Tempeh Strips With Black Mole

Here are some reasons it is okay to celebrate Christmas: 1. The day itself is not really the day Christ was born. Nobody actually has the exact day down, but most believe it was not during this time of year at all. Probably it took place in the spring, not on a “cold winter's night that was so deep.” 2. Diversity over the years has taken away much of the “Romish” flavor to the holiday. Our Catholic friends do as they wish on the night before and the day of Christmas, that is granted. But we do not have a state church. There are so many other ways Christmas is celebrated that no one really thinks about it the way the Puritans did so many years ago. The problem is not so acute because of so many years of varied expressions. At least this is true in our part of the world. 3. God can be honored in gift-giving and generosity as well as in singing carols and telling the story. They’re both important if done in the right spirit. We don't have to make something spiritual out of giving gifts. You may make a birthday cake to Jesus if you wish, but you don't have to. We do need to be Christian, however, about everything we do. Emphasizing the giving part of the day can heal lots of wounds, open calcified hearts, stir up gratefulness, and just be plain fun. God's not against fun is He? 4. There may be better things to be different about. In other words, we might show our radical difference better in the way we treat other shoppers, the kindness we show to retail clerks, the warmth of our hearts, the largeness of our generosity, the thankfulness we express and really feel. 5. There are admittedly some great opportunities to make Christ known during Christmas. With all that is bad about it, we can still make our point. And we will have some sympathy for our message. For years I've led Christmas Eve services, short ones of only 45 minutes, but packed with meaning. The building will be full and all kinds of our friends and family will hear the truth as clearly as we are willing to express it.

Jim Elliff

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Vegetables, Grains	Sami	New, Veglife2	8	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2	c	Vegetable broth
2	T	Balsamic vinegar
1	t	Tamari or soy sauce
16	oz	Tempeh
		each 8 oz block cut into 12
		slices
3	T	Raw almonds
2		Ancho chiles, plumped and
		diced
1		Pasilla chile, plumped and
		diced
1		Mulato chile, plumped and
		diced
1		Tomato, seeded & diced
1/2	c	Raisins or dried currants
		plumped
3	T	Sesame seeds, toasted
1 1/2	oz	Mexican chocolate, finely
		chopped
1/2	t	Cinnamon
1/4	t	Allspice
1/2	t	Ground cumin
		Salt to taste
		Freshly ground pepper to
		taste
		Flour for dredging
		Cooking spray or oil

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the broth, vinegar, and
tamari. Add tempeh, turning pieces to coat with marinade. Set aside  to
marinate for 1 hour. In a food processor, finely grind the  almonds.
Add chiles, tomato, raisins, sesame seeds, and remaining  vegetable
stock. Process until smooth (the puree will still be  somewhat textured
at this point.). Lightly spray or oil a large  skillet and warm over
medium high heat. Add chile puree and cook for  5 minutes, stirring
frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and add  chocolate, stirring
until chocolate is dissolved. Add spices and cook  an additional 2
minutes. Lightly spray and heat a nonstick saute pan  over medium high
heat. Drain tempeh slices slightly on kitchen  toweling, and dredge
lightly with flour. Saute until slightly browned  on both sides.
Arrange browned tempeh slices on a serving platter and  top generously
with mole.  By "Karen C. Greenlee" <greenlee@bellsouth.net> on Mar 21,
1999.  Recipe by: Veggie Life, March, 1999  Converted by MM_Buster
v2.0l.

A Message from our Provider:

“God weeps for you”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients) ---------------------------------------------- Calories: 207 Calories From Fat: 82 Total Fat: 9.8g Cholesterol: <1mg Sodium: 559.6mg Potassium: 543.6mg Carbohydrates: 19.8g Fiber: 2.9g Sugar: 5.8g Protein: 14.1g