BBQ Tempeh Sandwich

After the success of Tempeh Gyros, I wanted to find more uses for tempeh that would help fill the void of those meaty meals we no longer eat. I was craving BBQ sauce and thought why not? Following the same basic steps I used before, I prepared the tempeh to marinate in BBQ sauce overnight. I tried both the Annie’s Naturals Organic BBQ sauce we bought at the store and my own homemade recipe, which was inspired by this one I found online from Veg Kitchen. I changed the seasoning up a bit to fit our taste, added a few things and it turned out great! Definitely more of a tomato taste than sweet BBQ, but we liked it since we don’t like our BBQ to have too much sweetness. And it got better as it cooked too! I omitted the olive oil from the recipe but feel free to put it back in, it may help crispen up your tempeh a little better too. We topped with some of our favorites like avocado, broccoli slaw and pickles but anything will go with these. The kids absolutely loved them and even asked me to give them leftovers for lunch at school the next day! Anytime my kids ask for more I know it’s a success!

[recipe title= “BBQ Tempeh Sandwich” servings= “Makes 4 sandwiches”]

Homemade bbq sauce, protein packed tempeh and veggies fill this mouthwatering sandwich!

Ingredients:

• 1 package tempeh
• 4 sprouted wheat or gluten free buns

Toppings:

• 1 avocado
• 1 cup broccoli slaw or 4 pieces lettuce
• 4 sandwich sliced dill pickles (optional)
• any other toppings or condiments of choice

BBQ Sauce Marinade:

• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce or make your own using recipe below

homemade recipe:

• 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 3 tablespoons Tamari
• 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

note: The sandwiches can be topped with any toppings you like. I got the broccoli slaw at Trader Joe’s but lettuce works great too. I also used some ketchup and hot/sweet mustard on ours. My homemade BBQ sauce has more of a tomato taste and is less “BBQ like” than traditional BBQ sauces, but we loved it. I left out the olive oil but adding it back in would help make the tempeh cook a little faster and crispier.

Instructions:

Day 1- Make home made BBQ sauce marinade by mixing all ingredients in a deep dish. If using jarred then dump into a deep dish.

Cut tempeh block in half. Bring a pot of water to a boil, place tempeh halves inside and boil for 10-15 minutes. This removed any bitter taste from the tempeh.

Remove tempeh, and after it has cooled slice in half again length wise to make thinner patties. Place slices in marinade.

Marinate overnight, mix up the tempeh slices every once in a while to make sure you have all of them covered with marinade.

Day 2- Preheat oven to 400. Remove tempeh slices from the marinade and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Make sure they are coated with sauce.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and beginning to crisp at the edges. Make sure you turn the slices over half way through.

Once tempeh pieces are done, warm your buns in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Assemble sandwiches but placing tempeh slices, toppings, and any condiments on buns. Serve with asparagus fries (recipe) or any other sides you like! [/recipe]