Sweet and sour tempeh "ribs" with wilted cabbage

I'm having a great week, and for no particular reason. Last night, I sat on the porch and quilted, watching a downpour blessedly drench everyone's flowers and poor, scorched lawn. Tonight, we're going to a ballgame. Tuesday, we had a slightly lavish dinner out, for no better reason than it was Tuesday, and it had been awhile since we'd had a lavish dinner out a deux. In between, I've been reveling in the treat of long, empty evenings without work or craziness or things to prepare for. The last few weeks have been so crammed, I got pretty good at fitting in housework around obligations. Laundry/scrubbing counters/clearing clutter. Dishes/cooking/writing. Weeding/talking to mom/picking lettuce. This week it's a luxury just doing one thing at a time.

Of course, what would a good week be without a minor meal triumph? Monday night, this emerged from our kitchen, the glorious confluence of tempeh, shredded cabbage, and not much else.

Sweet and sour Tempeh "Ribs" with Wilted Cabbage

Tempeh:

2 blocks tempeh, each cut into 6 strips

2 cups sweet and sour sauce of your choosing. Mine is canned, from this recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine tempeh and sauce in a 9 x 9 baking dish, and bake for 45 minutes, turning every ten minutes or so.

Cabbage:

6 cups shredded cabbage

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

Heat oil in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, add cabbage and soy sauce, and cook, turning often, until uniformly wilted. Try a piece. Is it tender enough for you? If not, keep cooking.

2 cups cooked brown rice

To serve, spoon some rice onto a plate and top with cabbage. Arrange six "ribs" over, and follow with some of the pan sauce. Enjoy! Serves four pretty darn hungry people.