Meatless Monday: Cream of Sunchoke Soup with Candied Tempeh

 

Creamy Sunchoke and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups potato, peeled and cut into a large dice

2 cups small peeled sunchokes cut into same sized dice as the potatoes

½ leek + ½ onion, sliced

4 garlic cloves, sliced

3 cup No-Chicken or vegetable broth

⅓ cup non-dairy creamer [I prefer So Delicious Original Coconut Creamer]

½ cup white wine

6 sprigs thyme tied into a bundle

a few grates worth of fresh nutmeg

sea salt

freshly-cracked black pepper

freshly-cracked green peppercorns [For garnish.]

chives [For garnish.]

Directions:

Place potatoes and sunchokes into a pot of cold water and bring to a simmer.  Cook until fork tender.  Drain. 

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan over medium heat and sauté the leek and onion until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so then add the white wine and cook until the alcohol has evaporated. 

Transfer to a blender and add the broth and creamer.  Blend until smooth and return to medium heat on the stove.  Add thyme and nutmeg.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.   Serve garnished with freshly cracked green peppercorns and chives and top with bite-sized of candied tempeh.

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Candied Tempeh

Ingredients:

1 package tempeh

⅓ cup maple syrup

⅓ cup ponzu sauce without bonito [You could substitute soy sauce.]

1 cup No-Chicken Broth

1 T yellow mustard

3 drops liquid smoke

Directions:

Combine all wet ingredients in a container or zip lock bag.  Cut tempeh into ½ inch slices.  Cover tempeh with the marinade and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove the tempeh and set aside.  Transfer the marinade to a pot and simmer until it has reduced down enough that the liquid coats the back of a spoon. 

Place the tempeh slices upon a non stick surface [I use a silpat on a baking sheet] that is oven safe.  Glaze the tempeh with half of the reduction and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the glaze bakes onto the tempeh.  Repeat the procedure with the remaining glaze.

Remove from oven and allow it to cool a bit before serving.  [Be careful when removing the tempeh because the candied glaze will be very hot and is very sticky.  It can easily burn your skin if you touch it while screaming hot.]