North Carolina Peach BBQ Rainbow Vegan Kebabs w/ Tempeh, Blue Potato, Purple Cauliflower, and More

Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)

Prep & Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 kebabs

The Challenge: BBQ Kebabs

Vegan Kebabs? Get real. With authentic NC BBQ sauce? No way. And its amazing? Leaving this site. 

I know what you're thinking, but I swear this is my best recipe yet. When it comes to "the grill," vegans often think...well I guess a veggie burger or maybe a vegan dog. If you're really feeling adventurous, you might have grilled some corn on the cob or mushroom caps. What we are going to do is make a quick amazing NC-style BBQ and drench roasted veggies + tempeh with them.

This recipe creates two amazing items - kebabs and NC BBQ.

If you are not familiar with NC-style BBQ sauce, it is delicious. It is vinegar-based with some good heat to it as well as typically some tomato element. It is much more runny and vinegar-forward. It has little sweetness to it, and it is usually used with pulled pork or some pork product. Traditional NC BBQ sauce is very simple: apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, red pepper, some sugar, and typically salt + pepper. Some add catsup to it, but they aren't authentic. Since I'm using it for a vegan dish - clearly I'm not authentic. That's why I took a great base and KICKED IT UP!!!

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My version is much more dynamic and uses authentic Georgia peaches to add a sweetness that is oh so delightful. We take that great BBQ sauce that only takes a few minutes to make and slather it on delicious kebabs. For the kebabs, I wanted to taste the rainbow literally using almost every color. Purple cauliflower and red tomatoes meet green zuchini and yellow peppers. The real stars though are tempeh and blue potatoes that we pre-season and saute to give some flavor depth.

Well, now that your mouth is watering, let me show you how to make these kebabs in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

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NC Barbecue Sauce

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbl coconut sugar
• 1 tbl sriachra
• medium peach
• 1 roasted tomato from canned tomatoes
• 1/2 tbl salt
• 1 tbl chili peppers
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Other

• 8 metal skewers (do not use wood...believe me do not use wood ha)

Veggies + Tempeh

• 8 oz of tempeh (grain-free), diced into squares
• 1 cup yellow pepper, diced into bite size squares
• 1 cup green zucchini, halved and diced into 1/2 moons
• 1 cup purple cauliflower, florets cut into bite size chunks
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 cup small blue potatoes, halved
• 1 tsp old bay
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tso ginger
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

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Equipment You'll Need:

Metal Skewers . Grill . Cutting Board . Medium Chopping Knife . Medium Mixing Bowl . Tray to Transfer Kebabs . Tongs . Pastry Brush . Medium Frying Pan

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Before You Cook:

• Turn on grill to medium heat around 360-400F
• Wash and chop all veggies + tempeh
• Microwave the potato halves for 3 minutes with a tsp of water

1. Start by cubing your tempeh. Tempeh is a light soy-based product that has a nice chewy texture that is ideal for using as a protein. It retains a lot of the flavors of how you cook it, has great protein, and is healthy!

2. Next, throw your potatoes and tempeh into a frying pan and begin to saute with 1 tbl of olive oil. After a minute or two, mix in the spices Old Bay, turmeric, ginger ground, and curry powder. Saute it for a few minutes over medium heat until the potatoes and tempeh begin to get a light brown sear. Set aside.

3. While your potatoes and tempeh are cooking, mix the rest of the fresh veggies with oil, coriander, sea salt, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Toss a few times to coat all the veggies. Set aside.

4. Before heading to the grill, blend together all of the BBQ ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor. Taste it. Add vinegar, sugar, or hot sauce as you see fit for flavor.

5. Before heading to the grill or at the grill, mix together all of the potatoes, tempeh, and veggies. Set up a station to skewer the veggies and then brush on the BBQ sauce.

6. Before placing on the grill, give the kebabs a nice healthy coating of the BBQ sauce. They should have a pretty heavy coating, using about 1/3 of the BBQ sauce. I use a pastry brush to brush onto the veggies.

7. Place BBQ drenched kebabs on the grill. We want the grill pretty hot nearing 400F to get a nice sear and grill on the veggies. Keep the veggies on each side for 3-4 minutes until they start to get a nice char. I leave the grill open since I'm going to add more BBQ and want to watch closely.

8. After each rotation, douse another layer of the BBQ sauce on the skewers. Use another 1/3 of the sauce.

9. I like to achieve a really nice char on the outside of each kebab. That's when I know its ready to come off and be served.

10. Serve the kebabs on a platter and let your guests/family/loved ones/whoever enjoy!