and tasty. The texture of seitan itself has been something that I am having a hard time becoming accustomed to. I will be trying the second variation of this recipe, so we will see if my opinion changes! 

Taste: 7/10

Level of difficulty: 1/5

Notes for next time: This was an interesting recipe, but I do not think I would make it again.