recipe: mole with veggies and tempeh

Zach and I made the most delicious meal this week. It's so good that we're going to remake it again this weekend because two days of eating it wasn't enough for us. If you've never had mole, it's a classic Mexican sauce with complex sweet/savory/spicy/smoky flavors. Usually the sauce is already vegan, but in this version there's also no added salt or oil. This recipe was adapted from this blog.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce (1/2 T chopped de-seeded chili, 1/2 T sauce)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate

3 bell peppers, sliced
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 pkg tempeh, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro leaves
1 lime, sliced into wedges

Directions:
1. In a pot, saute onion in water  for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, almonds, and raisins and cook for another 5 minutes - add water as needed to prevent burning.  Add the cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and oregano;  heat for 1 more minute.

2. Add the chipotle, adobo sauce, tomatoes with their juices, and vegetable broth.  Heat to boil, then add chocolate and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.

3. Meanwhile, grill peppers, jalapeno, and tempeh in a grill pan.

4. Remove sauce from heat and puree with immersion blender. 

5. To serve, drizzle sauce over a plate of grilled peppers and tempeh. Garnish with avocado slices, cilantro leaves, and a lime wedge.