Tempeh, Cabbage, and Kelp Noodle Salad

Vegan lunches can -- and should -- be a lot more interesting than bare salads or carrot sticks and hummus. New Veganism columnist Gena Hamshaw will be sharing inspiration for midday meals that stave off both hunger and boredom.

Today: A quick, flavorful salad to impress your coworkers, or your loved ones, or just you.

This salad is so flavorful that I almost feel guilty eating it as part of a routine, work-from-home lunch. I should save it to impress my boyfriend, or serve it to a friend, or bring it to work and distributed it among colleagues. 

In retrospect, though, I’m glad I got it all to myself.

The base of this salad is a simple medley of shredded kale, red cabbage, carrots, and scallions, mixed with a big handful of kelp noodles (clear, thin, crunchy noodles made from seaweed, and easy to find at health food stores or online). What makes it special are a) the dressing, a mixture of carrot and orange juices, mellow white miso, tamari, sesame oil, and ginger, and b) the seared tempeh. If I have time, I’ll marinate tempeh and bake it before using it in a dish like this one. But if I’m in a rush to eat (as I was when I made this salad), I’ll simply heat some coconut oil in a skillet and sear the tempeh on both sides, sprinkling it with tamari as I go. It tastes much smokier and more flavorful than you’d imagine, given how easy it is to prepare.

Photo by Gena Hamshaw

Gena's new book Choosing Raw: Making Raw Foods Part of the Way You Eat is a thorough, relatable guide to incorporating raw and vegan foods into any diet. It's full of no-fuss recipes for every meal, ranging from fully raw to mostly cooked, plus plenty of snacks and desserts to keep everyone happy.