Black Bean Tempeh Patties

Adapted from Julianna Satie, founder of The School of Natural Cookery — The Natural Cook training. Inspired through the creative process offered by The School of Natural Cookery

Main Characters

1. Umami Project Black Bean & Sunflower Seed Tempeh
2. Dry roasted / tamari sunflower seeds 
3. Fresh garlic, onions, mushrooms and parsley
4. Dry thyme & bay leaves
5. Sea salt  / tamari

Action

…..Turn oven to 300℉;  place sunflower seeds in a container and put into the oven.  
Turn as needed to gain a golden color.  Then remove them from the oven and toss with some tamari, stirring until they are dry in the pan.  Once these are cool, blend them in the food processor until the very small piece will stick between your fingers.  Remove from food processor. 
…..Defrost the tempeh, cut it in half. Stand the cut edge on the steaming rack.  Place bay leaves in the water beneath the steaming basket and a few touching the tempeh.  Steam it for 30 minutes. Let cool and cut into small cubes.
…..Wipe the mushrooms clean, keeping them dry. Remove the stem, or just cut it off. Sliver the caps and dry roast them in skillet over medium/low heat until they are dry.
…..Cut the onion in to large dice; coarse chop them in a food processor with garlic, and dry mushrooms.
…..Mince the parsley and toss some dry thyme, olive oil and sea salt.
…..In the food processor, combine the tempeh, chopped vegetables and herbs /olive oil / salt combination a most of the ground sunflower seeds.  
Pulse/Blend until everything is mixed into a paste.  It will be done blending when a loose shaped ball comes together. 
…..Shape the mixture into flat patties or balls.  Roll them into the remaining ground sunflower seeds. 
…..Bake on a metal sheet with baking paper for 30 minutes.  

 Performance

…..Serve cold, room temperature, or warm. 
…..Accompany with wet, juicy, vegetables and / or a sauce.