If you love bruschetta, you've got to try this delicious, fresh spin on it! Grilled Tempeh with Summery Peach Relish is smokey, tangy, sweet, and absolutely perfect as an appetizer for guests, or as an entree with a few Summer veggie sides!
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Bruschetta is a classic Italian dish, traditionally made with toasty, crusty bread, topped with chopped tomatoes and basil. We take a slightly different approach, and use high protein tempeh instead of bread, and introduce ripe, juicy peaches to the tomato salad topping to create an absolute taste bud explosion!
While this Grilled Tempeh dish is divine as an appetizer, you can also pair it with a few sides for a perfect summer meal. Try roasted green beans or grilled broccoli with it!
Heart Health Benefits of Grilled Tempeh and Peach Relish
Our grilled tempeh recipe is rich in protein, and heart healthy monounsaturated fats. It's also high in fiber and a whole host of vitamins and minerals to support your heart. While not considered high in sodium, there is a bit more than many of our other recipes. To reduce that, simply leave salt out of the marinade.
Macronutrients
A serving of this tempeh offers about half of your daily protein needs (depending on your calorie needs of course)! Tempeh is a plant based protein - a product made from fermenting soybeans - and while the beneficial microbes are killed in the cooking process, tempeh still retains its high quality protein, and the fiber content is actually made more bioavailable (1). We have overwhelming evidence at this point that replacing red and processed meats with plant-based protein sources can lower your risk cardiovascular disease (2, 3), and tempeh is a great option.
Our recipe is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). MUFAs are great for your heart, especially when you use them to replace foods high in saturated fat. These fats can increase HDL (so-called "good" cholesterol), lower triglycerides, and lower blood pressure (4, 5). Olive oil is our main source of MUFAs here.
Micronutrients, Phytonutrients, and Antioxidants
This recipe for tempeh with peach relish is high in vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, magnesium, and potassium. It's also a good source of folate, vitamin E, calcium, and zinc. These all work together to keep your blood pressure under control, your heart rhythm regular, and your blood oxygenated and clotting correctly, among their myriad tasks.
Antioxidants and phytonutrients are plentiful in plant foods, and the most abundant in this recipe are:
- Aglycones - (in tempeh) a more absorbable form of isoflavone glycosides, linked to reductions in LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and total cholesterol (6);
- Bioactive peptides - (in tempeh) a result of protein fermentation, these compounds have heart health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antihypertensive effects (7);
- Phytosterols - (in tempeh) a class of bioactive compounds known for their cholesterol lowing ability (8);
- Saponins - (in tempeh) a naturally occurring bioactive plant compound with a diverse résumé of health promoting effects, including antiviral, antitumor, and immune regulation (9);
- Gamma-aminobutyric acid - (in tempeh) also called GABA, is an amino acid that functions as a neurotransmitter, and has health benefits like lowering blood pressure and promoting relaxation (10);
- Chlorogenic acid - (in peaches and basil) a type of polyphenol known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as its ability to mitigate heart disease (11);
- Catechins - (in peaches and basil) an antioxidant, which helps prevent free radical damage to cells (12);
- Lycopene - (in tomatoes) an antioxidant known to reduce blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and improve endothelial function (13); and
- Eugenol - (in basil) an essential oil that promotes blood vessel relaxation, thereby lowering blood pressure (14).
Ingredients
For yummy Grilled Tempeh with Summery Peach Relish, here's what you'll need:
- Tempeh
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Peaches
- Tomatoes
- Basil
- Lemon juice
- Red onion
- Balsamic glaze
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making grilled tempeh is relatively straight forward. Here's how:
- Step 1: Prepare the tempeh by first cutting each brick in half, into 2 squares each.
- Step 2: Now cut each square on the diagonal, into 2 triangles (you will have a total of 4 triangles now).
- Step 3: Now slice each triangle in half height-wise, so you now have 8 triangles cut from each brick of tempeh. This last cut is optional, but we like the tempeh thinner.
- Step 4: Make the marinade by whisking together the oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Step 5: Place the tempeh in a dish and pour the marinade over it. Flip the tempeh slices to coat if needed. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Step 6: Preheat the grill, and lay the tempeh on the grates. Cover, and grill for about 5 minutes.
- Step 7: Flip and grill for another 5 minutes. Remove the slices from the grill, to a plate.
- Step 8: Assemble the peach relish: dice the peaches, tomatoes, and onion, and add the lemon juice. Toss to coat.
- Step 9: Just before serving, chiffonade the basil, and stir it into the relish. Serve the tempeh, either warm or room temperature, topped with the relish, and drizzled with balsamic glaze.
Hint: to chiffonade basil, stack the leaves and roll them up lengthwise. Slice them thinly. That's it!
Substitutions
Try these substitutions if you need:
- