Fresh, crisp, crunchy – these little lettuce boats are a popular weekend lunch in our house. Who needs carbs when you can load up a leaf with green goodness, nut butter & salty tempeh? (I love tempeh more than tofu – it’s nutty, savoury, hearty, earthy…umami, that’s the word I’m after. “Pleasant savoury taste”) This is a pretty loose recipe – basically you’re assembling a ‘wrap’ on a lettuce leaf, so rather than going for exact quantities, below is a list of ingredients inspiration. Work with what you’ve got & what you enjoy.
1 x 250g block tempeh
2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil (I use olive)
2 Tbsp tamari or gf soy sauce
a few tablespoons of nut butter*
1 head of cos or iceberg lettuce
mung bean sprouts
plenty of chopped coriander/mint/basil/parsley…
grated carrot
chopped celery
* my favourite is peanut butter – such a great combo with the tempeh – but almond butter works really well too. If you’re nut free, you could try a smear of miso paste instead, to get that extra savoury salty kick.
If you’re wanting to serve these little wraps with warm tempeh inside, then get all your green salad ingredients prepped first – chop the herbs & celery, grate the carrot, wash & dry the lettuce leaves so they’re ready to go.
Cut the tempeh into 1-2cm wide sticks, kind of like chunky French fries. Heat the oil in a large skillet/fry-pan over a medium heat. Add the tempeh & fry until each side is golden.
Once cooked, turn off the heat and get ready to add the tamari or soy sauce. This may sizzle, spit, splatter & smoke very briefly. Quickly stir the tempeh sticks in the tamari to coat.
Now it’s time to assemble everything. Depending on the size of your chosen lettuce, smear a good ½ teaspoon of nut butter down the stem of each leaf. Place two pieces of tempeh end to end on top, then gaily add any green crunchy goodness on top again.
To eat these cute little boats, pick up a laden leaf, gently fold the top over to bundle the ingredients inside and munch. It’s almost like a green sushi roll.
More nerdy kitchen notes:
Flavourwise, this is simple yet satisfying. That said, feel free to play around with bumping up the flavour profile: chilli sauce, finely diced jalapeno, grated ginger added to the tamari…
My kids are always happy to find leftover tempeh ‘chips’ in their lunchboxes.
Leave a Reply