One of my professors recently asked me if I had some good ideas for vegan party appetizers. I piped up immediately that she could make hummus, or white bean dip, or roasted cauliflower dip, or smoked eggplant dip. And then I realized that, to hear me tell it, the only appetizers vegans eat or serve is some sort of dip.
Of course, there are plenty of other crowd-pleasing vegan hors d’oeuvres; I just don’t seem to have written too much about them. And that’s what inspired today’s spicy peanut tempeh wraps, which are both a great option for serving as appetizers and also a healthy, tasty snack.
These wraps are as simple as they come, and that’s really how they were intended to be. You can definitely enhance them or add to the wrap filling by throwing together a quick slaw, or by adding grated carrots or shredded red cabbage or what have you: there are so many possibilities for crispy vegetable fillings.
But keeping the filling simple makes these lettuce wraps easy (and not very messy) to eat, which isn’t always the case with finger food. And it also allows the flavor of spicy peanut sauce and earthy cubes of tempeh to stand out completely. Dress these up, or leave them as is: they’re flavorful, filling, and really delicious.
To prepare the tempeh cubes, I saute them lightly in sesame oil, then add my spicy peanut sauce to the skillet. This way, the cubes get crispy before being coated with the spicy sauce. It’s the first time I prepared tempeh this way (I usually marinate and bake it), and it definitely won’t be the last. It was quick and imparted so much flavor to the cubes.
The process was made easier by using ceramic nonstick cookware from the GreenLife brand. I’ve been using and getting to know the whole GreenLife line of cookware and bakeware products this year, and I’m a huge fan. The company is pioneering safe, healthy cookware at an affordable price for home cooks everywhere. Using GreenLife products makes both cooking and cleaning easy, and it means being able to saute ingredients without too much added oil–and without the risk of sticking and burning. My tempeh cubes got perfectly crispy here with minimal sesame oil (just enough to add rich, toasted flavor) and cleanup, as always, was a snap.
Of course, you don’t have to serve this super flavorful tempeh in the lettuce wraps. It would also be great in a bowl (the way I often serve my favorite lemon pepper tempeh cubes), thrown into a stir fry, or stuffed into a whole grain wrap. But the next time you have friends over, these satisfying wraps can be your answer to hummus as usual. (Or, since hummus is a food group, they can be served with hummus as usual.) They also make a stellar, high-protein snack.
I hope you’ll enjoy them sometime this fall–with friends or family, or on your own.
xo
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I’m game for anything with peanut sauce, and these look wonderful!
You don’t steam your tempeh beforehand to reduce the bitterness, huh?
Not when I’m using a super bold sauce/marinade like this one. When tempeh is going in a recipe where it won’t be so heavily seasoned, I often do steam first.