Sweet, savory and bursting with summer herbs, this salad is one of my favorite homespun recipes. It's great for bringing along to a picnic or barbecue.
The tempeh starts out in a dark, rich marinade. I find that tempeh tastes best when marinated for at least a couple hours.
When you're ready to make the salad, you want to fry up the tempeh until it's nice and brown with a few charred edges. It's already coated in olive oil from the marinade, so you only need to use a little bit of nonstick spray on the pan.
In order for the other salad ingredients to remain fresh and crisp, the tempeh needs to cool down before it's added in. If you don't have time to let it cool on its own, you can put it in a bowl and float it in a larger bowl filled with ice water. Stir the tempeh occasionally so that it cools evenly.
As for the rest of the ingredients, all you have to do is pile them into a bowl. A really BIG bowl. If you don't have a large salad bowl, you can split it between two medium-sized serving bowls.
Stir in the tempeh and it's ready to serve!
Watermelon Cucumber Salad With Tempeh and Mint
Serves 4-6
Important: Allow yourself enough time to marinate the tempeh. I think it tastes best when marinated for at least 2 hours.
Ingredients
Tempeh
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (8 oz) packages tempeh, cubed
Salad
4 cups seedless watermelon, cut into ½” cubes
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Method
- Prepare the tempeh. Combine wine, olive oil, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and oregano in a 9x13” dish. Add the tempeh and coat thoroughly in the marinade Keep covered in the fridge for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Drain the tempeh and discard garlic cloves. Sauté the tempeh in a pan coated with nonstick spray over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, or until browned on all sides. Cool completely. You can expedite the cooling process by placing the tempeh in a bowl and floating it in an ice water bath.
- Once tempeh has cooled, prepare the salad. Combine all salad ingredients together in a large salad bowl, then mix in the tempeh. Serve cold or at room temperature.