Vegan BBQ Tempeh Bowl

Summer is meant for barbecue, right? Being vegan doesn’t mean we have to miss out on the barbecue fun. In fact, there are lots of ways to eat vegan barbecue, but my new favorite way is with this BBQ Tempeh Bowl.

So, what’s in this bowl? Sautéed Greens, a quick and easy slaw, and tempeh drenched in homemade barbecue sauce, all sitting atop a bed of pearled barley. Lots of flavors and textures make every bite of this bowl interesting and tasty.

I made a homemade bbq sauce because a lot of the ingredients in store bought varieties are well, kinda scary.  Don’t worry though, this sauce comes together in about 20 minutes and if you’re really sort of time bottled sauce will work in a pinch. I like my sauce not very sweet and with a peppery bite so I add a lot of black pepper. Black strap molasses adds a great old fashioned flavor and some nutrition to this sauce too. Molasses is a good source of potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamin B6.

Some sort of slaw is almost guaranteed to be served when barbecuing so of course I had to make some for this bowl. I went with a quick oil and vinegar dressing opposed to a creamy one mostly because we’re not mayo or vegan mayo people. The result is less creamy, but with all the flavor of typical cole slaw. The key to making this slaw is preparing it at least a couple of hours ahead of when you need it and refrigerating to let the flavors blend.

We really enjoyed this for dinner and definitely plan to make it again and again throughout the summer.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!

Recipe

Vegan BBQ Tempeh Bowl

Melissa

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup uncooked pearled barley
• 2 ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth or water
• 2-3 cup kale, collard greens, or another green, roughly chopped

Cole Slaw:

• 8 oz cole slaw veggies. I used a prepackaged blend with no dressing.
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Tempeh:

• 1 8 oz package tempeh
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup bbq sauce homemade or store bought My Recipe is below.

Homemade BBQ Sauce:

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• ¼ cup black strap molasses
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter sauce

Instructions

 

Pearled Barley:

• Combine broth or water and barley in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until soft and a bit chewy and all liquid has cooked away.

Cole Slaw:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat. For best flavor refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving to give flavors time to blend.

Tempeh:

• Slice tempeh into ½ inch thick pieces. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add tempeh and cook for 5 minutes or until browned and even a little charred. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes to brown other side.Add bbq sauce and gently toss to coat.

Greens:

• Saute in a skillet with a drizzle of oil or a bit of water until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

BBQ Sauce:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste. Allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator.
• To prepare bowls, scoop barley into bowl and top with tempeh, kale, and slaw. Drizzle with additional bbq sauce, if desired.

Notes

To keep gluten free use brown rice instead on barley.