Tempeh Club Sandwich

I’ve recently started venturing into different types of soy products and gluten (seitan, I made seitan from scratch two ways: boiled & baked, will post about them soon).

I cooked with tempeh once before, but didn’t like it much. Recently I watched Toni Fiore cook with tempeh on Delicious tv and decided to give it a try. I loved it so much that I made it twice in 3 days.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients (makes 4 sandwiches):
For Barbequed Tempeh
Tempeh – 1 pkg (I used three grain variety)
Tamari – ¼ cup
Apple cider Vinegar – ¼ cup
Maple Syrup – ¼ cup
Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
Ground Cumin – 1 tbsp

For the Sandwich:
Bread Slices – 8
Romaine Lettuce – 4 leaves
Red Onion – 1 small, thinly sliced
Swiss Cheese slices – 4
Russian Dressing – 4 tbsp (I mixed ¼ cup of mayonnaise with 2tbsp ketchup and 1tsp of hot sauce)
Oil/ Butter/ Margarine – for brushing on the bread

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
  
• Slice the tempeh into four pieces. Lay the tempeh in a baking dish. Mix all the marinade ingredients for bbq tempeh in a small bowl and pour it evenly on the tempeh.
  
• Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. Check after about 20-25 minutes and if most of the marinade is absorbed, remove the foil and continue baking till tempeh absorbs almost all the marinade, but is not too dry. Remove and let cool a little bit.
  
• To make the sandwich: Make an assembly line of sliced onions, tomatoes, cheese, tempeh, bread, lettuce and the spread.
  
• Heat a heavy skillet on medium for grilling the sandwich. Layer the bread with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, tempeh and cheese. Top the cover slice with dressing.
  
• Drizzle the skillet with little oil, swirl around and place the sandwich. Grill for about 4-5 minutes till the bread is nice and toasty. Flip and grill the other side.
  
• Serve hot with a side of salad. It’s very filling and yummy!!!
  

This is my entry to Anupama’s Sandwich festival 2008 and to Sara’s WCC-28 TV Cooks.