BBQ Tempeh Bacon with Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

In this tasty “down home” style dish, bits of tart apple add a delightful flavor twist.

Serves: 4 to 6

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• One 6-ounce package Lightlife smoky tempeh
  strips (Fakin’ Bacon), finely chopped
• One 15- to 16-ounce can black-eyed peas
• 1 medium Granny Smith Apple, diced
• 2/3 cup natural barbecue sauce (try smoke-flavored)
• 10 to 12 ounces Swiss chard or spinach,
  well washed, stemmed, and chopped

Heat the oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent.

Add the garlic and bacon and sauté, stirring frequently, until all are golden and just beginning to brown lightly.

Stir in the black-eyed peas, apple, and barbecue sauce. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until the sauce is reduced.

Add the greens, then cover until wilted. Stir in, then cook for another 2 minutes or so for the spinach, or 4 minutes for the chard, until tender but still bright green. Serve at once.

Variation: This is also wonderful with kale, but it needs more cooking time than chard or spinach.  Start steaming it separately just before starting the dish; once cooked to your liking, stir it in at the end.

• Here are more tempeh recipes.
• Here are more recipes for hardy greens.
  
• Here are more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Dinner Recipes and
  more Tofu, Tempeh and Vegan Sausage Main Dishes.