BBQ Tempeh and Coleslaw
This recipe is a perfect vegan meal for a barbecue in the summer. It could not be easier and it's packed with flavor and texture! This recipe is perfect on a bun, in a wrap or in a bowl atop of some pineapple fried rice! The most important part of this meal is finding the best BBQ sauce for the job. Any BBQ sauce will taste good but it's important to look for clean ingredients and avoid sauces with high-fructose corn syrup and preservatives. I ended up going with Trader Joe’s organic Kansas City style BBQ sauce. This BBQ sauce is vegan, packed with flavor and has clean ingredients so it passes my tests!
What is tempeh?
Tempeh is a vegan protein, made from fermented soy and some sort of grain (this can vary). The tempeh I bought was Organic three-grain tempeh from Trader Joe’s which is also made from rice, barley and millet which makes it not gluten-free. There are however gluten-free options if necessary. The fermentation of the soy makes it more nutritious than tofu due to the breakdown of phytic acid. Phytic acid is a chemical that inhibits the body’s ability to absorb some of the nutrients in soy so when the fermentation destroys this chemical, it becomes more nutritious for us. Tempeh is very high in protein, there is 20g of protein in a serving making it an excellent source for vegans and vegetarians! It is a very versatile product which takes the flavor from whatever it is cooked or marinated in so perfect for BBQ sauce!
Perfecting the air fryer tempeh
I wanted to experiment a little with this recipe since I’ve never cooked tempeh in the air fryer before. I wanted to see if it was better when coated with BBQ sauce, then air fried or air fried THEN covered in BBQ sauce. As you might imagine, it was much better when it was first coated with the BBQ sauce. It gave the tempeh a really delicious, sticky consistency while staying crispy.
BBQ Tempeh
Ingredients:
-8 oz package of tempeh
- ½ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions:
Slice the tempeh horizontally into ¼ in thick slices.
Coat with BBQ sauce, saving half for topping
Preheat the air fryer to 350F. Place in the air fryer in a single layer and cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway. This can also be done in an oven: Preheat to 350F, grease a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.
Remove from the air fryer or oven and coat again with remaining BBQ sauce.
Coleslaw
Ingredients:
-½ cup Vegan Mayo
-6 cups coleslaw mix (shredded green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots)
-2 tbsp coconut sugar (or cane sugar)
-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
-1/4 tsp salt
-¼ tsp onion salt (optional)
Instructions:
Mix together all ingredients until homogenous
Leave in refrigerator for 3 hours to overnight
Enjoy on BBQ tempeh or as a side dish!
