For the past week or so, I’ve been making this sandwich, and it’s instantly become one of our favorite recipes. It’s not often that we want to eat the same dish over and over again in the same day, but that’s been the case with this sandwich. It’s a hearty and filling sandwich, but we always want another one immediately, even though we’re too full to eat another one; so, we just wait a couple hours, and then get started on round two.
What you may find surprising about this sandwich is that although it sort of looks like a sandwich that might not be good for you, it’s actually really nutritious. In addition to large amounts of carbs, protein, and fat – about 60% of RDA for each – it also contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
It’s not hard to find BBQ sauce that is vegan friendly, but it is hard to find one that isn’t loaded with sugar and corn syrup. Thankfully, after checking ever bottle on the shelf, I came across American Stockyard all-natural BBQ sauce. I got the “Smoky Sweet Kansas” flavor, and it was awesome. Hands down, the best store-bought BBQ sauce we have ever had. We liked it so much, we’re going to come up with a homemade version using the same ingredients.
Thick slices of tempeh pan fried in a smoky marinade. Served on grilled bread with sautéed onions, BBQ sauce, and vegan mayo.
Ingredients
- 1 8oz tempeh patty, cut into 1/2" slices
- Multigrain bread
- 1/4 red onion, sliced into thin rings
- 2 tbsp extra light olive oil or grapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- Smoked paprika
- Sea salt
- Cracked pepper
- Vegan BBQ sauce of choice
- Vegan mayo of choice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, and liquid smoke.
- Sauté onions with a drizzle of oil over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until soft and lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Pour 2/3 of the marinade into the pan, add the tempeh strips, and fry on each side for 5 minutes or until evenly browned on both sides. When the strips are almost finished cooking, lightly sprinkle them with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper; then spray them with a spritz of water to steam them a bit and deglaze of some of the fond that has formed on the bottom of the pan. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining marinade to the pan. Add slices of bread and fry on both sides for a few minutes or until they are browned. Remove from pan and assemble sandwiches.
Notes
Pay close attention to the temperature while frying the tempeh and the bread. If the pan gets too hot, the marinade will burn. You want the marinade to caramelize, but you don't want it to start smoking.
Don't worry too much about exact amounts for this recipe, just use common sense – If the pan looks like it doesn't have enough oil, add a little more, etc...
If you have the patience, you might want to try marinating the tempeh in the fridge overnight. But if you don't want to wait, tossing it all together in the pan works just fine.
