Succulent BBQ Tempeh Dish

Now that I am back in the US, I get to play with all the yummy ingredients we have here that I couldn't find or that cost and arm and a leg in Japan. The weather in Hawaii has been scorching, and I can't help but have that summer feeling..... BBQ just popped into my mind.... This recipe is in Fresh from a Vegetarian Kitchen by Meredith McCarty. I cut the tempeh into bite-sized pieces, oven baked them in the sauce, and put into the pita bread with the fixin's like a gyro. Variety is the spice of life. This dish packs a lot of flavor and is fun for an occasional indulgence of the senses.

Barbecued Tempeh Cutlets in Pocket Pitas

8 oz tempeh, cut in 4 pieces or in bite sized cubes
1 c Red BBQ sauce (recipe follows)
2 whole wheat pita pocket breads
1/2 cup tofu mayonnaise (recipe follows)
lettuce, sprouts, onion, cucumber, or whatever you would like to stuff the pita bread with

Red BBQ Sauce
1 C Red Sauce
(6 carrots, 1 small beet, and celery pressure cooked for 10 minutes and blended. Use the leftovers for an Italian Pasta Sauce or Tofu Pizza. Yummy!)
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup natural soy sauce
2 T onion, minced
2 T brown rice syrup
1 T wet mustard
1 T sesame oil
1/4 t basil
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t cumin
1/16 t cayenne pepper powder

Mix ingredients well. Marinate tempeh in BBQ sauce for 30 min. Preheat BBQ, broiler, or oven while you make the rest. Cut each pita bread in half and steam for about 2 minutes to soften it. Spread some tofu mayo inside and stuff with veggies. BBQ tempeh, covered, for 5 to 7 min on each side, turning just once. To broil, cook on first side until toasted about 8 min, then turn it over, spoon on a bit more sauce, and cook 8 min more. To bake, cook for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, then turn the cutlets over, and bake 15 minutes more. Add cutlets to the pita sandwiches.

Tofu Mayonnaise

250 g tofu
1 T ume vinegar
1 T lemon juice
Dash of oil (optional)
1 t wweet white miso
pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients in the food processor, and adjust flavors to taste.