
1 tempeh cake
olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup molasses
1 T dijon
3 T tamari
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 t ground ginger
brown sugar
Cut the tempeh into whatever size strips makes you happy. I prefer my strips in the thinnish side. My tempeh comes in 425 g packages, so that's what I based the recipe on, but it should be fine to use your local standard size package. Let's keep it simple and say 1 tempeh cake :)
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tempeh strips. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then drain it.
Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and add the tempeh. Stir and cook it until it's browned, then remove it from the skillet and set it aside.
Heat a bit more oil in the skillet, add the onion, and cook until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and cook it a few more minutes, then add the tomatoes, molasses, dijon, tamari, rice vinegar, and ginger. Stir and bring it to a boil. I usually add a few teaspoons of brown sugar here because I prefer my bbq on the sweet side, but that's judgment call that varies by region and personal taste :)
Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes, or until it starts to thicken, then add the tempeh back to the skillet and cook another 10 minutes or until the tempeh is heated through and the sauce is as thick as you'd like it.
My favorite way to eat this is on a baguette with dill pickle slices (and truth be told, a side of fries). It's like a pulled pork sandwich, except kinder and healthier :)