Curried tempeh-mango salad

This recipe caught my eye a week or two ago when I was flipping through Vegan with a Vengeance. Normally I’ll disregard anything with "salad" or "sandwich" in the name, since I dislike both (I know, I’m a strange one). This one gave me pause, though. Anything "curried" automatically belongs on my radar, and tempeh and mango are two things I love and don’t get to eat often enough. The fresh mango selection in Kansas is dismal, in my experience, but I had a can of mango slices in my pantry that I picked up a long time ago at World Market. I’m also a mayonnaise hater, but the Vegenaise in this recipe is minimal, and just serves to add a touch of creaminess to the sweet-sour dressing. If you don’t have (or don’t like) tempeh, this would be great with chickpeas.

For the salad:
8-oz. pkg tempeh
1T soy sauce
1 cup fresh or canned mango, chopped
1/4 cup chopped scallions

For the dressing:
3T Vegenaise
2T apple cider vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sriracha
1/4 tsp salt



Tear the tempeh into bite-size pieces and place in small saucepan. Cover with water and add the soy sauce.



Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and transfer the tempeh to bowl to cool. Meanwhile, chop the mango and scallions, and whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing.



Add the mango and scallions to the tempeh. Add the dressing...



...and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour (overnight is best) to allow flavors to meld.



Serve in split pita halves or with pita chips, and feel free to add extras such as lettuce, diced red onion, or additional chopped mango. This was sweeter overall than I expected (I’d probably leave out the sugar next time) but it played well off the tart lime and the pungent curry powder. It’s great for a sack lunch, an afternoon snack, or even (my favorite) a nutritious breakfast. I’m declaring it a keeper.



Yield 4 servings. Per serving (without pita): 235 calories, 9g fat (1.1g sat), 18g carbs, 4.2g fiber, 4.8g protein.

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Vegan biscuits and gravy
Tempeh bolognese