What’s the difference between grits and polenta?

Both are made from ground corn. However, grits is made of a finer ground white corn and commonly used in Southern cooking and polenta is made of stone-ground yellow corn and commonly used in Italian cooking.

Can this recipe be made ahead of time?

This recipe is best prepared fresh. But you can make the tempeh in advance. Allow the tempeh to cool and place in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. You can pop them in a toaster oven for 3 minutes to warm back up when serving. Polenta can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed over the polenta to prevent it from completely drying out. Just note, the longer it sits, the stiffer it will get, so reheat on the stove top with a few splashes of plant based milk or water to help rehydrate and loosen it up.

How do you make the tempeh in the oven?

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make the tempeh in the oven. Place the marinated tempeh in a single layer on a lined baking tray, then put the tray in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes or until the edges of the tempeh start to brown and crisp up.

Is there a way to save even more time with cooking the polenta?

You can try using instant grits as a faster alternative. Cook them according to package and stir in a little miso, nutritional yeast and salt to taste. Then serve with the cooked tempeh as desired.

Is there a short cut for the tempeh?

You can cook some pre-marinated tempeh like this smoky Tempeh from Lightlife works great. It's sliced thin, so you can bake in the air fryer at 375F for 8-10 minutes. Just watch to make sure it doesn't burn.

Breakfast Polenta Bowl with Smoky Air Fryer Tempeh

Name: Breakfast Polenta Bowl with Smoky Air Fryer Tempeh
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tbsp white miso paste; 1 cup water, plus more as needed; 1 cup unsweetened almond milk; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1/2 cup stone-ground polenta; 1/4 tsp kosher salt and more to taste; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 block Tempeh, cut into 1/4 inch thin bite sized pieces; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp fennel seeds; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 2 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos to make gluten-free; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp maple syrup

Description

Vegan Breakfast Polenta Bowl – creamy miso polenta topped with smoky air fryer tempeh, this meal is savory, satisfying and easy to make.

Ingredients

Scale

Miso Polenta

1 tbsp white miso paste
1 cup water, plus more as needed
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup stone-ground polenta
1/4 tsp kosher salt and more to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Tempeh

1 block Tempeh, cut into 1/4 inch thin bite sized pieces
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos to make gluten-free
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup

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Instructions

To a bowl, add in your cut tempeh and pour over enough boiling water (I used a tea kettle) to partially cover the tempeh. Place a cover over the bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes to steam. As you wait, prepare your miso, mix your miso with a fork in 2 tbsp of water until smooth and set a side.
Carefully drain the water from the tempeh and then add the remaining tempeh marinade ingredients and mix together to coat. Allow the tempeh to sit and marinade for 10 minutes.
Place the tempeh pieces in your air fryer basket and set to 375F for 10 minutes. Allow the tempeh to stay warm in the air fryer while you finish cooking your polenta.
For the polenta, add one cup of water and your milk to a sauce pan and bring to a high simmer.
Stir in your nutritional yeast and then slowly pour in your polenta while whisking continuously to help avoid clumps. Allow to simmer while stirring frequently for 10 minutes as the polenta thickens.
Add your salt and miso mixture and continue to stir for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Stir in your olive oil, cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve with the tempeh and any sautéed vegetables on top.

Notes

The polenta will continue to thicken as it sits, so make sure to serve fairly soon after cooking. If it does thicken too much, stir in some extra water or milk to help loosen it up and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Do not use the polenta that already comes in a tube. We just want the dry granulated variety you get from a block or bag.

To make the sautéed spinach featured in the photo, add small splash of oil to a skillet and add some sliced garlic. Stir-fry until golden then add in a few handfuls of spinach and stir fry until the spinach has wilted. Season with some salt and pepper and serve.