Red Chard Salad with Peach, Sweet Corn, and BBQ Tempeh

Begin by marinating the tempeh. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag or container (just be sure the dish is not so shallow that the marinade will not cover all the tempeh). Then cut the tempeh into thin strips. If you are starting with a standard 16 oz storebought piece of tempeh, slice it in half width-wise so that you have 2 pieces of tempeh, 3/8 of an inch thick each (this way they will cook faster and be crispier). Add the tempeh to the marinade and set it in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Once the tempeh is done marinating, remove it from the marinade, and pat the strips dry. Then heat a large non-stick or ceramic skillet over medium heat.

If you use a non-stick skillet, do not add oil.

If you use a ceramic or other variety of skillet, coat the surface evenly with 1 teaspoon of heat-stable oil (such as avocado, light olive oil, or vegetable oil) and wait 10 seconds for the oil to warm.

When the tempeh is done marinating, cook the tempeh. Simply add the tempeh strips to the pan and then cook–turning the temepeh onto a new side every 40-80 seconds–for 10-12 minutes. If the strips start to burn or the skillet smokes, turn the heat down and lift the skillet off the burner until it cools slightly. Each stove’s flame is a bit different so use your judgement. You are looking for a nice slow browning. After 10-12 minutes when the tempeh is nicely browned, pour 1/3 of the leftover marinade over the tempeh and coat the strips in it. Continue cooking over medium-low heat until the marinade has been almost completely reduced. Turn off the burner and toss the tempeh strips with 1 teaspoon honey while they are still in the skillet. Add a little salt to taste (flakey and/or smoked salt is a nice touch if you have it).

Then wash and cut all the salad veggies, and place them in a large salad bowl. For the corn: put the cob of corn (with the husk still on) into the microwave on high for 5 minutes. When the corn is done, remove the husk and use a knife to peel the kernels off the cob in strips and add them straight into the salad. Be careful not to cut too deep or you will get the hard backs of the kernels in the salad.

Just before serving, combine all the dressing ingredients, drizzle half over the salad, and toss everything together to combine. Taste and add more dressing as needed.