Tempeh fugit

Never, ever try new stuff the day before a race. No new gear, no new food, no weird new form that lets you channel spirit of ostrich. That's definitely what experts advise.

SO today (race eve) I decided to pad, cycle and shuffle around all day in my brand new Vibram Fivefingers. I breakfasted on a (disastrous) new recipe for whole wheat pancakes, and I experimented with tempeh. There are a couple of things you should know about tempeh (beyond it being a soya product, kind of like a very textured tofu). First: raw, it tastes like foot. Two: it looks like brain.

Everyone likes a pan of brain

But marinade it for long enough and you get a tasty, textured tofu alternative. Stick it in a sandwich and carb load your way to half-marathon success!

'Fools rush in' glazed tempeh and spinach ciabatta

Ingredients (makes one big sandwich)

100g tempeh (I used half a 200g pack and it was plenty) cut into strips

1 tbsp Light soy sauce

1 tbsp Agave/maple syrup

1 tbsp oil (I used hemp oil)

For sandwich: small ciabatta roll/half baguette; tomato, lettuce, vegan mayo

 

Boil the tempeh strips for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix up the marinade: whisk together the soy sauce, oil and syrup with some salt and pepper.

Mmmmmarinading brains!

Fish the tempeh from the pan using a slotted spoon. Cover with the marinade and leave for 30mins - 1hr.

Pop the marinaded tempeh under the grill for 3-5 mins each side (until you've got a dark brown glaze on top). Coat with any leftover marinade.

Halve and grill your ciabatta.

Assemble! Spread the ciabatta with vegan mayo; add some tomato slices, a handful of spinach or lettuce leaves and the tempeh.

Fitting the whole sandwich in your mouth counts as dynamic stretching

So good I nearly ran downstairs to marinade the rest of the tempeh - until I remembered I need to leave room for half a bag of pasta tonight. I loooove carb loading.

I also love my Vibrams - but more on them another time. I'm trying to pretend they don't exist. Otherwise there's a very serious risk I might attempt tomorrow's race barefoot.

 

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