BBQ TEMPEH ’N’ DILLY SLAW BOWL

SERVES: 2

TIME: 45 MINUTES

All of these salads feeling a little too healthy for you? Then dig into this rich, creamy, crunchy dill coleslaw and sticky BBQ tempeh topped with a flourish of BBQ potato chips! Despite its decadent flavors and textures, this salad rises above typical greasy omnivorous BBQ fare.

PAN BBQ TEMPEH

8 ounces tempeh

2 tablespoons olive oil

⅔ cup vegetable broth or light-colored beer

2 tablespoons tamari

2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons light molasses or pure maple syrup

1 heaping tablespoon smooth, unsalted natural peanut butter

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

DILLY SLAW

4 cups shredded red or green cabbage, or a mix of the two

1 large carrot, julienned

½ cup roughly chopped fresh dill

½ cup thinly sliced sweet white onion

1 cup Back at the Ranch Dressing (page 17)

1 cup vegan BBQ potato chips, broken up a little

1 Slice the tempeh into ½-inch-thick strips. Alternatively, you can slice the tempeh in half lengthwise, then slice it into four pieces, and slice each piece into triangles on a diagonal for a more dramatic presentation. Either way, it’ll be delicious.

2 Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then add the tempeh strips and fry until golden on each side, flipping occasionally. If the pan is rather small, divide the tempeh and oil and fry in two batches.

3 In a bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the remaining tempeh ingredients. Pour over the frying tempeh and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, flipping the tempeh occasionally. If you fried the tempeh in two batches, divide the sauce and cook each batch separately. Cover the tempeh to keep it warm.

4 In a large bowl, toss together all of the slaw ingredients, except for the potato chips. To serve, heap the slaw into large serving bowls, top with tempeh, and garnish with potato chips. Dig in!

 

If you can’t locate vegan BBQ potato chips, top with your favorite flavor of spicy rustic chip. I also love topping this salad with a few slices of bread-and-butter pickles.