Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

PinSaveJUMP to RECIPE

This post may contain affiliate links.

This is my new favorite salad. Or rice-and-vegetable-medley or side-salad-that’s-really-a-main-dish or whatever it should be called, I’m loving it.

If this doesn’t get you excited about eating your vegetables and brown rice and tempeh, nothing will.

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

It’s so good that you may choose tempeh over homemade Twinkies.

Well, you may. I may still have the Twinkies for dessert.

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

I used a pre-chopped vegetable mix, which saved time, but it would be the perfect recipe to clean out the odds and ends that are lingering in your vegetable drawer.

Or if you over-buy fresh produce or have a garden that’s exploding all of a sudden with fresh vegetables (zucchini comes to mind), toss any of it in here. There is not one vegetable that I can’t see working in here. Okay, maybe not habenero chiles but aside from those, I’d toss it in.

Vegetables and lettuce in bowl

The oranges gave this dish some pop without dominating the flavor.

I used an ample amount of cumin, which is one dominant flavor in taco seasoning mix. If you like the way taco seasoning mix and tacos taste, this recipe is for you.

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

The recipe turned out to be a Trader Joe’s special. I didn’t set out for it to be that way, but I picked up the veggie mix and then realized that all the other items I chose to incorporate in the recipe were from TJ’s.

Gotta love a bargain vegan meal.

Healthy salad bowl with ingredients tempeh brown rice, orange

Let’s get cooking:

Sautee cubed tempeh in olive oil for a minute and toss into a bowl.

Warm the rice with a drizzle of olive oil and toss that into the bowl.

Sautee and season the veggies and toss them into the bowl.

Slice the oranges and toss them into the bowl.

Lots of bowl tossing and not much time passing.

About 10 minutes from start to finish.

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad deconstructed

Whisk up the marinade with orange juice, balsamic, and seasonings.

Pour it over everything that’s in the bowl and toss.

Balsamic vinaigrette

I first made this salad first using half packages of everything shown; half the package of rice, tempeh, and the veggie mix, thinking there’s no way we’d want more than 4 cups of this salad at once. But it was so good that a day later, I made it again.

Skylar kept saying, “Mommy I want more of that rice stuff.”  And I said, you know what honey, so do I.

So I made the other half of everything in the packages and stunk up my house a couple days in a row with the smell of sauteeing cabbage and broccoli. Delicious.

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is great served warm from the pan, but don’t fear that leftovers will be soggy or somehow not as good.

Ironically, I preferred the leftovers a day later, un-warmed and eaten from the little plastic food storage container I had stored it in in the refrigerator. Cool salads are great for summer and the marinade fully absorbed into the rice and the flavors married.

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

Pin This Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

By Averie Sunshine
These healthy, satisfying salad comes together quickly and easily in about 15 minutes. It’s vegan and gluten-free as written, and it’s easily adaptable based on the vegetables you have on hand and need to be used; fresh, frozen, or canned. Use any seasoning or spice blend you enjoy such curry, garlic, onion powder, 21 Salute, Mrs. Dash, etc. and add these to either the vegetables while cooking or to the vinaigrette. Use tofu, beans, chicken or tofu nuggest, pre-cooked chicken strips, meatballs, in place of or in addition to the tempeh. Try making marinade with lemon juice rather than orange juice and I’d add a bit of honey (or agave) for a lemon-honey vinaigrette.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Save this recipe to your email
Enter your email and we’ll send it to you!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients  

Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad

  • ¼ cup olive oil, divided into multiple uses
  • ¾ cup tempeh, diced in small cubes
  • 1 ½ cups pre-cooked brown rice
  • 3 ½ to 4 cups diced vegetable medley, red cabbage, green cabbage, broccoli, carrots, radishes, jicama, green bell peppers, celery
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, to taste
  • optional spices and seasonings, curry, garlic, onion powder, 21 Salute, Mrs. Dash, etc.
  • 1 orange, halved

Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • juice from half of 1 orange, about 3 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
  • pinch salt and pepper, to taste
  • pinch sugar, optional and to taste

