Tempeh toast to summer

Memorial Day weekend marks the official start of the summer season in Maine. Now is the time of backyard BBQs, easy lakeside lunches and simple camp fare. Growing up, I remember eating salmon and peas on toast in the early summer, usually around the 4th of July.

In a nod to that traditional open faced sandwich, I created this quick lunch. The strawberries were leftover from yesterday's Opening Day picnic at my husband's family camp. Imported from California, the berries lacked intense flavor but made up for it in bold color. Any locally-grown fruit would make an excellent substitution. I also piled on my early farmers' market finds: pea shoots, onion, chives and baby kale, sauteed with garlic and tamari.

Early Summer Tempeh Toast

10 strips smoky tempeh, fried crisp
4 slices whole grain bread, toasted
2 Tbsp. sweet & spicy mustard
2 tsp. Maine maple syrup
2 cups pea shoots
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
1 small onion, sliced
2 organic strawberries, sliced

To assemble the sandwich: Spread two toast slices with mustard and two with maple syrup. Pile sauteed kale and sliced garlic on the maple syrup side. Top with a sliced strawberry. Top the other side with pea shoots, onion and chives. Eat with a fork and knife as is, or assemble, slice and serve as a sandwich. Serves 2.

>>Sauteed Kale
4 cups baby kale
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 small cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp. organic tamari

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute. Add freshly washed kale. Move the kale through the hot oil using a pair of tongs for 1 minute. Pour on the tamari and turn the kale for less than a minute. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.