When the warm weather hits, stir-fry reigns supreme. It doesn’t overheat the house, it’s light on the palate and light in the belly.

While looking for ways to cook up a quick tempeh for dinner, I stumbled across 101 Cookbooks and read her wonderful description of Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh. I had to try it, and of course, I tweaked it a tad.

Her version called for maple syrup as a sweetener, but I found that created too much sweetness when coupled with the flavors of the tempeh and the wild rice with kale that I made for the dish’s foundation. The original also called for cilantro leaves to garnish the top. I’d recommend that. I didn’t end up doing it, as I chose to use the last bit from my garden inside the dish and didn’t have any left for garnish. (My cilantro has now bolted, which means it’s time to dig it up and plant some kale.)

Here’s my altered recipe:

1 cup orange juice (Since citrus isn’t in season, I used a high quality, pre-made juice)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons tamari
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 ounces of tempeh
1 tablespoon olive oil

Warm up a large skillet over medium heat.
Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Add the ginger, tamari, mirin, cilantro, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.
Cut the tempeh into small pieces.
Drizzle olive oil in skillet. Add the tempeh and sautee until golden. Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze.  Stir once or twice while cooking to allow tempeh to absorb as much citrusy flavor as possible.
Serve the tempeh with the sauce.