Buffalo Tempeh Salad

I've been trying to eat more salad over the last few weeks. They have had great sales on bagged salad and I'm taking advantage of that! I have 3 packages of tempeh in the freezer so I decided to find a salad online that I could use these ingredients. This was really good, the tempeh is super flavorful and I hope you'll give it try while the weather is still warm. I would double the Ranch dressing  since this is supposed to serve 4 but we used all the dressing on 2 salads. 

Vegan Ranch:

• 1/4 cup vegan mayo
• 1/4 cup non-dairy, unsweet yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Mix all the ranch ingredients in a bowl. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

The Salad:

• 1 small head romaine, chopped
• 6 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup shredded coleslaw mix (I used one that was red and white cabbage)
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 of a large red onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 avocado, cubed

Buffalo Tempeh:

• 8 ounces tempeh cubed into 24-28 bite sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons aquafaba
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup buffalo sauce

Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Add the cubed tempeh and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Add the aquafaba, garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper to a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Be sure your tempeh is mostly dry.

Add the tempeh to the mixture you made and toss to coat. 

Add the tempeh to a skillet and brown a few minutes on all sides. Add the buffalo sauce and toss until it starts to caramelize on the tempeh. Remove from the heat.

To a large bowl add the romaine, coleslaw mix, carrots and red onion.

Add about 3/4 of the ranch. 

Toss to combine the salad and dressing.

Build your salad. I used the salad mix and topped with the tempeh and the remaining veggies. Serve with the extra ranch on the side.

Enjoy!!!

Pesto Pasta Salad (WFPBNO)

This is my new favorite pasta salad. It has minimal ingredients and is delicious. I make oil free pesto during the summer, freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen crack it out into freezer ziplock baggies and keep in the freezer. When you need pesto just pop out how ever many cubes you need and let it thaw. That made this salad super easy to toss together. Feel free to add the veggies and items you and your family love. It's so good and it makes a lot so you may want to cut the recipe in half. 

• 1 16-ounce bowtie pasta, cooked and cooled
• 2 servings tempeh bacon, crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (should be bite-sized)
• 1 smallish red onion, diced
• 1 can artichoke hearts, quartered, I then cut each quart in half 
• 1/2 cup olives, I used halved kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced
• 3/4 cup pesto, can be homemade or store-bought but shoot for no oil

I made my tempeh bacon a day in advance. Start the water to cook your pasta before you being or earlier in the day. While my pasta cooked I mixed all the vegetables in a large bowl.

Once the pasta is ready drain and rinse with cold water.

Add the cooled pasta and the pesto to the bowl of veggies. Take you time and stir until everything is coated with the pesto. This took a bit but be patient. 

Sorry my pic is so blurry, not sure what happened. But this is so good and would be perfect served at any cookout.

Enjoy!

Tempeh Bacon (WFPBNO)

This is the best homemade bacon I've made. This makes a vegan bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich a true joy. I am also going to make a BLT salad using these strips. But, I will cut them into smaller bite-sized pieces for a salad. You really should give these a try and remember tempeh is a fermented food so it's gut healthy!!!

• 1 8-ounce package original tempeh, I use LightLife
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sriracha
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Remove tempeh from packaging and cut in half. Place a small saucepan of water on to boil. Once boiling add tempeh and boil for 20 minutes.

Make the marinade while the tempeh is boiling. Set this aside for now.

Once tempeh has boiled, drain the water and set the tempeh aside to cool. To a container with a tight lid cover the bottom of your container. Cut the cooled tempeh into thin strips like bacon. Add these to the marinade and pour a little marinade over each layer. Cover and refrigerate overnight for the best flavor. Every time you go to the frig flip the container over so all of the tempeh gets a good amount of time in that marinade.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400F. 

Place the tempeh on the baking sheet with a little space between each piece. Save that container of marinade.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Be sure to check it at the 15 minute mark since all ovens are different. The last few minutes keep an eye on this so it doesn't burn. Now add the tempeh back to the container with the leftover marinade. Reheat in the toaster oven for a few minutes or microwave briefly. 

This is so damned good. I can't wait to have a BLT using this. You can taste the marinade before you add the tempeh to see if you want a little more heat, or smoky flavor.

Sausage and Pesto Ricotta Manicotti

I've made this before but didn't take the time to get my photos together. So, this was an excellent reason to remake this dish. It is really good, although it does take a little prep time. I covered my manicotti in the sauce before cooking it since I had prepped my ingredients in advance and they were not hot. If your sausage is still warm you could bake this for just 10 minutes till bubbly and you wouldn't have to cover each piece of pasta totally. Since I cooked this for 30 minutes, to ensure it was nice and hot, my concern was that the pasta would dry out. 

Tofu Pesto Ricotta

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 4 tablespoons Nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/3 - 1/2 a cup basil, fresh
• 3 tablespoons walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Tempeh Sausage

• 1 8-ounce block tempeh
• 1 teaspoon basil, dried
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Manicotti

• 1/2 box manicotti noodles
• 1 24-ounce jar traditional pasta sauce (look for no oil)
• vegan mozzarella for topping, optional

Make the pesto ricotta. squeeze the tofu over the sink to remove as much water as you can. Don't worry if it crumbles everything is going in the food processor. Add all ricotta ingredients.

Pulse until it all comes together, scraping down the sides as needed. Add to bowl and set aside.

Start your water for the boiling the noodles. Make the tempeh sausage. Crumble the tempeh into a non-stick skillet.  

Sauté for 4-5 minutes until it starts to brown. Stir occasionally but not to often as that slows browning.

Add the seasonings and toss to coat. Sauté for another minute or so. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400F. Cook manicotti according to package directions. Add the ricotta to the sausage and stir to combine well. While The pasta cooks if you have a large baggie or a decorating bag you can use that to pipe the filling into each manicotti. If you don't you can use a small spoon or even your fingers.

Cover the bottom of your dish with pasta sauce.

Add the manicotti as you stuff them.

Cover with remaining pasta sauce.

Add the vegan mozzarella cheese if using.

Cover with parchment paper and then aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. You can see my comments at the top of the post. See my comments at the beginning of the post for more info on cook time.

Serve while it's good and hot with a side salad.

Enjoy!!!

Tempeh Tacos (WFPBNO)

This tempeh taco meat is delicious. I used it in a taco and here is the promised picture I had forgotten to take when I made them the first time. This would also be great in a quesadilla or burrito. Use this "taco meat" like you would traditional taco meat and you will be pleased with your meal. We had these again last night for Taco Tuesday and had leftovers for lunch today. Delicious flavor, you seriously need to give these a try. 

• 8 ounces tempeh
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, including juice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 red onion, diced (my onion was huge)
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons water
• black pepper to taste
• a dash of liquid smoke
• taco shells, tortillas, etc.
• Garnish: jalapenos, avocado slices, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, black olives, lime wedges

Crumble tempeh into a large mixing bowl. 

Add the garlic, Rotel, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and soy sauce.

Mix well until everything is blended.

Once everything is well incorporated add the onion and bell pepper.

Drizzle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time while stirring. Taste to see if you need more black pepper or salt.

Add 2 tablespoons water to a non-stick skillet. Once skillet is hot add the tempeh mixture and liquid smoke.

Toss tempeh a few times so it browns evenly. You may need to add a little bit more water to keep it from sticking, however I didn't need to do that since I used the juice from the Rotel. When the veggies are tender it's ready.

Add this to a tortilla for a taco or burrito. Be sure to garnish with your favorite items. Enjoy!!!