Grilled bruschetta and Italian tempeh

I went to the farmers' market this morning and was lucky enough to get one of New Cascadia's coveted baguettes. The last few times I've been to the market, the popular all-gluten-free bakery has been completely sold out of everything. The bread and a pint of beautiful, ripe cherry tomatoes from the produce store sealed the deal: bruschetta for dinner!

And what better way to celebrate this wanna-be summer bounty than to break out the grill for the first time this year? To round out the meal I marinated and grilled tempeh, and picked kale from the garden to make greens. The produce store had a special on pineapple halves, so while the grill was hot, I grilled wedges of pineapple for dessert. Yum, bring on the sun!

For timing: marinate the tempeh first, preheat the grill, prep the bruschetta, put the tempeh on the grill, and after you flip it put the bread on, too.

Italian grilled tempeh

vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or diced
• 1 tsp fresh oregano, diced or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 8 oz block of tempeh, cut along the shorter side into 1/4" thick strips

Directions

• Whisk together all of the ingredients except the tempeh in a wide, shallow container.
• Pass each slice of tempeh through the marinade to coat both sides, and let sit for at least half an hour.
• Preheat grill to around 450 F.
• Grill about 10 minutes each side, or until grill marks have formed.

Grilled bruschetta

vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 garlic clove, pressed or diced
• 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, diced
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus additional for the bread
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• a gluten-free baguette

Directions

• Preheat grill to around 450 F.
• Toss everything into a small food processor and pulse for 5 seconds at a time, 3-4 times or until the mixture is to desired consistency. I like mine on the smooth side, with enough chunks of tomato that it sits on top of the bread. Let the mixture sit for flavors to meld while the bread grills.
• Slice a baguette into diagonal slices to get the most surface area. New Cascadia Bakery, here in Portland, sells nice gluten free bread-- that's what I used. You could also make your own French bread.
• Brush or spray olive oil onto one side of each slice of bread. Place oiled side down on the hot grill. Remove in 3-5 minutes once grill marks have formed.
• Serve with tomato mixture spooned onto grilled side of bread.