Summer salad with tempeh, mango and avocado

What are fermented foods?

Fermented foods contain live cultures of beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, that can have benefits for digestion by bolstering the healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. Some examples include tempeh, yoghurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, kimchi, cultured butter, miso and sourdough bread.

Benefits of tempeh

Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soy beans which is highly nutritious - with high amounts of protein, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium and vitamins B2 and B3. Being a fermented food, it also contains not only probiotics for digestive health but also prebiotics, which promote the growth of the existing beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.

Ingredients

Marinade

• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or tamari
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Salad

• 225g tempeh, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, for pan frying the tempeh
• 1 small cos lettuce, washed and dried
• 1 mango 
• 1 avocado

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a medium sized bowl until well combined. 
2. Cut the tempeh into cubes and toss in the marinade. Allow the tempeh to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight. 
3. Heat a medium sized fry pan over medium heat. Add the extra olive oil and marinated tempeh to the pan and fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tempeh is browned on all sides. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
4. To make the salad dressing, stir together all the ingredients in a small jar or bowl.
5. To construct the salad, roughly tear or chop the cos lettuce and place in your bowl or lunchbox. 
6. Cube the mango cheeks and slice the avocado and arrange on the lettuce. Scatter with the cooked tempeh and drizzle with salad dressing to taste, just before serving.

Serves 2.