Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Stir-Fry with Smoky Black Pepper Tempeh

This hearty winter sweet potato and Brussels sprout stir-fry is cooked up with flavorful, smoky, peppery tempeh and drenched in a tangy orange ginger sauce.

Two years ago I began my first year of working for myself, from home, as a full-time lawyer, part-time blogger. I was so excited, embarking on a new journey during my favorite time of year, that late autumn/early winter time. It was going to be awesome. As luck would have it, I spent the majority of the season sick as a dog. First I got a hideous cold-fever-cough awful sickness thing. Then I gave it to my husband. No sooner had I fully recovered when he, presumably, gave it back to me, probably in some mutated form, because isn't that how it works? Anyway, we went on like that for about two months, and it was miserable. And the whole time I was totally dumbfounded. All this time I'd been spending in schools and offices, and I never get sick. Isolate myself in a home office, and a few weeks later I'm a germ factory.

Anyhow, as I discovered from that little experience, being sick sucks. So now I'm on my toes the moment it starts getting cold out. Was that a sniffle? Is it cold in here? It seems like everyone is sick right now. I really do need to chill out. Being paranoid never helped anyone out. What does help, I'm sure, is not letting my diet go to hell for the holidays. Keep it up with the veggies, the fruit, lots of kombucha, and plenty of citrus.

I think my husband's a bit on edge too, as he went through that the winter of sick in 2013/2014 right with me. He's definitely on a citrus kick anyhow.

So it's high time I created a healthy winter stir-fry, and why not sauce it up with some citrus? That's just what I did!

This turned out delicious, and was maybe the heartiest stir-fry I've ever created. Sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts aren't my norm for stir-fry veggies, but they worked out great, and were the perfect contrast for each other and my gingery orange sauce. Enjoy this one now. We're right between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I'll be back soon with more festive food.

5 from 2 votes

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Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Stir-Fry with Smoky Black Pepper Tempeh

This hearty winter sweet potato and Brussels sprout stir-fry is cooked up with flavorful, smoky, peppery tempeh and drenched in a tangy orange ginger sauce.

Course Entree

Cuisine American, Asian-Inspired

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 308 kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

For the Marinated Tempeh

• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• ½ tsp. black pepper, this is a lot of pepper, use less if you're not into it
• ½ tsp. smoked paprika
• ½ tsp. powdered ginger
• 1-8 oz. package tempeh, cut into ½ inch cubes

For the Orange-Ginger Sauce

• ½ cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. orange zest

For the Stir-Fry

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 3 cups Brussels sprouts, halved

For Serving

• sesame seeds
• 2 scallions, chopped
• cooked rice

Instructions

Marinate the Tempeh

1. Stir rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, pepper, paprika and ginger together in a shallow dish. Add tempeh cubes and toss a few times to coat. Allow to marinate while you prep your other ingredients.

Make the Orange-Ginger Sauce

1. Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make the Stir-Fry

1. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and place over medium heat. When oil is hot, add tempeh cubes and any excess marinade. Cook until browned, flipping once or twice, about 8 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
2. Add remaining oil to skillet. When oil is hot, add sweet potato, cover and allow to cook until sweet potato cubes are softened but still a bit firmer than you'd want to eat them, about 5 minutes. Uncover and flip sweet potatoes once or twice during cooking. Raise heat to high and add Brussels sprouts to skillet. You can add a few more dashes of oil too if your skillet seems dry. Stir-fry until Brussels sprouts are tender-crisp and sweet potato is fork tender. Add tempeh back to skillet along with sauce. Cook just until sauce thickens and coats everything, about 1 minute.

Serve

1. Divide onto plates with rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by this 15-Minute Brussels Sprout & Tempeh Stir-Fry from In Pursuit of More.

Nutrition information does not include rice.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Stir-Fry with Smoky Black Pepper Tempeh

Amount Per Serving

Calories 308 Calories from Fat 124

% Daily Value*

Fat 13.8g21%

Saturated Fat 2.8g14%

Sodium 261mg11%

Potassium 786mg22%

Carbohydrates 34.7g12%

Fiber 4.2g17%

Sugar 15.1g17%

Protein 14.4g29%

Calcium 90mg9%

Iron 4.5mg25%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.