Sep 5, 20202 min
Updated: Mar 12, 2021
The tacos are the perfect quick dinner to hit all of those flavor points you need! Smoky and salty bbq tempeh, sweet corn salsa, spicy chipotle sauce, and fresh buttery lettuce. The ingredients keep great for a few days so you can make leftovers and are super easy to customize depending on what you have and what you like. I hope you enjoy this recipe and tag me on instagram if you make them
Ingredients:
BBQ Tempeh
1 block of tempeh
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Corn Salsa
2 small or 1 large ear of corn
1/4 medium onion diced
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1 handful of chopped cilantro (with stems)
1/2 lemon's juice
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
For the Shell
1 head of "butterleaf" or "bibb" lettuce
or
6-8 corn tortillas
or
Whatever taco shell you like :)
Chipotle Sauce
My favorite plant-based recipe is from Kay's Clean Eats or if I don't have time to make my own I will use "Bitchin' Chipotle Sauce"!
Directions:
Slice tempeh into super thin strips, then the opposite way so that you get very small slivers. (Slice vertically, then horizontally) I prefer this to breaking it up with your fingers because I feel you can get smaller, crispier bits this way. Place tempeh bits in container with soy sauce and balsamic, stir to combine, and let sit for 30 min.
While we wait for the tempeh let's make the corn salsa. Slice the kernels off the corn cobs and add to a bowl with all of the remaining ingredients for the salsa. Stir to combine and let sit for 10 min. to let the flavors combine.
Make chipotle sauce (or if buying then skip this step)
Put tempeh in a skillet on medium to high heat and here is the fun part. Spread it evenly and let it start to crisp up. Once it starts to steam (about 4 min) then stir it around. I like to let mine get super crispy so I let this go on for quite some time, but it is totally up to you and the texture you want. Just keep flipping it around until all sides are browned.
Turn off the heat and add the bbq sauce to tempeh and stir till well combined. Let it cook a bit in the hot pan and then you are all ready to assemble your tacos!
Enjoy :)
*If you need your tacos to be more filling I also like to make a cilantro, lime rice for this when feeding more people. It is just 1 tbsp lime juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp chopped cilantro per cup of cooked brown rice. Eating these on tortillas will also be more filling than a lettuce cup but I prefer the crisp and fresh texture of the lettuce.
*This can also easily be enjoyed as a bowl the next day served over brown rice or lettuce as a salad.
*I do not use any oil for the tempeh as I think it gets a great crispy texture and bbq flavor without it, you may just need a really good non-stick pan!