BBQ Tempeh Ribs

For the 4th of July festivities I decided to make a delicious meal that tied in with everything going on. When most people think of the 4th, they think of cookouts and pool parties or beach and outdoor fun. So for this year's special occasion I decided to go a little past the hamburgers and hotdogs and make ribs. Of course these ribs were vegan and baked in the oven using a smokey-spiced rub and then a sweet and savory BBQ glazed sauce.

 I served these tempeh ribs with homemade vegan apple slaw too which cooled them down a bit and paired nicely! The best part about this dish is it makes perfect leftovers! Now that it's the 5th of July and all of this food is leftover, I thought the perfect things to do would be to make scrumptious BBQ sandwich topped with my apple slaw. Both recipes are below!

Ingredients for BBQ Tempeh Ribs:

1 pack of tempeh

(Ingredients for Rub):

1/4 c. Brown sugar

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. cayenne

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tbsp. coarse sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Cut tempeh down middle in half (first like you would be slicing a sandwich) into two thin slices. Then chop up into little strips. Coat both sides of strips with rub and place in a glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Pop in oven uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

(Ingredients for BBQ sauce)

1/2 c. Apple cider vinegar

3/4 c. Balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. Pure maple syrup

1/4 cup. Agave syrup

1 tbsp. of minced garlic

1 1/2 c. Ketchup

Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients for sauce in saucepan and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium high heat stirring for about 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened up. 

Take Tempeh strips out of oven and place on a cookie sheet that has a piece of foil on top (makes for an easy cleanup). Spread strips with sauce and bake at 400 degrees in oven for 5-7 minutes on top shelf of oven. Take out and flip strips over and spread again with sauce and pop back in oven for another 5-7 minutes or until strips are getting crispy and glaze is dark.

Ingredients for Vegan Apple Slaw

2 green apples thinly sliced and chopped

2 c. Shredded cabbage and carrot

3 tbsp. Veganese 

2 tsp. pure maple syrup

3 tsp. of Dijon mustard 

1 tsp. minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste 

Combine all ingredients and give a good toss making sure cabbage and apple slices are coated. 

Last night's 4th of July meal consisted of the ribs with baked beans, slaw, and a fresh salad with fruit. Today for lunch I enjoyed my leftover ribs on a sandwich thin topped with slaw and a side of fruit salad. Still just as delicious today! 

Enjoy!

~Crago