Instructions 

  • Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad – To a large non-stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the tempeh and sear it over medium-high heat, flipping as needed. Searing will take about 2 minutes. Add tempeh to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • To the skillet (you don’t have to wash it), add 1 tablespoon olive oil and over medium-high heat warm the rice, stirring as needed. Warming will take about 2 minutes.
  • Add the rice to the mixing bowl with the tempeh and set aside.
  • To the skillet (you don’t have to wash it), add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add the vegetables, and sprinkle with ginger, cumin, salt and pepper, optional seasonings. Stir to evenly coat the vegetables. Cook over medium to medium high, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until softened but not mushy.
  • Add the cooked vegetables to the mixing bowl with the rice and tempeh.
  • Slice half the orange into bite-sized pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
  • Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette – Over a small bowl, squeeze the juice from the orange halve. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. ( I prefer more robustly seasoned food and if you don’t, scale back to 1/2 teaspoon each ginger and cumin. Alternately, add other or additional seasonings, to taste.)
  • Pour dressing over the contents in the mixing bowl, tossing gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 679kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 967mg, Fiber: 18g, Sugar: 27g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Related Recipes:

Roasted Grapes and Balsamic Reduction with Cheese and Crackers

Roasted Grapes and Balsamic Reduction with Cheese and Crackers

Tempeh and Cucumbers on a Stick with Brown Sugar Balsamic Reduction Dip (vegan)

Tempeh and Cucumbers on a Stick with Brown Sugar Balsamic Reduction Dip

 Fig Butter & Cumin Tempeh Stir Fry (vegan)

 Fig Butter & Cumin Tempeh Stir Fry

Wild Rice-Stuffed Peppers (vegan, GF)

Wild Rice-Stuffed Peppers

 

Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice (vegan, GF) – I made this on Christmas Day in Aruba two and a half years ago…memories

Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice

Mango Balsamic Rice, Beans, & Mixed Vegetables (vegan, GF)

Mango Balsamic Rice, Beans, & Mixed Vegetables

Caribbean Citrus and Pineapple Veggie Stir Fry (vegan, GF)

Caribbean Citrus and Pineapple Veggie Stir Fry

Apple Glazed Vegetables & Edamame Stir Fry (vegan, GF)

Apple Glazed Vegetables & Edamame Stir Fry

What are your favorite warm or cool salads, “side salads”, stir frys, or one-skillet meals?

I use the word salad loosely. Many people think of a salad as cold iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing, but I think anything that’s tossed with an ample amount of vegetables, eight to be exact in this recipe, constitutes a salad.

All the salads, stir frys, and sides shown above are some of mine, but I’d love to hear yours. Link it up.

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

Get the latest recipes via email!

Leave a Comment

Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. This was a delicious salad! I think next time I’ll use less ginger (it was a little too spicey/gingery), but other than that it’s great! I used wheat berries instead of rice, and finely diced fresh green beans, broccoli, celery, onion, and carrots. A nice, fresh spring salad!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it! Yes, ginger is one of those spices that some people like more than others (I happen to love it) but use a little less if you’re more sensitive to it than I am next time. I love wheat berries, great idea! I used them here https://www.averiecooks.com/edamame-feta-salad/

  2. Just made this and it was great. I used left over quinoa instead of rice and it is great. Served it on a bed of greens with avocado! YUM.

  3. Love your blog, just stumbled across it. This salad looks amazing, and i am putting it on the menue for next week. Thanks!

  4. I have been looking for more ideas for FAST weeknight meals. This looks PERFECT! Thank you!

  5. I saw this on Pinterest on my phone a few days ago, and have been eagerly awaiting the chance to read the post in full. It looks wonderful! So many flavors I adore. Repinning.

  6. Two of the great loves of my life, tempeh and grain salads, brought together. This looks really amazing, I love the idea of the orange balsamic dressing. Definitely going on my must-make list! Thanks for the recipe!

  7. I have to laugh! The picture with the ingredients looks like my cupboards/fridge, except for the tempeh, which I never had before. I may have to pick some up from TJ’s. Your dish looks amazing!!! I love a nice veggie salad! Yum, yum!! Oh and your dressing sounds perfect!