Budget Vegetarian

Tempeh is a wonderful little sister to Tofu, but I have the worst time finding good recipes for it. It has a great texture so most recipes involve cooking the entire brick of Tempeh coated in sauce, but I prefer to make food for EVERYONE, not just vegetarians, and the carnivores in my family refuse to gnaw on a hunk of fermented soybean. This easy and inexpensive casserole was loved by all the first time I made it and its light flavor makes it great as a summer dish or a holiday side.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 3 cups prepared rice
• 1 cube vegetarian "beef" bullion
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 can spinach
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can mushrooms
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 4 oz. Tempeh, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 350^o. Prepare rice as directed. Dissolve bullion in hot water. Drain canned vegetables.

2. In 9x5 casserole dish, mix together rice, dissolved bullion, vegetables, soup, Tempeh and spices. Cover with mozzarella.

3. Bake for 30 mins, or until mozzarella has browned. Allow to cool for 10 mins before serving.