Incredible Vegan Smokey Tempeh Sliders

makes 6 mini slider rolls
3/4 cup warm water (120*)
2 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/2 -2 cups spelt flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp liquid sweetener of choice (maple syrup, agave. honey)
1 tsp black and tan sesame seeds

1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
1 tbsp melted butter

1 package of  tempeh, thinly sliced/shaved

2 tsp liquid smoke

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup tamari

3 cloves garlic- smashed and roughly chopped

2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vegan better than beef bouillon (or vegan Worcestershire) + 1 cup of water or 1 cup vegetable stock

shredded carrots – golden  (1 carrot)

handful arugula

 1 tomato – thinly sliced

1 small beet, scrubbed & thinly sliced into 6 rounds – roasted
olive oil

1 tbsp sriracha
1/4 cup veganaise

for the min slider rolls
sprinkle yeast in the bottom of  medium bowl – add warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes until yeast is bubbly/foams. with a wooden spoon or your hand, mix 1 1/4 cups of flour, salt & sweetener into the yeast mixture – turn onto a lightly floured surface. knead the remaining 1/2 cup of flour into the dough until the dough becomes smooth, 7-8 minutes  – please note the dough will not seem to have a lot of elasticity to it. place dough ball in a oil bowl and cover – allow to rise until double in size.
pre heat oven to 425*
line a baking sheet with parchment – after 1st rise shape dough into 6 equal rolls. cover and allow to rest & rise for an additional 20 minutes.
after 2nd rise, melt vegan butter.
with a sharp knife score the top of each roll with an x. brush the tops of the rolls with the melted vegan butter. sprinkle with sesame seeds & Himalayan salt.
bake in pre heated oven for 12 – 15 minutes.
remove and allow to cool. rolls can be made up to 1 day in advance – dough can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use.

the marinated tempeh
In a shallow baking dish combine all marinade ingredients – place the sliced tempeh in the dish ensuring all pieces of tempeh are immersed in the marinade. Allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes // can be made a day in advance.

Roast your beets while the oven is preheating for your bread – roasting time 15 minutes.
To roast your beets, toss the beet slices in canola or olive oil and spread on a small baking sheet.

In a small bowl mix the sriracha and veganaise

assembly of  the sliders
In a large skillet, pan sear/braise tempeh in half the marinating liquid, braise until liquid is mostly evaporated + flip the tempeh. Once all the tempeh is flipped, pour remaining half of marinade over tempeh and sear/braise until all liquid is gone and tempeh is golden/has a nice sear.

Cut the slider roll in half lengthwise
Spread a bit of the sriracha veganaise on the top half of the roll , top with arugula. place a few slices of the tempeh on the bottom half of the slider roll and top with tomato, a bit of shredded carrot & a beet slice. put the two halves together.
assemble all 6 sliders & serve.

enjoy!