Vegan Tempeh Salad

Submitted by spatchcock

"This is an adopted recipe I've not yet had the chance to try. Here's what the OP had to say about it: "I’ve also heard this referred to as “Vegan Tuna Salad.” I absolutely love this salad! I’m not a vegetarian, let alone vegan, but this is fabulous. I've been buying it from Whole Foods Market in their Deli section (expensive little 8 ounce containers) so I came up with this by reading the ingredients listed on the container! I love it with tortilla chips...""

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 16 ounces soy tempeh
• 1⁄4 cup sweet pickle relish (I use Cascadian Farms organic sweet relish)
• 1⁄4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1⁄4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1⁄4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1⁄4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1⁄4 cup finely diced green pepper
• 1⁄4 cup scallion, sliced into little rings, only the white and very light parts
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dry dill weed
• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise (I recommend Vegenaise non-dairy vegan mayonnaise)

directions

1. Prepare the tempeh first breaking it into chunks and steaming it over boiling water for about 15 minutes.
2. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. Assemble the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl adjusting the amounts according to your preference.
4. Finely crumble the cooled tempeh into the bowl and combine with the chopped vegetables.
5. Add the mayonnaise last.
6. Chill before serving.
7. Serve as a sandwich spread – hearty wheat bread is nice, or serve as a dip with organic stone ground tortilla chips.
8. Serving size is relative -- .

Reviews

[vegangirlinaz]

Had this today at a Whole Foods and tried making it myself at home. OMG it is awesome!! I had to substitute fennel for celery and I used only all red bell peppers instead of adding the green peppers. I steamed the tempeh like they said & I thought that brought out the "nutty" flavor of the tempeh, which was great. I also steamed a little broccoli and added it to the salad, for extra color and nutrition. It is an incredible recipe that I can't wait to try over and over again. I think you can use less mayo (veganaise is 9 gms of fat per tablespoon) if you are watching calories/fat too. Next time I won't put so much in. This is great! Very happy with this recipe.

 

[epeirson]

I loved this salad. My coworkers and husband raved about it. The changes I made were: Bragg's liquid aminos instead of tamari, homemade mayonaise made with Safflower and flax oil, used the green part of the scallion, and omitted the relish. I served it over fresh baby spinach. It made for a very healthy and easy dinner!

 

[drjillkimm]

I really appreciate this recipe. I've been a vegetarian for 6 decades. It is hard to find high- protein low-carb vegan recipes. I find the mayo proportion way too high, and (after making) I doubled all other ingredients. I used pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds, added pimentos, and left out the pickle relish. I used Tellicherry peppercorns. I have always tried to duplicate Whole Foods eggless Tofu egg salad, and I did not know this steaming trick with tofu and tempeh. Thanks a million, great "tweakable" recipe.

 

[mmyount_12599653]

Being new to the soy product world this recipe really hit the spot! Didn't have any parsley substitued finely minced chard, also added grated carrots. Don't leave out the sweet relish. Ate as romaine lettuce wrap with some toasted pieces of 100% rye bread which is really more like Melba Toast. Looking forward to trying the savory chicken salad version.

 

[Keee8698]

This was fantastic!! We thought it was kind of a cross between a fake tuna salad and a fake chicken salad. I was feeling lazy, so I just crumbled the tempeh into a Ziploc steamer bag, added a little water, and threw in the microwave for 4 minutes (I cut the recipe in half though). Then threw the whole bag in the freezer while I prepped everything else, leaving out the peppers out of personal preference. By the time that was done, the tempeh was cool and I mixed everything - put in the fridge while we walked the dog and it was ready by the time we got home. We made sandwiches out of this on toasted sourdough bread with some romaine lettuce from our garden. We will definitely make it again! Thanks for sharing!