Family-Friendly Vegetarian Recipe from What a Good Eater! Cookbook

Family-Friendly Vegetarian Recipe from What a Good Eater! Cookbook

Over at the What a Good Eater! project we are running a “Virtual Dinner Party”. This is really just a fancy way of saying we’ve rounded up our favorite bloggers, asked them to prepare a recipe from our What a Good Eater! cookbook, and blog about their experience.

The goal was for readers to have one week of fresh, delicious, healthy meals for your family–FULL RECIPES from breakfast to dinner will be shared. You’ll also discover several fantastic new bloggers. (You can see the post with the list of all the bloggers and the links to their posts, here.) 

Of course you are invited, and I think I’d be a bad host if I didn’t join the party and share a recipe here as well. I chose the “Greek Tempeh with Easy Tzaziki” recipe.

This one is a family favorite in our household; I’ve been making it since before we had kids, and now it’s one of Penelope and Ciro’s favorites too (Ciro especially, he goes nuts for this!). Since Ciro and I are dairy-free these days, I modify the yogurt by using unsweetened coconut yogurt instead. The consistency is a little different, but it’s a great alternative if you are dairy-free as well (full recipe below).

My Favorite Kitchen Products

Our Virtual Dinner Party is sponsored by two of our favorite kitchen products: Infinity Jars, and the Vidalia Chop Wizard.

Infinity Jars offers the largest selection of the world’s finest airtight ultraviolet glass jars and bottles and apothecary containers, designed to preserve the freshness of your herbs, spices, and natural products. (And they look super sleek on my counter top.) The Vidalia Chop Wizard is a tool that literally chops your prep time in half – I let Penelope help with this one, and she loves it. And the best part? No more tears when chopping onions!

Now! Onto the recipe…

The Recipe

Tempeh Fingers with Easy Tzatziki

Age: 10 months plus
Yields: approximately 24 pieces of tempeh
Food storage: refrigerator friendly
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

We love this recipe because it’s a powerhouse of nutrition from top to bottom. The main player in this dish is the tempeh, and if you’ve never cooked with it before, we believe you’ll find it so easy and tasty that this meal may become a weekly staple! Tempeh is an ancient food that is fermented, high in protein, low in sodium, and a great source of iron. It is made from soybeans.

In the marinade, we use coconut aminos, which contain an abundant source of 17 amino acids, minerals, and vitamins! The tempeh is served with a probiotic-packed Greek yogurt dipping sauce that is sure to encourage your little eater to “dippy dip!”

For the tempeh:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons liquid coconut aminos
• Squeeze of ½ a lemon, seeds removed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano (can replace with ½ teaspoon dried oregano)
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 8 ounces tempeh, sliced horizontally into “fingers” about ¼-inch thick

For the yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt (we substituted with unsweetened coconut yogurt)
• ½ teaspoon fresh dill (can replace with ¼ teaspoon dried dill weed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the oil, coconut aminos, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl, and stir to combine. Add tempeh slices to the bowl, and gently mix with a spoon to coat all the pieces with the liquid. Marinate for 20 minutes.

Place yogurt and dill in a small bowl, and mix to combine.

Once marinated, arrange tempeh fingers in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet, and bake for 12­–15 minutes, or until the bottom side is lightly browned. Then gently turn each piece of tempeh over using a fork or pair of tongs, and bake for an additional 7–10 minutes or until the second side is lightly browned. Remove the tempeh from the oven and allow it to cool slightly so the pieces can be handled yet are still warm. (These can be served once fully cooled as well, if you prefer; no need to reheat leftovers tomorrow!)

Serve to baby, and let her dip the tempeh fingers into the yogurt sauce! Try serving this with a diced tomato and cucumber salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Note: You can find both tempeh and coconut aminos in health food stores, and on Amazon. You may also substitute coconut aminos with low-sodium soy sauce.

Bloggers at the party

Here is a list of all the bloggers who joined the party – check out each one to see which recipes they chose, and how it turned out. We encourage you to share our page with your parent friends who might like help making mealtime easy and delicious!

And if you are looking for a great gift this holiday season, we encourage you to purchase our cookbook. With herbs, spices, savory recipes and more, it truly is a fantastic gift.:

The Balanced Life – 12/5, Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Studio Botanica – 12/5, Spinach and Goat Cheese Mini Muffins
Sammiches and Psych Meds – 12/5, Dance Party Chicken Nuggets
Tessa from Family Footnote – 12/5, Dance Party Chicken Nuggets
The Filled Lantern – 12/6, Mini Basil Meatloaves, Zucchini and Squash Bites, Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Sage, The Iron Chicken Dance
Stay at Home Panda – 12/6, Mini Basil Meatloaves, Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos, Mediterranean Couscous with Feta, Kheema: Indian Ground Beef, Dance Party Chicken Nuggets, Penne with Pumpkin and Sage, Spinach and Goat Cheese Mini Muffins, Almond Butter Banana Boat
Fighting Off Frumpy – 12/6, Mini Basil Meatloaves
Full of Days – 12/7, Dance Party Chicken Nuggets
Ramblin’ Mama – 12/7, Grandma’s English Muffin Pizzas
Purposeful Nutrition – 12/7, Kheema: Indian Ground Beef
Belgian Foodie – 12/8, Dance Party Chicken Nuggets, Cocoa Avocado Smoothie, Baby Gazpacho, Avocado Tomato Hummus Sandwich
Attainable Sustainable – 12/8, Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Lola’s Cocina – 12/9, Jack and the Bean Salad
Tarot by Lisa – 12/9 – Chicken Tikka Masala, Coconut Curry Goan Fish
Mother Fluff – 12/10 – English Muffin Pizzas
Anna Vocino – 12/10 – Turkey Cutlets, Spinach and Goat Cheese Mini Muffins
Kelly from Family Footnote – 12/10 – Cool Cucumber Bites, Strawberry Ricotta Toast, Basil and Kale Frittata
Gluten Free & Other Allergen Free Recipes – 12/10 – Basil and Kale Frittata
SassMouth – 12/11 – The Iron Chicken Dance 
Homegrown & Healthy
Nourishing Days – 12/11 – Krispy Kale Chips 
PunkWife – 12/13 – Tempeh Fingers with Easy Tzatziki