Tomato, Basil, Tempeh Sandwich

I just combined two of my recipes and made this delicious sandwich! It’s so easy to put together and requires minimal cook time, so it’s perfect for lunch or whenever you want a quick bite!

I combined my fresh tomato basil appetizer and my spicy tempeh to make this sandwich, but I’ll put everything you need to know here.

{Note: this recipe can be made gluten-free if you use gluten- free tempeh, bread, and soy sauce.}

Ingredients:

Vegan

2 slices gluten-free bread

Vegan cream cheese (make sure there are no hydrogenated oils in the ingredients)

1 small tomato

Fresh basil leaves

Dash of olive oil or grapeseed oil

Small sprinkle of salt and pepper

1 8 oz package of tempeh (I get the 3 grain tempeh from Trader Joe’s)

2 garlic cloves minced

Drizzle of soy sauce

Sprinkle of cumin

Dash of cayenne pepper (note: cayenne pepper is spicy – add slowly!)

Small sprinkle of paprika

Tip: Trader Joe’s also sells a delicious vegan enchilada sauce; if you have that, you don’t need to add cayenne pepper and paprika to this recipe. Instead, add a splash of the sauce.

Instructions:

Cube the tempeh (since we’re adding this to a sandwich, I made sure that after I cubed the tempeh, I sliced each piece down the middle so that it would be nice and thin). Add a little bit of water (or oil) to your pan and stir in the tempeh. After a couple of minutes, add the garlic and continue stirring. Next, add the soy sauce and spices (or, soy sauce and enchilada sauce) and continue to stir. If the tempeh starts to stick to the pan, add more water. This recipe only takes a few minutes to put together and cook. If you make the entire package you will have plenty for more sandwiches, so share with others or save the tempeh for later and make some more sandwiches or switch things up by making some tacos!

Toast the bread (I use gluten-free bread that I get from this amazing bakery close to my house – but feel free to use whatever bread you love). Spread some vegan cream cheese on both bread slices. Add a generous amount fresh basil leaves (I can’t have too much!) and add tomato slices on top. Drizzle the tomato slices with grapeseed oil (or your oil of choice) and some black pepper and a touch of salt. Add the tempeh and top with more basil leaves and tomato. Finally, put your second slice of toast on top and bite into this delicious sandwich! Enjoy!