Tempeh Chorizo & The Girlfriend's Favorite Salad That She Constantly Asks Me To Make And Won't Shut The Hell Up About

Tempeh Chorizo

 The Girlfriend's Favorite Salad
That She Constantly Asks Me To Make
And Won't Shut The Hell Up About 

I admit that the primary reason I chose the salad was because of it's ridiculously long name. I mean, seventeen words? It's amusing to me, and intriguing. But I shouldn't be surprised. One of my favourite books by my favourite author, Tom Robbins, is Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates.

Salad didn't seem like enough of a supper. So, I chose Tempeh Chorizo because I had some tempeh in my freezer, I had bought some sherry vinegar for the salad, and therefore had all of the required ingredients.

The Tempeh Chorizo was very simple to make. I did, however, have to read the instructions a couple of times. I couldn't understand why I wasn't being told to steam the tempeh for 10 minutes before mixing it with the spices and cooking. I stood in my kitchen and seriously considered steaming it without being told-I had learned from other seasoned vegans that to pre-steam was the way to properly prepare tempeh. But I decided against it because Brian is an executive chef for Vegin' Out.
Who am I to question a professional cooks methods?
I think the next time I make this recipe, I'll try steaming it beforehand. I'm curious what difference it may make.

This recipe uses a variety of spices. Carlos came into the kitchen as I was cooking the prepped tempeh on the stove and he read the ingredients.
"Cinnamon?!" He asked with surprise.
"Yup." I responded simply.
"That seems like too many flavours." He remarked.
"We'll see. He's a chef. I am not." Pointing out the obvious difference. Carlos raised an eyebrow. I continued with questions for him, "Oh, did you not know that I'm not a chef?...Are we breaking up now?"
Carlos pressed his reluctantly smiled mouth closed tightly and looked at the floor.
When he looked up again, we both laughed. He gave me a quick kiss and left the kitchen. I made the salad.

Carlos's Creation

The Girlfriend's Favorite Salad That She Constantly Asks Me To Make And Won't Shut The Hell Up About was very simple. Two ingredients were new to me-See: Vegan for three and a half years, and I'm still trying new foods-who says being vegan is limiting?? New ingredients: sherry vinegar and hearts of palm. I was surprised that my local grocery store (an 8-minute walk from home), Safeway carries both. Which is good, because my car is literally buried in snow. I am pleased. Not about the buried car. I'm pleased about my local store having what I need.  

I am willing to say that I was nervous about the hearts of palm. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about them. But they're quite good! Carlos told me that a couple of his friends in back home in Chile, work at a factory canning hearts of palm. 

I really enjoyed the salad, too. A lot. I'm not sure I would say that it's my favourite ever, but I'll definitely, and happily, make it again.

As you can see pictured, Carlos combined the salad with the chorizo in a tortilla and added some avocado. Not surprising. He puts avocado on damn-near everything. Crazy Chilean. 
Avocado and sriracha on many items. However, he didn't add sriracha,which is really saying something.

Overall, both recipes were simple, with easy-to-find ingredients, they were tasty and satisfying.