Product Reviews

Turtle Island Tempeh
www.turtleisland.com
Review by Caroline Yoder

When I gave up meat four years ago, I launched into one giant food experiment. I began tasting and cooking with foods that I had never even heard of, all in an effort to embrace my lifestyle whole heartedly. Despite my years of food adventure, I was baffled when I received a sample of Turtle Island Tempeh.

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Although I had seen this mystery food numerous times in the produce section, next to my beloved tofu, I had never tasted tempeh. Oddly enough, I had been content with alternative forms of soy protein. However, as if blessed by the gods of veganism, I received these samples just after purchasing a few vegan cookbooks, all of which included multiple recipes calling for tempeh. My culinary experimentation began almost immediately upon opening the package of samples.

Turtle Island Tempeh is available in three varieties: five grain, organic soy, and spicy veggie. I experimented with the spicy veggie variety first, by making a hearty chili. This tempeh was the perfect texture: not too firm, not too flimsy. The crumbled tempeh lent itself well not only to the chili but various other incarnations, such as sloppy joes, tempeh satay; this tempeh also works well as general sandwich stuffer. All three varieties provided enough bulk and bite to substitute for meat in almost any recipe. Find Turtle Island tempeh in the refrigerated case of the produce section. If you'd like more recipes, visit the Turtle Island website.

Caroline Yoder is currently a student at Duke University, studying English and Psychology. She hopes one day to become a writer in the health field.

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