Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs

Back when I used to eat meat, I didn't like to eat it if I was the one who had cooked it.  I could eat it if someone else cooked it, but I just couldn't do it if I had handled or seen the pre-cooked meat.  Now I'm that way with tempeh.  Maybe it's the smell while it's cooking.  Maybe it's how it's made (fungus spores are added to partially cooked soybeans and then fermented, creating the tempeh "cake").  I don't know, but for some reason it just kind of grosses me out.  However, again, if I eat it at a restaurant or if someone else has cooked it (and I didn't have to smell it being steamed/cooked), I love it.  It's an excellent source of protein, and I really like the texture of it much more than that of tofu.

So, tonight I decided to put on my big girl pants and make the Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs out of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's newest (and my favorite yet) cookbook, Appetite for Reduction:  125 Fast & Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes.   If you're a vegan/vegetarian or are simply looking to add more plant-based, healthy meals to your diet, buy this cookbook.  


Here's what you'll need.

Tempeh (I used Trader Joe's Organic 3-Grain, 1 can blackeye peas, breadcrumbs (I used plain, recipe calls for whole wheat), soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, black pepper, salt, pasta (I use half white, half whole wheat), and your choice of spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own Tomato & Basil).  The recipe calls for tomato paste, but I didn't have any so I substituted an equal amount of the marinara sauce I was using.

First, fit your steamer into a pot, and get the water boiling, then break your tempeh up into bite-size pieces.  Also, do yourself a favor and turn your stove fan on and/or crack a window.  Tempeh doesn't smell good when it's steaming.  It smells sour.  Kind of like you would imagine fermented soy beans to smell.  She (Isa Chandra Moskowitz) says to steam it for 10 minutes, but I steamed it for 15, just to mellow the flavor out a little bit more.  Also, I only had one package of tempeh, which was 8 oz.  The recipe calls for 12 oz., so I was short some tempeh, but it turned out fine.

As the tempeh is steaming, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, just generously coat it with some cooking spray.

The cookbook says to use a fork or other masher to mash the beans until they are well mashed, with no whole beans left, but not completely smooth, like a puree.  However, I threw them in my food processor along with the garlic, herbs and spices, soy sauce, tomato paste (or marinara sauce, like I did), and balsamic vinegar, and pulsed them 5-6 times, just until well blended; the beans were still chunky, but not whole.  If you don't have a food processor, or had rather mash them by hand, mix all ingredients except for the tempeh, bread crumbs, and salt together.

When the tempeh is done steaming, add it to the mixture.  Either pulse in the food processor a few more times, or mash it in with the other ingredients in a bowl.  It's best to do it while the tempeh is hot; that way the flavors will marry better.

When the mixture is cool enough to handle, just a couple of minutes, add the bread crumbs and salt.  

Now's the fun part.  Using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture per ball, roll the mixture out into walnut-size balls.  I actually used a tablespoon to measure out the first ball, then used it as a gauge to eyeball the size of the rest.  You should have about 20, but I had a couple less, since I only used 8 oz. of tempeh, as opposed to the 12 oz. it calls for.  Place them on the baking pan, and spray with a generous amount of nonstick cooking spray.  Cover loosely with foil.  If you're serving with pasta, now would be a good time to get it going.

Bake for 15 minutes, then take them out and flip the balls, and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.  The outsides will become slightly brown.

As they were finishing, so was my pasta, so I took my pasta off of the heat and drained it in a colander.  I let it sit there and then put my pasta sauce in the used pasta pot to heat.  Once the sauce was heated through, I added the beanballs and gingerly tossed them in the sauce.

Serve over pasta.  Enjoy.

Reflection:  Finally, a tempeh dish I can cook at home AND eat.  The flavor of the beanballs is much more mellow than most tempeh dishes.  I did use less tempeh than the recipe calls for, so that could have something to do with it.  I think when I make it again, I will still only use 8 oz. of tempeh, as I thought they were perfect how they were.  Also, I'll probably double the recipe, so I'll have a whole bunch of beanballs to freeze for an easy dinner one night when I don't feel like cooking (which, let's face it, is more often than not).

Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs
Makes 20 beanballs, 3 per serving
Active Time:  20 minutes        Total Time:  45 minutes


12 ounces tempeh  (I used 8 ounces)
1 (15-oz) can blackeye peas
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
several pinches of black pepper
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. tomato paste (I substituted 1 T. of the pasta sauce I had on hand)
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. whole wheat bread crumbs (I used regular)
1/4 tsp. salt


First, fit your steamer into a pot, and get the water boiling, then break your tempeh up into bite-size pieces.  Steam it for 10 minutes, or to mellow out the taste of the tempeh a bit more, steam for 5 minutes more, for a total of 15 minutes.  


As the tempeh is steaming, preheat the oven  350ºF and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, coat it with cooking spray.  

Either mash by hand or pulse just a few times in a food processor the blackeye peas, garlic, thyme, oregano, paprika, pepper, soy sauce, tomato paste, and vinegar.  While you shouldn't have any whole beans at this point, take care not to puree the mixture if you're using a food processor.  

When the tempeh is done steaming, add it to the mixture.  Either pulse in the food processor a few more times, or mash it in with the other ingredients in a bowl.  It's best to do it while the tempeh is hot; that way the flavors will marry better.   When the mixture is cool enough to handle, just a couple of minutes, add the bread crumbs and salt.  

Using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture per ball, roll the mixture out into walnut-size balls.   Makes approximately 20 balls.  Place them on the baking pan, and spray with a generous amount of nonstick cooking spray.  Cover loosely with foil. 

Bake for 15 minutes, then take them out and flip the balls, and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.  The outsides will become slightly brown.  Remove from oven and serve with your favorite marinara sauce and pasta.  

Nutritional Information, Per Serving (3 Beanballs):

Calories: 170

Total fat: 2.5 grams

Saturated fat:  0 grams

Total carbs: 28 grams

Fiber: 8 grams

Sugars:  3 grams

Protein:  10 grams

Cholesterol: 0 grams

Sodium:  260 mg

Vitamin A:  35%

Calcium:  15%

Iron: 8%

Vitamin C:  4%

Germantown Cafe

I should preface this blurb with I am not a food writer.  I simply want to let fellow vegetarian/vegan Nashvillians know what out there as far as vegetarian/vegan dining goes in our city.  As I've mentioned before, there isn't exactly a plethora of options to choose from.  More often than not, I end up getting a couple of side dishes, as way too often, no vegetarian options are offered.

If you want a really good vegetarian entree, check out the Germantown Cafe in the up-and-coming Historic Germantown area close to the Farmers' Market in Nashville.  I seriously love their Green Plate.  Grilled portobello mushrooms, butternut squash gratin, sauteed spinach, and asparagus.  The presentation is excellent, but more importantly it's really, really good.

Before...

After...

Germantown Cafe
1200 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 242-3226


Lunch                                      Dinner                      Brunch
Monday-Saturday                     Nightly                     Sunday
11am-2pm                                5pm                          10:30am-2pm

Reservations recommended for dinner.  

Vegetarian Entree Option: Yes, the Green Plate ($13.95) , also, the Pasta of the Day ($11.95), just double check to make sure the pasta of the day is; it always has been when I've been there. 


Vegan Entree Option:  The Green Plate can be made vegan by eliminating the butternut squash gratin and swapping it with a vegan side such as rice; also, I would imagine the Pasta of the Day could be made vegan as well. They are very accommodating.