The subtitle of this post ought to be “How Heather saved Lunch.”

Last week, in an attempt to pull a meal together out of what was in the house, I googled “tempeh and bulgur.” I stumbled on this recipe, which was adapted from Bob’s Red Mill Cookbook. We happened to still have oranges in the house, so I went for it. Turns out, it wasn’t the most exciting thing I’ve ever made. It wasn’t bad – it just wasn’t great. BUT (you knew there had to be a but!), Heather managed to pull a few more ingredients out of the fridge and really make it sing.

This salad starts with some basil-y tempeh cooked in a tangy-sweet vinaigrette. Bulgur offers an earthy base and the garlic and onion gives it some bite. Serve it over some spicy arugula and top it with creamy avocado and you’ll be thanking Heather, too!

Tempeh Bulgur Salad – adapted from Bob’s Red Mill Cookbook

• 1 block tempeh, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 teaspoons basil oil
• 1 cup bulgur wheat
• 3 oranges
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons agave
  
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 of a medium red onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 teaspoons dried chives (fresh would be even better)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• arugula
• avocado, diced for garnish
• balsamic vinegar for dressing

Method:

1. Cook bulgur according to package instructions. Set aside.
2. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the juice of one and a half oranges, mustard, agave, and balsamic. Set aside.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, place the tempeh pieces in the boiling water and simmer for five minutes. Drain and toss with the basil oil.
4. Heat a small sauté pan over medium-high heat and transfer the tempeh to the pan. Pour half of the dressing over and stir to coat. Continue to heat until dressing is absorbed. Remove from heat.
5. In a bowl, combine the diced onion, pressed garlic, dried chives, orange sections from remaining oranges, salt, pepper, cooked bulgur, and tempeh. Toss to combine and then stir in the remaining dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Serve over a bed of arugula and top with some diced avocado. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!