The curried tempeh I’m sharing today makes one tasty, high protein sandwich filling! For my work lunch box, I love to serve it in a seeded bap with some juicy tomato slices, diced red pepper, fresh green leaves and a dollop of vegan mayo or mango chutney. Just like tofu, I find that adding a couple of slices of tempeh to my lunchtime sandwich really helps to power me through the afternoon and keeps me feeling full for hours.
Today I’m sharing a recipe for smoky tempeh slices that are just perfect as a sandwich filling. They are super easy to make and packed full of flavour. Add some lettuce, slices of juicy tomato and a dollop of mayonnaise and you have a delicious vegan alternative to the classic BLT sandwich – the ‘TLT’ (Tempeh, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich!
Tempeh originally hails from Indonesia and is made from whole soy beans which are fermented with a live culture and pressed into a block. This gives it a distinct texture and flavour (very different to tofu, which is made from soy bean curd). Tempeh is nutrient dense and contains an array of minerals, B vitamins and prebiotics (types of fibre that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria). It also happens to be a rich source of protein (100 grams of tempeh contains just over 20 grams of protein).
Here in the UK, tempeh is starting to become more widely available. I’ve been buying the Tofoo brand, which is available in my local Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco and the Plant Power Original Tempeh (from Sainsbury’s). Both can be found in the the vegetarian/vegan chilled aisle.
I must admit that until recently, I haven’t been a big fan of tempeh. I found its texture quite hard and the flavour bitter (even after steaming it). However, the recipe I’m sharing today has been a complete game changer for me. I’ve learnt that by slicing the tempeh very thinly and soaking it for a few minutes in a tasty marinade, completely transforms both its texture and flavour.
The recipe is lightly adapted from The Happy Pear’s Vegan ‘Bacon’ so a huge thank you to Steve and Dave for the inspiration, and for showing me a way to prepare tempeh that’s not only delicious but super easy too!
At the moment I can’t get enough of this smoky tempeh. It’s hard to resist eating it straight from the pan! It’s been a big hit with the rest of the family too. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
NB: The above values are estimates and for illustration purposes only. Actual nutritional values will vary depending on the specific ingredients used. Percentage Reference Intakes (RI) will also vary depending on individual factors such as age, gender, height, BMI and activity level.
If you make this Smoky Tempeh, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich sandwich, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
With love,
Sharon xx
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Today, I’m sharing a tasty plant-based alternative to the classic Tuna salad sandwich filling. It’s creamy, crunchy, sweet, salty and tangy! I do love to have a mixture of flavours and textures going on in my sandwiches and today’s recipe certainly fits that bill! It is really easy to make and takes less than ten minutes to prepare.
The idea of using smashed chickpeas, mayo and seaweed as a vegan alternative to tuna has been around for a while now. I don’t know who originally came up with the idea, but it’s genius! I like to add a dash of mustard, lemon juice, tahini, dill and salt into the mix as I find it really helps to make the flavours ‘dance’.
Sweetcorn is a classic addition to the Tuna salad sandwich and it lends some sweetness and texture, as well as some welcome pops of sunshine yellow. I also love to add some chopped dill pickles for crunch and tang.
NB: The above values are estimates and for illustration purposes only. Actual nutritional values will vary depending on the specific ingredients used. Percentage Reference Intakes (RI) will also vary depending on individual factors such as age, gender, height, BMI and activity level.
If you make this Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad Sandwich (or any other recipes on my blog), I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
With love,
Sharon xx
In today’s post, I’m sharing the recipe for a delicious plant-based alternative to halloumi. Simple to prepare, this Tofu ‘Halloumi’ is highly versatile. We love to add it to Greek-style salads, sandwiches, pittas, wraps and mezze platters.
It was the Greek Vegan Deli guys that first introduced me to Tofu ‘Halloumi’ back in 2018 at Bristol VegFest. It was absolutely delicious!! Since then, every time I see the Greek Deli guys at a festival, I really look forward to tucking into their Tofu ‘Halloumi’, either stuffed into a pitta or as part of one of their incredible Greek platters.
I love Greek food and halloumi used to be one of my favourite cheeses. However, once I’d tried the tofu version, I was hooked. I loved it even more than the original!
And if I’d known just how easy it is to make, I would definitely have tried making Tofu ‘Halloumi’ a long time ago!
It involves three simple steps …
Job done!
I especially love to use a griddle pan to get those beautiful grill lines.
For the marinade, I used five ingredients that are basic staples my kitchen – nutritional yeast flakes, lemon, oregano, extra virgin olive oil and salt. The resulting tofu was so flavourful. It was salty, tangy, cheesy and herby – all the flavours I associated with Greek halloumi (for Cypriot halloumi you could switch the oregano for mint instead).
I’m really looking forward to seeing how you would use this Tofu ‘Halloumi’. Today, I added it to a toasted sandwich with baby leaves and shredded beetroot, sun-dried tomatoes and mayo. It was so delicious! If you make it, remember to take a photo and tag it with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
With love,
Sharon xx
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* This blog post was originally posted on October 18, 2013. The page was refreshed July 2019
This week, one of my lovely readers emailed and asked whether I could share our recipe for falafel. I was more than happy to oblige! I know I’ve posted numerous pics of our falafel in the past, so this recipe share is way overdue.
My family are huge fans of home-made falafel. They’re so versatile! You can flavour them to suit your tastes, and they’re delicious eaten hot or cold.
In today’s post I’m sharing a sandwich filling that is tangy, crunchy, creamy and oh so delicious! It reminds me of the Heinz Sandwich Spread that I used to love as a kid in the 80s, but this home-made version is way fresher, tastier and healthier too!
If you’re looking for a new sandwich to liven up school or work lunchboxes, I’d definitely recommend giving this recipe a try. It would also be great for picnics and buffets. As well as a sandwich filling, you can also use it as a topping for crackers. Perhaps even as a jacket potato topper too?
It’s really easy to make and takes around 12 minutes to prepare a large bowl, which will fill about five sandwiches. I tend to make one batch of chickpea smash at the start of the week, which we then use on the following days for Lucien’s school sandwiches, as well as our own.
The inspiration for today’s recipe was this Garden Veggie Chickpea Salad Sandwich from Jenn @ Peas and Crayons which I came across back in 2017, and have been making adapted versions of ever since. Jenn, in turn, credits Angela from Oh She Glows for inspiring her recipe, so it sounds like Angela is the original recipe creator. I’d like to thank both Jenn and Angela for inspiring the recipe I’m sharing today and for giving my family so much sandwich joy these past couple of years!
This recipe is highly versatile, so feel free to switch up the ingredients. I would definitely recommend keeping the dill pickles in though, as they give this recipe its signature tangy, crunchy bite. In England, dill pickles are called ‘gherkins’. It’s such a funny name isn’t it? Even funnier, my mum still calls them by their old slang name ‘Wallies’. Personally, I prefer to call them dill pickles as it sounds much more appealing to me than gherkins or wallies. How about you? What do you call them?
N.B. The above values are estimates. The actual nutritional values will vary depending on the brands and ingredients used.
If you make this Chickpea Smash, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
With love,
Sharon xx
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