Adapted from “Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Hearty, Easy-to-Make Salads You Don’t Have to Be Vegan to Love” by Terry Hope Romero.
Ingredients:
Creamy Curry Dressing: 1/2 cup unroasted cashews 1/2 cup hot water 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1 teaspoon coconut oil 1 clove garlic, peeled 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Salad: 8 ounces tempeh 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins 1 red or green apple 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped 1/2 cup toasted pecans 1 head radicchio or lettuce leaves
Preparation:
Soak the cashews in the hot water for 30 minutes, then pour the cashews and soaking water into a blender and blend until very smooth. Alternatively, if you have a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix or Blendtec), no soaking is required: just pulse the cashews into a fine powder, add the hot water, and pulse again until very smooth.
Add the remaining dressing ingredients and pulse until the sauce is smooth. Chill the dressing in a tightly covered container until ready to use, or at least 20 minutes for the flavors to blend.
Dice the tempeh into 1/2-inch cubes. Steam the tempeh for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender; the last 3 minutes of steaming, toss in the dried cranberries and steam them along with the tempeh. Set the tempeh and dried cranberries aside to cool while preparing the rest of the salad.
Remove the core from the apple (don’t peel) and dice into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl along with the cilantro and pecans. Add the tempeh, cranberries, and dressing and stir together to coat everything in dressing.
Serve salad in radicchio or lettuce leaves.