Come home to a soul-satifying meal with this weeknight-ready barbecue protein bowl. Bright kale and fresh tomato perfectly balance out hearty barbecue-marinated tempeh and tender, roasted sweet potatoes. This protein bowl will delight your tastebuds and fuel your body with everything you need to feel awesome the next day—from energy-supplying carbohydrates and muscle-building protein to essential micronutrients such as calcium, fiber, and iron. You can make this meal in 30 minutes flat, so break out the skillet and start cooking!
Ingredients
Serves 2
Roasted Yams
1 sweet potato
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch cayenne
Black pepper
BBQ Marinade
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup water
For the Bowl
1 small bunch curly kale
1/4 teaspoon powder
1/4 teaspoonsea salt
1/4 wedge of lemon
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
10 oz tempeh
cooking oil spray
1 tomato, sliced
2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the yam clean then slice it in half lengthwise. Slice each half widthwise into ½” pieces.
2. Place the yam pieces in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, maple syrup, salt, cayenne and a few cracks of black pepper. Rub the yams well to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. Combine the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl.
4. Dice the tempeh into thin strips then use your hands to gently toss the tempeh in marinade. Allow the tempeh to soak in the marinade while you tear the kale into bite sized pieces, discarding the stem. Rinse the kale well, don’t dry.
5. Generously spray two skillets with cooking oil and put them both over medium heat. Put the wet kale in the larger skillet, sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder, stir well, then cover. Cook for 3 minutes or until bright green and tender, stirring a few times. Finish the kale with a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.
6. Put the tempeh in the second skillet. Drizzle 2 tbsp marinade over the tempeh then turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook the tempeh until dark and sticky—about 3 minutes—then flip and cook for another 3 minutes.
7. Divide the kale into two bowls then top with rice or quinoa, sweet potato slices, bbq tempeh, sliced tomato, leftover marinade, and extra bbq sauce if desired.
Reprinted with permission from 30-Minute Vegan Dinners by Megan Sadd, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Megan Sadd.
Megan Sadd is a Switch4Good team member, recipe developer, cookbook author, and blogger at Carrots and Flowers. If you’re a recipe developer, athlete, or just proud to be dairy-free, sign up to be a part of our growing team of go-getter individuals!
