Luxurious Sonoma Tempeh Salad

If you are making the switch to a plant-based diet and miss rich, creamy chicken salad, give this a try.  This version is quite luxurious due to the rich, creamy dressing, the addition of grapes and toasted pecans and the additional sweetness that comes from maple syrup.  This is a dish you may even want to make for your favorite carnivore.  I made a batch when my Mom came to visit and she couldn’t stop eating it – she even got up and ate some for breakfast!  Feel free to use different fruits instead of grapes.  Sometimes I use a mix of fuji and granny smith apples; sometimes apples and grapes together.

Luxurious Sonoma Tempeh Salad

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• Author: Emily Honeycutt
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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For tempeh:

• 1 (12-ounce) package soy tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups Imagine Foods brand No-Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

For dressing:

• 1 (12.3-ounce) box organic firm silken tofu (Mori-Nu brand)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For salad:

• ¾ cup seedless red grapes, cut in half
• ¾ cup seedless green grapes, cut in half
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped* See Note
• Fine sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 (5-ounce box) mixed field greens, spinach, arugula or a combination for serving

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Instructions

1. Cook tempeh: Place tempeh in shallow pan with enough broth to cover. Add poultry seasoning, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and allow tempeh to cool.
2. Make dressing: Place silken tofu, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sea salt and cinnamon in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Assemble salad: In large bowl, combine tempeh, grapes and pecans. Toss with about half of the dressing, taste and adjust seasoning, adding a bit of fine sea salt and pepper as desired. Use just as much dressing as you like and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Note: Recipe makes enough dressing for two batches. Dressing also makes a delicious cole slaw.)
4. Serve on a bed of greens drizzled with a bit of extra dressing, if desired. Alternatively, serve in a sandwich (whole wheat pita is great) with lettuce or spring mix.

Note: To toast pecans, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet for 8 minutes and toast until fragrant. Watch carefully as nuts can burn quickly.

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Vegan

Nutrition Facts: In comparing chicken to tempeh, we find that chicken contains cholesterol and saturated fat along with mutagenic toxins and arsenic, raising our risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and more.  Tempeh, however, is free of all these harmful compounds and also contains fiber and isoflavones, a group of phytoestrogens which is protective against cancer and helps to reduce risk, while also increasing survival in those already diagnosed with breast cancer.

Recipe by Emily Honeycutt, 2009. © All Rights Reserved.  https://deliciouslygreen.com