[Meatless Monday] Sesame-Honey Tempeh & Quinoa

Oh hey, Wednesday! Life and time seems to seriously be getting away from me. Heck, we're just about halfway through 2012! I'm pretty sure 2011 didn't fly by this quickly. 

This week I've been trying out hot yoga with a friend from work, which has kept me pretty busy in the evenings. I'm happy to report that its not nearly as horrible and terrifying as I expected it to be! Actually, I think I like it. Yeah, the heat of the room is overwhelming and I'm totally inflexible, but its challenging and relaxing. Some of my college friends are fans of hot yoga, so I've been curious about it for a while. Plus, lately I've been feeling a little "rutty" with my running/gym routine. Yoga seemed like a good compliment; and leaner muscles, added flexibility, and more core engagement are nice bonuses. I'm attending 1-2 more classes before I decide whether or not to splurge on an monthly pass...

So even though I'm 2 days late, I'm going to give you my Meatless Monday meal. This is such a great take-out alternative and is really simple. The sauce was so similar in texture to the typical chinese dishes (e.g., sesame chicken) and was perfected sweet/salty. I do suggest making more sauce than the recipe for the veggies and quinoa

• Quinoa: Cook according to directions on package (add freshly grated ginger for some zing!)
• Veggies: Use fresh or frozen stir-fry veggies; cook according to direction on package.
• Honey-sesame tempeh (from Eating Well): The only changes I made to this recipe was adding some fresh ginger and using arrowroot instead of cornstarch because its what I had on-hand. Also, I opted not to make the quinoa-carrot slaw; instead I prepared plain quinoa and some stir-fry veggies as a side. You can toss the quinoa/veggies in with the tempeh during the last minute of cooking in order to evenly distribute the yummy sauce!