I blog recipes only occasionally since there are so many great vegan cooks on the internet—and I’m merely a good-enough cook. But sometimes I stumble over a recipe that is so fantastic or I find myself pulling together such an exceptional menu that I feel compelled to share. And that’s the case with last night’s dinner. Here is the menu:

~Tempeh Marinated in Tequila

~Rice with Corn, Coconut Milk and Lime

~Spinach (fresh from the garden)

~Salad (even fresher from the garden)

I think this menu sounds a little fancy, and it would, in fact, be perfect for company. But believe me, it was super easy. Once you have the tempeh marinating and, if you cook the brown rice ahead of time, the whole meal can be prepared in about 20 minutes. The tempeh is spicy and goes well with the more tropical and breezy flavor of the rice dish. I had red wine with this, but it really is a menu that calls for beer or margaritas.

Tequila Tempeh (recipe is from Turtle Island Foods)

8 oz tempeh
¼ cup oil (I used canola)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp dried red chili flakes
¼ cup tequila
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic

Whisk together the marinade ingredients (that would be everything except the tempeh.) Cut the tempeh into thin cubes. Pour marinade over the tempeh and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Longer is better.

When you’re ready to cook, you can skewer the tempeh and cook on a hot grill, basting with the marinade. I don’t have a grill, though, so I poured the whole thing into a skillet and let the marinade cook down and the tempeh get a little brown.

The recipe for Coconut Lime Corn and Rice is from the Dine Dish Delish blog. I used brown jasmine rice rather than wild rice and parsley instead of cilantro. (I didn’t have any cilantro on hand, mostly because I don’t like it that much.) I also made this a one pot meal by simply stirring the corn, lime and coconut milk into the cooked rice and then gently heating it. Frozen corn just needs to be heated; it doesn’t need to be cooked.