Seasoned Tempeh Croutons
Updated May. 29th, 2024
Do you ever get that feeling that your salad is missing something? Well, that’s where these clever seasoned tempeh croutons come into play. They are full of protein, and with the savory and fresh duo of lemon and pepper, it’s the perfect addition to your lunch, dinner or side salad. Get creative with the seasoning and we’re willing to bet you’ll use these in more than just salads!
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Sugar Free
- Vegetarian
Ingredients:
| 8 oz. tempeh, cubed | 1 clove garlic, minced | ¼ teaspoon herbamare |
| 1 tablespoon olive oil | 1 ½ teaspoon apple juice | fresh pepper |
| 1 lemon, juiced | ¼ teaspoon rosemary | pinch dried sage |
| zest of 1 lemon | ¼ teaspoon oregano | 1 tablespoon coconut water vinegar |
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix in your lemon juice, lemon zest, apple juice, garlic, rosemary, oregano and Herbamare. Stir well.
- Place your cubed tempeh into the bowl, and toss. Making sure everything is evenly coated.
- On medium to high heat, heat up your olive oil in a large pan. Once hot enough, carefully add in your bowl contents. Sauté for 5-7 minutes.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, and slowly add in your vinegar to deglaze your pan.
- Sprinkle on some salt, pepper and a bit of sage and set aside so the croutons can cool.
Make It This Way
If you don’t have coconut water vinegar, you can easily substitute it for apple cider vinegar.
Tempeh and Tofu are very similar, so if you don’t have tempeh you can easily use tofu in its place.
Try This
Get creative with your spices/herbs used to flavor the tempeh. Lime and cilantro would be a great combination if you were having a Mexican inspired salad with black beans and tomatoes!
This is such a great idea! I love how crunchy croutons are but sometimes I am just not in the mood for them. I also love having salads as meals and it is so important to make sure that they are filled with protein and healthy fats to keep you full, so using tempeh as croutons is amazing since they are filled with protein! These look absolutely delicious and like they would satisfy that crunch that I love!
Hello,
Indeed, croutons MAKE the salad, what better than getting that crunch with the extra nutrients tempeh offers. Plus you can season them anyway you'd like to switch up the flavours.
Enjoy!
Tempeh is delicious and I have used it before in recipes, being a 100% plant based eater myself. It is naturally crumbly so I suspected that a breadcrumb recipe might ensue but, indeed, if you slice and cook it, it can form sturdy (and flavorful-not nutral like tofu is!) squares and I see that that is exactly what you are going for here. The possibilities in terms of different seasonings as well as spices are endless here so I have to salute you for yet another clever idea that has many implications in terms of cooking inspiration! :)
Hello Rachel,
We agree, these are better than regular croutons as they are packed with protein and more nutrients. There are many ways to enjoy tempeh and we're glad you found our recipe to learn another way to use it. These would go well in your next Caesar salad alongside this vegan dressing: https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/healthy-recipes/vegan-caesar-dressing/
Enjoy!