It's pretty chaotic at my house right now. That's why I'm not there. Currently I am hiding out in the back bedroom at my mom's house stealing a moment to write about it. You see, last week I came up with this ingenious plan to switch bedrooms with the boy. The reasons are unimportant- needless to say, you agree with me-it's a brilliant idea. So this little whim of mine has since turned into a pretty major overhaul, involving crumbling walls, paint bubbling with chemical solvents, lots of grumbling, and Desmond and I pretty much decamping to avoid those toxic fumes and the destruction dust of eighty years worth of paint and plaster coming off the walls. So poor, poor Paul has been left to contend with all this. That's why I've been kind of quiet. During the very little time that I have spent at our house this past week, I have felt far too guilty to use any of it in front of my computer. If I don't have a sander in hand, I had better at least be taking another cursed trip to the freakin' home stupid depot, or better yet, feeding that wonderful, selfless, hard-working friend o'mine.
Anyway, all this blah blah blah is to say that, in our house at least, it's sandwich season. That's the season that follows the stultifying days of summer and precedes the good movies and occasional rains of fall. It is characterized by the massive project. For it is the sandwich that fuels these enormous undertakings. One needs a simple satisfying meal to make it through a day of sanding.
The sandwich is a humble meal. Some might even call it a snack. But as Paul will tell you, just a little bit of extra care, a little bit of love, transforms a sandwich into something worthy of being called dinner. In this sandwich the love comes in the form of rosemary, but that's a whole other story.
BBQ Tempeh Sandwich
1 package tempeh, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch)
1/2 c. barbecue sauce (Use a good one, you're really going to taste it.)
1/2 c. water
about 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
3 good rolls (Yes, I know, in the photo I used toasted sourdough and that will do in a pinch.)
1 large carrot, shredded
1 avocado, mashed (Again with the photo. As you can see, those slices are slipping right off the sandwich. But mashed avocado, on the other hand, makes a delicious sandwich glue.)
Vegenaise (I love vegenaise and paranthetical notes.)
Heat the oven to 350. Whisk the barbecue sauce, water, and rosemary together. Spread the tempeh out in a 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Cover with sauce. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking for about 15 minutes until the sauce is mostly absorbed and the tempeh has developed some chewy edges. Slather those buns with vegenaise, slap on your tempeh, top with avocado and shredded carrot, and take a moment to enjoy.
This recipe makes enough for three sandwiches which is an odd (hee hee, math humor, did I mention that I taught fourth grade?) number for recipe results, but if there's two of you, you'll have enough left over for the next day's lunch to help alleviate your guilt with a sandwich for that person that's working so, so hard.
