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I just tried kale for the first time this weekend, in the form of the kale chips recipe that's making the rounds. It was good, though these also DO NOT SHRINK! I made a full baking pan of it, because I expected it to be like cauliflower when roasted - 1/2 a head shrinks down to 2 small servings. This didn't, so there was lots extra. Since I still have half a bunch left, I'll be trying it parboiled and sauteed with bacon.

I've had a block of tempeh sitting in my fridge for a while, not knowing quite what to do with it. I think I'll try the bbq sauce marinade. I also wanted to try to replicate a sandwich I had--it was tempeh marinaded in jerk sauce. It was spicy and AWESOME. Anyone have a great jerk sauce recipe?

charm city cupcake-you go girl (guy)! To answer the question, I find that if you slice the cakes in half horizontally, they fry up better & take any marinade or sauce easier. Try the mixed grain ones, as well. they're pretty good. I like mine in a "club sandwich" , fried 1st, like bacon & use all the fixings as in a blt.

Sarcasm never translates well across the boards... I was in no way berating vegetarians or their fare in any way, and I apologise if it came across that way. Lighten up! Tempeh IS moldy fermented soybeans, where's the harm in pointing that out?! I never bashed a vegetarian in the process, just poked fun at a harmless yet challenging chunk of moldy fermented soybeans.

My main point (badly presented AND taken) was that it's difficult for tempeh to be a main attraction ingredient. You're never going to bite off a chunk of tempeh and be bowled over by it's sublime deliciousness without some serious culinary intervention (believe me I have tried!). There's a reason every tempeh recipe is either marinated or flavored or "enhanced" -- because it's kinda scary on it's own. Answering the initial query, it's not meant to stand out. Most people don't LIKE it to stand out. If one is creative enough, you can transform it into something lovely...but don't expect it to be "tasty" right off the bat.

Better? Kiss and make up?

I love tempeh, and my best advice for people who have had mixed experiences with it is this: go to the best Indonesian restaurant in your area and try it there, and you will be converted. You will also have an idea of what to aim for when you make it at home. To that end, I usually make a marinade with kecap manis, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, etc. I marinate it for quite a while and then either fry it or bake it in the oven. I once cut it into very thin strips, marinated it and deep fried it until it was crispy. It was fantastic.

Probably my favourite way to eat tempeh is in a broodje tempeh, a tempeh sandwich that you can get in any Surinamese cafe in the Netherlands. It features a french roll layered with tempeh marinated in sambal with spicy pickle. One is never enough.

If the Indonesian/Surinamese angle doesn't work for you, there are a lot of creative tempeh recipes on the post punk kitchen: http://www.theppk.com/
But whatever you do, don't reject tempeh out of hand - it is great!

Years ago in downtown Manhattan, there used to be a health food restaurant called Scallions. That was the one and only place I have ever enjoyed tempeh. If you paid me, I couldn't remember how it was served.

Scallions also made the best broccoli pesto I have ever had and I would love to know how that was made. You could see garlic trails behind you after you ate it. Good stuff.

I agree that it isn't my favorite, but it can be good for a little variety. With tempeh, it is all about marinating. I like it marinated in a tamari/mirin/sesame oil mixture. You can pan-fry it with some garlic and onion powder in that mixture. I've made it this way and finished it roasting in the oven with some also-seasoned sweet potatoes. That was very yummy!

Even though I don't really care for tempeh, I found myself really irritated by one of the earlier comments. I don't know why people feel the need to be nasty towards vegetarians, in this instance, by disparaging soy products that vegetarians and vegans may choose to consume. Seriously, what's the point?

If you don't like tempeh (or tofu or whatever it is that a person is asking help for), then just shut up and don't comment on a post in which someone is asking for help in cooking this food item. If someone on here asks for help cooking a certain meat product, I (a lifelong vegetarian) don't comment and say that meat is cruel and that it's disgusting to eat smoked pig parts and that geese are tortured for foie gras and that it's horrible to eat any of the above things. I stay out of it because someone is asking for help in cooking said item, NOT for my opinion on what they are cooking.

I think we all learned in 1st grade that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything nice at all. Apparently some people were absent that day.

My dear mother taught me to cook....wish I'd paid more attention!

I love to cook, learned a lot from different cookbooks and the food network on TV.

My mom! And my dad taught me a few things too!! :)

I learned to cook from watching my ex-husband. My mom isn't much of a a cook.

My mom a little, myself a little.