Tempeh in Charmoula

One last dish from Moroccan cuisine that I want to share with you this month is tempeh in charmoula. I made it for dinner this weekend and everyone loved it! Charmoula is a classic Moroccan herb and spice vinaigrette that is great on tempeh. You can also use this recipe and substitute the tempeh with a fish like tilapia, striped bass or red snapper filletes.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water until softened, drained and cut into thin strips
1/2 cup olives, preferably Gaeta or calamata, left whole
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsely leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt
4 5-ounce pieces of tempeh or fish

Procedure:
Preheat the overn to 400F. Warm 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a meidum skillet. Add the onions and saute until softened over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the olives and saute to heat through. Place in a baking dish large enough to hold the tempeh or fish in a single layer. In a small bowl stir together the garlic, parsely, cilantro, paprika, cumin, lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 cup oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle the tempeh or fish with salt and pepper and place on top of the onion mixture. Cover with the herb and spice mixture.Bake about 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Serve hot.