Tempeh, Greens, and Zucchini

For a delicious and (fairly) easy Sunday night dinner, I whipped up a the Smoky Grilled Tempeh from Veganomican, though I omitted the liquid smoke added a little extra maple syrup, and threw in a splash of tequila. Veganomican advises boiling the tempeh before marinating it, and I think it makes all the difference, removing any lingering bitterness and softening the tempeh, which allows it to soak up more delicious marinade. I throw my extra marinade in the pan (though you could save and re-use it for something else). The maple syrup allows the tempeh to carmalize just a bit, though watch carefully to avoid burning the sugar in your pan.

I served the tempeh over brown rice and with a side of fresh kale, braised in thai chili sauce with garlic slices and some zucchini I marinated in soy, seseme oil and rice wine vinegar. While everything was warm and flavorful, the zucchini had a wonderful, buttery flavor that caused me to sneak into the kitchen later that night for more.