Does that sound strange? It shouldn't. In the wintertime, when I'm forced to rely on canned tomatoes, my tomato dishes just don't have the same complexity that they do when the farmers market vendors are practically giving away heirlooms the size of my head. There's no substitute for fresh, ripe tomatoes but when they aren't available, soy sauce is an easy way to add some "umph" to any tomato-based dish.

This Meatless Monday dish is a great example of how soy sauce can take a dish from "okay" to "wowie."

Tomato sauce with Eggplant and Tempeh
Yield: 2 servings

1 Chinese eggplant, peeled and cubed
4-6 oz organic 5-grain tempeh, cubed
1 cup crushed canned tomatoes
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup whole raw cashews
1/4 cup plain nondairy yogurt

1. Cook eggplant and tempeh in tomatoes on medium heat until eggplant is tender. 
2. Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and cashews. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in nondairy yogurt.
4. Serve hot with pasta or other grain of your choice. 

P.S. Looking for a recipe I posted in the past but just can't seem to track it down? Use my handy-dandy indexed recipe page to find all your verdant favorites! (Just updated yesterday!)

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