Barbecue Tempeh Sandwiches

• FAST
• HEALTHY
• STAFF-FAVORITE
• VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

1. 1/3 cup cider vinegar
2. 1/3 cup soy sauce
3. 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
4. 2 teaspoons ground cumin
5. 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile powder or 1 canned chipotle—drained, seeded and finely chopped
6. 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
7. 1 1/3 cups water
8. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
9. 1 pound tempeh (2 pieces), cut in half horizontally, then halved lengthwise to make four 4-inch squares
10. 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
11. 1/4 cup very finely chopped onion
12. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
13. 4 kaiser rolls, split
14. 4 romaine lettuce leaves
15. 2 cups alfalfa sprouts

1. In a large skillet, whisk the cider vinegar with the soy sauce, maple syrup, cumin, chipotle and paprika until combined. Add 1/3 cup of the water and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and bring to a boil. Add the tempeh pieces and cook them over low heat, turning a few times, until the tempeh pieces are heated through and the barbecue sauce is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cover the sun-dried tomatoes with the remaining 1 cup of water and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Cover the saucepan, remove from the heat and let the sun-dried tomatoes stand until softened, about 3 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes.
3. Add the onion and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir the sun-dried tomatoes and onion into the tempeh sauce and simmer over high heat until the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
4. Open the kaiser rolls and place a lettuce leaf on each bottom half; top with 1/2 cup of sprouts. Place 2 pieces of tempeh on each kaiser roll and top with some of the chunky barbecue tomato sauce. Close the sandwiches, cut them in half and serve immediately.