Warm Kale Salad with Quinoa and Broiled Tempeh

Warm Kale Salad with Quinoa and Broiled Tempeh

I wrote my last post after a few days of summer like weather but now the weather has turned again and it feels more like winter!  So perhaps this is a good day to post a hearty salad that could hold up to a cold windy day. One look at the ingredient list and the health benefits of this dish should be obvious.  But if you aren't familiar with vegan fare, you might not have ever tried cooking with tempeh.  Even I have only used it a handful of times, so this recipe began as an experiment to see if I could broil it instead of fry it on the stove top and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I marinated the diced tempeh for a couple of hours and then cooked it for about 20 minutes while I prepared the rest of the salad. Even my husband, who is often weary of soy products like this, enjoyed the meal.  So try going meatless the next time you prepare a dinner salad and give broiled tempeh a try!


Warm Kale Salad with Quinoa and Broiled Tempeh

organic tempeh

marinade:
8 ounces organic tempeh, cut into small cubes
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

dressing:
1/4 C. rice vinegar
2 T. extra virgin olive oil

pantry ingredients

1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salad:
large bunch of organic kale, washed and chopped
2 C. cooked Quinoa (or any other cooked grain)
1 organic red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 C. pumpkin seeds

fresh ingredients

1 T. sesame seeds




In a large ziploc bag, combine the tempeh, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, ground ginger and red pepper flakes. Shake well to combine and let marinate for at least an hour, or up to 4.  When ready to prepare the salad, place the marinated, and drained, tempeh on a foil lined baking sheet and broil (4 inches from broiler) for about 20 minutes.  While the tempeh is cooking, whisk together the rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, ground ginger and garlic powder in a small bowl and set aside.  In a large salad bowl, toss together the kale, cooked quinoa and red bell pepper.  Top with the dressing the cooked tempeh and toss well. Portion out onto dinner plates and top with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.  Makes 4 servings.

ready to broil

tossed together

ready to eat!!