Since my spice cabinet is filled with Savory Spice Shop herbs and spices, it is always a fun endeavor creating something vegetarian for dinner. I’m interested in Fennel Pollen lately, so I thought I’d make a tempeh dish featuring this “spice of the angels.”

I didn’t really measure anything for my marinade, but it was basically

I let mine sit for an hour or so before grilling. Then, I opened my last jar of pickled onions from last summer’s crop. My pickled onions are so delicious- they’re not just any old pickled onions- they’re olive oil pickled onions, which means they have a coating of olive oil over the top which kept them from spoiling all winter (they did not withstand a boiling bath or any heated canning process). The olive oil mixes with the vinegar to create a salad-dressing-like flavor effect (or profile?).

I’ll be making twice as many pickled onions this year… But, first, back to my grilled tempeh. Grill it for a few minutes on each side. Easy.

I served mine with some grilled ciabatta, smoked provolone, olive oil pickled onions, and Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Ketchup, which is, quite frankly, the best ketchup.

So, go grill some tempeh and enjoy a meatless BBQ. Wash it down with a beer cocktail!

Living in the Gunbarrel neighborhood of Boulder has it’s benefits.  You get more house for your money.  You have impressive views of the Flatirons and the front range.  But, it has a lot of drawbacks- You are a few miles from downtown Boulder, and bus service stops earlier than most would prefer. So, going out on the town for dinner and drinks tends to become a planned event, not just a spur-of-the-moment “hey, let’s go downtown.”

But, as my first sentence said… there are benefits to this area, and food trucks are one of them!  My new favorite truck in town is Top of the Hill Grill West.  These guys are cool, and their food is fantastic.  Their dad’s Vermont restaurant, Top of the Hill Grill, conveniently provided the inspiration for Boulder’s best mobile BBQ joint. They set up shop across the street from me at Asher Brewery, so I just walk across 63rd St and order.

Let’s just take a minute to acknowledge this menu: Veggie Burger, Vermonster (available in veggie option), and Tempeh Wrap sit amongst the Steak and Cheese, Half Chicken, Pork, and Ribs offerings.  I like that.  I like that a lot!

I didn’t try the pulled pork sandwich, but was told a whole stream of positive, mouth-watering words about it.  But, I did eat some of these perfect fries. 

The half-chicken falls off the bone.  Go get a half-chicken! I can’t wait to get another. It’s that good!

Here’s my Vermonster wrap.  I was so impressed with this wrap because as a home cook who makes tempeh at least once each week, I have pretty high standards for tempeh.  Top of the Hill Grill West makes the best tempeh Vermonster and you should go try one. 

I also scarfed down their chipotle brownies, and though I offer no photo here, they look like delicious brownies.  You can use your imagination on the photo, but not the flavor.  Chipotle brownies are a really fitting dessert for a BBQ meal.

For updated info on where Top of the Hill Grill West will be parked and serving food, visit their Facebook Page.