Fast and Easy Vegan Cashew Tempeh Stir-Fry

Cashew Tempeh Stir-Fry from Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook by JL Fields is on the table in 30 minutes flat! This simple-yet-delicious dinner recipe comes together faster than it takes to get takeout delivered, so it's ideal for busy weeknights. It's vegan with a gluten-free option.

One of the complaints I often hear from my coaching clients is that they don’t have time to cook meals. After a long day at the office, they want something fast and easy, so dinner is especially a problem. My friend JL Fields has come to their rescue with her new Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook.

Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook

Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook is full of — you guessed it — fast and easy vegan recipes! Some recipes are fast, others are easy, and some are both! None of them require a lot of ingredients, and preparation for each one is pretty simple. A lot of the recipes include substitution tips, making it easy to use what you have on hand. And some include oil-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free options, too, so it's easy for those with dietary restrictions.

JL includes information on how to balance meals as a vegan, versatile ways to use vegetables, and even how to store veggies. She’s also included useful meal-prep tips and a list of equipment that’s handy to have on hand in your plant-based kitchen.

The recipes in Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook will take you from breakfast and lunch all the way through dinner, but rather than group recipes by meal, they’re divided by level of ease, which makes using the book super handy. Some recipes don’t require any cooking at all, some can be made with just five ingredients, and others take 30 minutes or less from start to finish. There’s even a chapter devoted to pressure cooking!

Chapters in Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook Include:

• Vegan Meals Made Fast and Easy
• No Cooking Required
• Thirty-Minute Meals (or Less)
• Five Ingredients
• One-Pot Wonders
• No-Pressure Pressure Cooking
• Kitchen Staples

Cashew Tempeh Stir-Fry

When Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook arrived, I had a hard time choosing what to cook first. Do I make the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos? The Mushroom Stroganoff Bake? Or maybe the Socca Bread Pizza? In the end I decided on the Cashew Tempeh Stir-Fry. I chose it because I love tempeh and I love cashews. And I especially love them together!

This stir-fry takes about 15 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook, so it is indeed fast and easy. A quick stir-fry made with lots of tempeh, cashews, and lots of veggies is my favorite kind of meal. I served it over brown rice, but it can be served with any type of cooked grain or steamed potatoes. It’s definitely going into my regular meal rotation!

Cashew Tempeh Stir-Fry is Super Easy to Make!

• Start by mixing together the marinade ingredients and then pour it over the tempeh.
• While the tempeh is marinading, chop the veggies.
• Cook the tempeh and save the marinade.
• Next, add the veggies to the pan and continue to cooking.
• Finally, pour the remaining marinade over the stir-fry and serve!

Cooking Tempeh

New vegans often are sure what to do with tempeh or even where to find it. It can usually be found in the same area of the grocery store as the tofu, which is often the produce area or the refrigerated section. Tempeh can be used pretty much the same way as any other vegan protein. It can be crumbled and used in tacos, sliced and added to sandwiches, or cut and added to stir-fries, like it is here.

Some say that the fermented taste of tempeh bothers them. If that’s the case, you can steam it for about 10 minutes or simmer it in a bath of water or vegetable stock for about half an hour. JL also suggests allowing the tempeh to marinate overnight before making the stir-fry.

Make sure your tempeh isn’t made with grains that contain gluten if you follow a gluten-free diet, and use tamari instead of soy sauce in the stir-fry.

If you’re a vegan in need of fast and easy recipes, if you’re a new vegan and aren’t sure of what to cook, or if you’re just looking for new recipes to add to your collection, Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook is the book for you!

Cashew Tempeh Stir-Fry

JL Fields

The key to a fast stir-fry is to start with bold flavors and use quick-cooking vegetables. Serve it over brown rice or with steamed potatoes—both perfect foils for the zing of flavor.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Calories 395 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 8-ounce package tempeh cut into 16 cubes
• 1 cup raw cashews divided
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 to 4 tablespoons water
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 large yellow bell pepper
• 6 ounces kale
• 1 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, place the cubed tempeh.
• Into a blender or food processor, place ¾ cup of the cashews, the garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, and chili powder. Pulse, adding water as needed to achieve a texture slightly thinner than peanut sauce. Pour over the tempeh. Set aside.
• Dice the carrots, seed and slice the red and yellow peppers into strips, and de-stem and chop the kale. Finely chop the remaining ¼ cup cashews.
• In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, heat the oil. Drain the tempeh, reserving the sauce. Add the tempeh to the skillet and stir-fry until it begins to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until the kale has brightened and the carrots are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Pour in the reserved sauce and cashews, stir to combine, and serve.

Notes

Gluten-free option: Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari and gluten-free tempeh.

 

The Art of Perfect Tempeh
Many people—including me—prefer to steam tempeh before using it in a recipe. But the name of the game here is 30 minutes or less, right? If you prefer a tender, less dense tempeh texture, use the sauce ingredients as a marinade. Cube the tempeh, place it in a shallow dish with a lid or into a plastic bag, and pour the marinade over it. Store in the refrigerator overnight (or up to 3 days) before using it in this recipe.

 

Excerpt from Fast & Easy Vegan Cookbook: 100 Mouth-Watering Recipes for Time-Crunched Vegans, by JL Fields, published by Rockridge Press. Copyright © 2019 by Callisto Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Other Fast and Easy Stir-Fries You Might Enjoy Include:

• Tofu and Shirataki Noodle Stir-Fry
• Tofu Teriyaki Stir-Fry
• Sweet and Sour Brussels Sprouts
• Coconut-Peanut Butter Chickpea and Broccoli Stir-Fry