This satiating recipe combines protein-rich ingredients with a simple, tahini-dijon dressing to create a comforting tempeh kale salad. You’ll be craving this meal prep-worthy recipe all week long!

So, I know that this was supposed to be a chickpea salad, but your girl did not have any already-cooked chickpeas on hand yesterday. Instead, I used tempeh and OMG am I glad that I did! Both would be delicious in this salad, but this tempeh ended up so perfectly crunchy on the outside and super-savory. So dreamy! Almost like tempeh croutons but they don’t hurt your mouth. (LOL)

Also, I know that tempeh can be a bit polarizing amongst those that have tried it. It’s honestly one of my favorite plant-based proteins! BUT, an essential step to bringing it to its full potential, is to steam or simmer it before anything else. This reduces the sometimes bitter flavor it can have, plus gives it a better texture.

Next, I love using kale for this salad because it’s a pretty substantial green. It can last a long time in the refrigerator before wilting – if stored properly. Even after a good massaging, as we do in this recipe, it still has a lot of body to it. Of course, you can use your preferred green, just skip the massaging part!

Now, to get into the substitutions for this comforting tempeh kale salad. Remember, I have not tried these myself, for this specific recipe. BUT, these notes are based off of my experience and expertise.

Substitution recommendations:

• Tempeh – As mentioned before a 15-ounce (425 g) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed can work as well. Just skip the simmering in veggie broth!
• Vegetable broth – Since this is for simmering the tempeh, if you want to watch your sodium intake, use water or no salt-added veggie broth.
• Tahini – I wouldn’t suggest subbing this out because it is pretty unique flavor-wise to this dressing. You MAY be able to use sunbutter in its place if you have a sesame allergy.
• Dijon mustard – Again, this ingredient is pretty notable in the dressing. But, if you don’t have it on hand, stone ground mustard or even a lesser amount of yellow mustard could work!
• Kale – I used red kale for this, but any type of kale will work, as long as you tear it into bite-sized pieces. If you don’t have kale on hand, arugula, spinach, or even chopped romaine could work! Just make sure to skip the massaging part, but still use the lemon juice.
• Cooked quinoa – any cooked grain you have on hand will work! Though my top suggestions would be farro, buckwheat, and maybe short grain brown rice.
• Pepitas AKA pumpkin seeds – I used raw pepitas in this recipe, but toasted works just as good. And if you don’t have those, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds (of lesser quantity), or even chopped almonds will work!
• Cherry tomatoes – any diced tomato will work here! You could also dice 1 red bell pepper for a similar experience. This is mostly for a cool and refreshing texture to break up the savory salad.

Now, to the recipe! It really comes together so quickly and easily, so don’t be too discouraged by the length of the instructions. All-in-all, I made this is about 30 minutes! So, it’s a wonderful lunch to either prep ahead, or even a filling weeknight dinner.

If you’re loving this comforting tempeh kale salad, I recommend checking some of these other recipes out!