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This chopped kale salad is drizzled with a fresh lemon vinaigrette and topped with sizzling grilled tempeh. Guaranteed to delight your tastebuds and fill you up fast! #vegan #salad #recipes
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Lemon Infused Kale Salad with Grilled Tempeh

Lunch

Lemon Infused Kale Salad with Grilled Tempeh

Vegan salads have become my go-to lunch since reading the The Reducetarian Solution nearly a year ago. At the time I was clueless about the widespread abuse and torment of animals behind closed doors inside our nations most well-known meat and diary farms. Once I learned the truth I immediately, and drastically, lessened my meat and dairy intake. I researched dairy farms and only purchased dairy for breakfast from farms I could trust and only purchased meat for dinner that was grass-fed or free-range. Now, of course, I don’t eat meat or dairy at all.

Vegan salads guaranteed to delight your tastebuds and fill you up fast! This chopped kale salad is drizzled with a fresh lemon vinaigrette and topped with sizzling grilled tempeh. #vegan #salad #recipes
Back then, however, I had to figure out what to eat for lunch – sans meat and dairy.

Vegan salads were the answer!

Since I was trying to eat more vegetables I knew I could make an easy switch to salads from sandwiches. It was fun to shop for creative toppings for salads and over the weeks and months I built some impressive salads! Looking back, these all qualified as vegan salads. So I thought, why not post them here for y’all to try?! This recipe (and future salads) are for anyone looking for some lunch-time inspiration. Trust me when I say my salad game is on. 😉 My lunch-time (non-vegan) friends would peer at my salads on the daily, inquiring as to what I packed that day, wishing they could trade their lunch for mine!

Vegan salads guaranteed to delight your tastebuds and fill you up fast! This chopped kale salad is drizzled with a fresh lemon vinaigrette and topped with sizzling grilled tempeh. #vegan #salad #recipes

Eventually I brought enough salad to share with my friends at lunch and we enjoyed vegan salads together! I LOVE eating salads for lunch because they’re super quick to pack in the daily AM rush and I feel absolutely great when I eat them at lunch. They’re so fresh and light, so I never get that mid-day slump most people do after eating a heavy, carb-filled sandwich… Just endless energy and a slimmer waist! Win-win. Plus, with all the high-protein toppings I add on, I feel full quick and stay full until dinner. 

Vegan salads guaranteed to delight your tastebuds and fill you up fast! This chopped kale salad is drizzled with a fresh lemon vinaigrette and topped with sizzling grilled tempeh. #vegan #salad #recipes

Vegan salads are a great way to get your veggies in for the day and, I promise, they taste amazing!

Even Mister agrees! We ♡ salads!

Vegan salads guaranteed to delight your tastebuds and fill you up fast! This chopped kale salad is drizzled with a fresh lemon vinaigrette and topped with sizzling grilled tempeh.

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Lemon Infused Kale Salad with Grilled Tempeh


Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American, Vegan
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2
Author Vegan Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Salad

  • 3 c fresh kale, chopped
  • 15 oz chickpeas
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 4 oz tempeh, grilled
  • 3/4 c quinoa, cooked
  • 1/4 c pepita seeds
  • pinch sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 slices lemon

Salad Dressing

  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • pinch sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Tempeh

  • 4 oz tempeh
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Salad Dressing

  1. Combine ingredients in a small container and shake to combine. 

Grilled Tempeh

  1. Preheat a skillet or grill pan to medium-high. 

  2. Slice the tempeh length-wise and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

  3. Place the sliced tempeh directly on the grill and cook for 5-10 minutes, turning once.

  4. Remove from the grill when they appear brown and caramelized. Set aside.

Cooked Quinoa

  1. Cook 2 servings of quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside.

Kale Salad

  1. Place the chopped kale, chickpeas and cooked quinoa in a bowl and drizzle with the dressing. 

  2. Cover the bowl and shake vigorously to combine.

  3. Divide among two plates and top with grilled tempeh.

  4. Sprinkle pepita seeds on top and add sliced avocado.

  5. Add sliced lemons on the side for additional juice to taste. 

Recipe adapted.

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