Anything chicken can do, tempeh can do better. At least that’s my motto in the kitchen. I like to browse through omnivore cooking magazines for meals that I can veganize. I came across a chicken marsala recipe and it seemed ripe for the veganizing. I don’t know if I’ve ever actually had anything marsala, to tell the truth, so I don’t know how close this tastes to the “real thing”, but it was a damn fine tempeh dish.

Ingredients:

2 8-oz packages tempeh, cut 1” thick slices
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound white button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup marsala wine
½ cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped, optional

Preparation:

Place one teaspoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat, and add the tempeh slices. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, flipping the slices occasionally until brown on all sides. If the tempeh dries out, add broth or water to the pan. Remove cooked tempeh from pan and set aside.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and cook the onions for several minutes, until they become translucent start to brown slightly. Add the garlic, mushrooms, salt and thyme and continue cooking until the mushrooms have started to brown.
Add the marsala wine and broth to the pan along with the cooked tempeh. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat, and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.
Serve tempeh marsala over cooked brown rice, mashed potatoes or pasta and garnish with parsley. As always, make sure you have some green veggies on the side!

Makes 4 servings.