Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh

Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Squeese the grated ginger over the bowl to extract the juices, then discard the pulp. Add tamari, mirin, maple syrup, ground coriander, and garlic. Mix together and set aside. Cut the tempeh into thin-ish, bite-sized pieces. Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn and cook on the other side for 5 minutes, or until golden. Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze. Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over the tempeh from time to time.
Serve tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with cilantro.

This recipe is courtesy of 101cookbooks.com. It is from the new cookbook of Australian natural food chef, Jude Blereau. Her book is titled, Coming Home to Eat: Whole Food for the Family (not yet available in the U.S.)

The human body is home to thousands of naturally occurring microorganisms. This may sound frightening, but it is actually a very positive thing; these “friendly” bacteria play a crucial role in our health.
Beneficial bacteria in our gut assist in digesting the food we eat, and in keeping more pathological bacteria and fungus in-check. Maintaining a favorable ratio of “friendly” to “unfriendly” bacteria can alleviate common digestive disorders such as constipation, gas and diarrhea, as well as increase our ability to absorb nutrients from food, enhance our immune response, and increase our overall energy and mental clarity.  Resent studies suggest that these intestinal bacteria may also be a factor in maintaining a healthy weight.  Weightloss scientists have even experimented with fecal transplants in overweight and obese patients.  (EEEEK!)

We can support our optimal health by including traditional fermented foods in our diet.   Most people already eat yogurt. Some other pro-biotic rich foods are kefir (a fermented milk drink), sauerkraut and kimchi (fermented cabbage), and tempeh and miso (fermented soybeans).  Lara has been on a kimchi kick and just started making her own!

Some other Considerations:

• When purchasing yogurt or kefir it is best to stay away from products with lots of added sugar and artificial colors and sweeteners. Unfortunately, many yogurts on the market now are no better than pudding or ice cream. Be sure they have “live active cultures”.  Nothing beats Fage Greek Yogurt in my book!
  For those of us who don’t eat dairy, there are a number of coconut, almond and soy yogurt and kefir products available. I have also seen goat and sheep milk products.
• Kambucha is a nutritious fermented tea product. It is available in the cooler of most health-food stores, and has a refreshing effervescence (kind of like champagne). I love the  sparkling probiotic drink, Kevita. I usually go for the coconut flavor, made with coconut water, apple cider vinegar and a ton of probiotic cultures (yum!)
• Probiotic supplements are now widely available. At the very least, a good supplement will supply 1 billion certified viable organisms, and a good variety of species from both the lactobacillus and bifidobacterium family. Many supplements need to be kept in the fridge. I supplement with probiotics periodically or after any course of prescription antibiotics.