Feed Me Thursday (& Foodie Event): BBQ for a Hot August Evening

It’s warmer after an unseasonable cold spell here in the high country and I’m thinking BBQ.   Rich, smoky, sweet, tangy.   So here’s a few BBQ favorites to keep you drooling during this sultry August.

So, after I just warned you about the dangers that excessive soy poses to men of reproductive age, I’m posting a reference to a soy-based recipe. There’s room for everything in the diet, provided it’s some real food and traditionally prepared.   Tempeh is just that.   It’s a fermented soy and the fermentation process greatly increases its value in the diet.   So there.   Room for everything.   I love tempeh.   I like it in all its funkiness.   This recipe comes from Diet, Dessert and Dogs and it’s her version of Sweet & Spicy BBQ Tempeh.     I’m dying to try this.   Yum.

And if it were me–and it is–I’d serve that tempeh up on some serious bread with gobs of homemade mayonnaise, some extra BBQ sauce and plenty of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.   Serious bread like this sourdough bread packed with carrots, flaxseed and pumpkin seed from the passionate cook.   That bread looks so delicious.   I bet a similar version will become a quick favorite in this house.   I’d ditch the vegetable oil in favor of melted ghee for the same reasons margarine won’t ever make an appearance in this home again.

But what’s a good sandwich like that without some decent sliced pickles?   You see, I’m not the only one fermenting cucumbers on my counter top.   Indeed, Denise over at cook.eat.think has been at it too: check out these pickled cucumber slices she has and you’ll agree they’d make a great addition to this supper.

And what we need is a good side dish.   Potato salad? Nah … too boring.   Instead, how about a Root Veggie Salad from Culinary Quirks (oooh shit … I just heard a noise and there’s a giant bear outside … seriously … okay … that’s mountain life … on with the show).

And we need something to wash it all down.   How about a simple stevia-sweetened lemonade from the Nourishing Gourmet.   I’m still a bit unnerved by stevia–it’s a pretty processed food despite it’s claims of being “all natural.”   Still, one of these days I’m going to give it a go and it might even be with a recipe like this one.   If you’re concerned about stevia as well, you can always substitute a touch of honey or agave (which has its own set of issues) or just drink lemon water which is tasty enough by itself.

On another note, I’ve been thinking of opening Feed Me Thursdays up as a Foodie Event.   The rules are simple: gaze over the feeds of your favorite food blogs and construct a menu of recipes your dying to try.   Post them every Thursday and link it here via Mr. Linky.   Let me know if you’re interested by replying to this post.