Vegan with a Vengeance

will do nicely. You can use thinly sliced, pressed tofu if you haven’t got any tempeh.
    3 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari or soy sauce
    â…“ cup apple cider
    1 teaspoon tomato paste
    Â¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
    1 (8-ounce) package tempeh
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
    To make the marinade, combine the Bragg, cider, tomato paste, and liquid smoke in a wide, shallow bowl and mix with a fork until the tomato paste is fully dissolved. Set aside.
    Cut the tempeh into thin strips (less than ¼ inch thick) lengthwise. You should be able to get about twelve strips. Rub the strips with the crushed garlic, then toss the garlic cloves into the marinade. Submerge the tempeh strips in the marinade and let sit, turning occasionally, for at least an hour and up to overnight. After marinating, discard the garlic.
    Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh strips and cook for 4 minutes on one side; the bottom should be nicely browned. Flip the strips over and pour the remainder of the marinade over them; if there isn’t much marinade left add a splash of water. Cover and let cook for 3 more minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Uncover and check for doneness; if necessary, keep cooking uncovered until all sides are nicely browned. Remove from heat and serve.

Sweet Potato Hash with Five-Spice and Watercress
    SERVES 6
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    I whipped this up one morning to go with my scrambled tofu when the only vegetables I had around were sweet potatoes and watercress. The watercress made me think Chinese, and the Chinese made me think five-spice powder and thus this simple but delicious creation was born. The watercress does a great job of picking up the spices and the garlic.
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1 medium-size onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    Â¼ teaspoon salt
    1½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
    3 medium-size sweet potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
    1 bunch watercress, stems discarded, torn into big pieces
    In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onion in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, salt, and five-spice and cook for about 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes and the rest of the oil. Cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked and caramelized a bit. Add the watercress and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes.
    Fizzle says:
    Chinese five-spice powder incorporates the five basic tastes of Chinese cooking—sweet, sour, bitter, umami (pungent), and salty. The blend commonly sold in America consists of cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, fennel seed, and star anise.

Herb-Roasted Potatoes
    SERVES 4-6
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    You can’t have brunch without potatoes—I’d like to see you try. I love these crispy, salty spuds and they are all kinds of easy to prepare. If the small red potatoes are radically different sizes, then cut the larger ones into thirds. They should be approximately 1¼ inches across.
    3 pounds small red potatoes, halved widthwise
    1 medium-size onion, quartered and sliced ½ inch thick
    Â¼ cup olive oil
    2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
    Several dashes fresh black pepper
    4 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
    4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
    Preheat oven to 450°F. Divide the potatoes and onions between two rimmed baking pans or a large rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with oil and then salt and pepper, and toss to coat (I find it’s easiest to use your hands for this). Roast for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the herbs, toss to coat (use a spatula now, they’re hot! I’m sure you realize this but just in case ...). Return to oven and roast until brown and tender, about 20 minutes longer.

Baking Powder Biscuits and White Bean Tempeh Sausage Gravy
    MAKES 12-14 BISCUITS
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    This biscuit recipe is adapted from a 1944 cookbook entitled Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried and True Recipes. In her introduction she states, “I know there are no substitutions for butter, cream, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables for preparing a fine meal.” I agree with the fruit and veggies part but aside from that I have thoroughly ignored Ruth’s advice, and her modified biscuit recipe has served me well for years. If you’d like, you can serve these with the White Bean Sausage Gravy (recipe follows), the Mushroom Sauce on page 89 or ignore my suggestions as I did Ruth’s and serve them with