Marinade:

Breading:

Begin by cutting each block of tempeh into pieces that are 2 inches wide and 1/4-inch thick. Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or mist with oil) a casserole dish that is large enough to hold the pieces of tempeh in a single layer, and then place the pieces of tempeh in the dish. In a small bowl, stir together all of the marinade ingredients, and then pour it over the tempeh pieces. Place the casserole dish in the refrigerator and leave the tempeh to marinate for 20 minutes.

Remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator, carefully flip over each piece of tempeh, return the casserole dish to the refrigerator, and continue to marinate the tempeh for 20 additional minutes or more. Remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator and bake the tempeh in the marinade at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove the casserole dish from the oven, carefully flip over the pieces of tempeh, return the casserole dish to the oven, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the breading setup for the tempeh. Place the flour on a large plate and set aside. In a shallow bowl or pie pan, place the soy milk, lemon juice, and tamari, stir well to combine, and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken slightly. On a large plate, place the remaining ingredients, stir well to combine and set aside. Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or mist with oil) two non-stick cookie sheets, and set aside.

When the tempeh pieces are completely cool, carefully dip each piece of tempeh in the flour, coating each evenly on all sides, and place them on large plates. Add any remaining flour to the breadcrumb mixture and stir well to combine. Carefully and quickly dip each piece of floured tempeh into the soy milk mixture, coating the pieces evenly on all sides, and then return them to the large plates. Then dip the coated tempeh pieces into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing evenly to coat on all sides, and return them to the large plates. After all of the pieces have been coated with the breadcrumb mixture once, return each cutlet to the breadcrumb mixture and press firmly to give each of them a second coating.

Place the breaded cutlets on the prepared cookie sheets. Using a little safflower oil, drizzle the top of each tempeh cutlet lightly with oil (or mist with oil). Bake the cutlets at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the breading is crispy and golden brown. Transfer the cutlets to a large platter for service. Leftovers make excellent fillings for sandwiches or wraps, or cut into cubes and add to salads, grains, or side dishes.

Yield: 24 - 2-inch wide and 1/4-inch thick cutlets