Wild Rice Tempeh Salad with Roasted Tomatoes & Fresh Mint

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Imagine a world without mint. No more mint chocolate chip ice cream. No more refreshing mojitos. No way to get those onions from lunch off your breath (brushing teeth is so overrated).

I refuse to live in such a world.

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Lately, I’ve been putting mint in just about anything: drinks, soup, sandwiches, salads and more. When I found myself with more tempeh than I knew what to do with, plus bags of brown and wild rice spilling from our pantry shelves (seriously; Maddie was there to clean up), I knew I had to incorporate this tasty herb into a dish. Not only does its refreshing taste mean you can use less salt, mint also has antioxidant properties. Not bad for a little herb usually relegated to garnish.

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Sadly, our mint plant is bolting. I’ve been pinching off the flowers (see below) in hopes of prolonging the life of my precious plant. Until it’s gone, however, I’ll be doing my best to enjoy it as much as possible. Mint julep, anyone?

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Wild Rice Tempeh Salad with Roasted Tomatoes & Fresh Mint

  Prep Time: 10 minutes

  Cook Time: 60 minutes

  Keywords: vegan gluten-free almonds tempeh wild rice

Ingredients (6 servings)

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 5 cups water or vegetable stock
  • 10 small tomatoes, quartered
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound tempeh, chopped into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1/4 cup almonds, slivered
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Combine rice and water or vegetable stock in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, or until rice has absorbed water and become tender. Allow to sit for five minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While rice cooks, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay tomato quarters over parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast tomatoes for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and add tempeh slices. Cook , stirring frequently, for 15 minutes, or until tempeh is browned and crispy. While tempeh cooks, toast almonds in small skillet over low heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Once rice is done, place into a large bowl with tomatoes, tempeh, 2 tablespoons olive oil and chopped mint. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with toasted almonds. Serve warm or cold.

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Edited to add: No post on Friday, chaps. See you Monday!

8 Comments

  1. Hi Jessie!
    That salad sounds delicious.. I am not much of a salad person because every recipe I find seems to be the same (grilled chicken salad). I feel it’s nearly impossible to find a unique salad, so I will definitely be trying this out!
    Quick question.. I don’t know if this fits exactly into your area of expertise, but do you have any tips on keeping produce fresh? Every time I buy spinach or any other leafy greens they always wilt within two days. And my fruit grows mold in the blink of an eye (especially strawberries)!
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Shari 🙂

      Keeping produce fresh can be tricky. For leafy greens, it’s best to store them wrapped in paper towels or a cloth towel to absorb moisture. If they’re a bit wilted, the stems can be put into a glass of water to rejuvenate them (I do this with fresh herbs, too, and they last so much longer!). Also, if greens aren’t super fresh, I’ll often use them in cooked dishes rather than raw.

      As for berries, don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them, or else they tend to mush and rot. Berries also need to be eaten pretty quickly, within a few days (I know, annoying, right?). If you want to keep them longer, freezing them in a single layer helps them last for about 6 months or so.

      I hope that helps!

      1. Thank you so much, Jessie! I would have never thought about that.. I was just ready to accept the inevitable of never having tasty fresh produce at my disposal for longer than one day. I will be using your method from now on!

  2. Mint really does do amazing things to dinners! It has such a strong, refreshing flavor. I don’t think I’ve ever paired it with tempeh before but love the idea!

  3. You’ve inspired me Jessie! Sadly, I’ve done nothing with mint this summer…and I’m running out of time! I loved reading about all the different ways you can use it. I tend to stay pretty boring! This salad would be an excellent place for me to start on my mint-culinary-expansion! Thank you so much for sharing!

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