Fresh jalapeños are featured twice in this Jalapeño BBQ Tempeh Bowl from Vegan Bowls by Zsu Dever: first in the barbecue sauce and then grilled as a garnish. Garnish with the grilled jalapeño to taste, remembering they are spicy even when cooked. The sauce unites the flavors of the tempeh, grits, and chard.
Jalapeño BBQ Tempeh Bowl Over Creamy Grits and Chard
Fresh jalapeños are featured twice in this Jalapeño BBQ Tempeh Bowl from Vegan Bowls by Zsu Dever: first in the barbecue sauce and then grilled as a garnish. Garnish with the grilled jalapeño to taste, remembering they are spicy even when cooked. The sauce unites the flavors of the tempeh, grits, and chard.
Ingredients
GRITS
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups medium-ground corn grits, cornmeal, or polenta (do not use instant)
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plain nondairy milk, divided
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
SAUCE
- 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Sea salt and black pepper
VEGETABLES
- 4 cups chopped vegetables, carrot, turnip, sweet potato, squash, green beans, etc.
- 8 ounces chard, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
GRILL
- 8 ounces tempeh
- 2 small jalapeños
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Instructions
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GRITS: Combine the broth and salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to boil. Stir in the grits with a whisk. Reduce to simmer over medium heat and cook until thickened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of milk and simmer over low heat until the grits are tender, 10 to 15 minutes, partly covered. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk just before serving if the grits are too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside but keep warm.
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SAUCE: Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Stir and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the ketchup, water, vinegar, molasses, tamari, and maple syrup. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer over medium heat and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
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VEGETABLES: Prepare a steamer basket in a large pot. Steam the dense vegetables (carrot, turnip, etc.) for 7 minutes. Add the softer vegetables (summer squash, etc.) and continue steaming for 4 minutes, then add the chard. Steam until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Drizzle the vegetables with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
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GRILL: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cut the tempeh in half into 2 blocks. Cut each block in half diagonally. Cut each triangle in half through the middle to yield 8 thin triangles of tempeh. Combine the tempeh, jalapeños and oil in a medium bowl. Grill the jalapeños until slightly charred, about 8 minutes, turning as needed. Grill the tempeh triangles for 2 minutes, flip, baste with the sauce and cook for 3 minutes. Flip, baste with the sauce and cook for another 3 minutes.
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ASSEMBLY: Divide the grits among 4 bowls. Divide the vegetables among the bowls. Add 2 barbequed tempeh slices to each bowl. Chop the jalapeños and serve with the bowls. Serve with the remaining sauce.
Recipe Notes
SOY-FREE OPTIONS: Substitute 10 ounces of seitan for the tempeh or 4 large portobello mushrooms. Remove the stems, scrape the gills and cut off the edges of the mushroom to allow for even grilling. Grill the seitan or mushrooms as you would the tempeh. Substitute coconut aminos and a few pinches of sea salt for the tamari.
QUICK TIPS: First, heat the broth for the grits, then measure the grits and chop the onion, jalapeño, and garlic for the sauce while the broth heats. Chop vegetables for steaming while the onion cooks. Heat the water for steaming and preheat the grill pan about 5 minutes before needed.
Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.
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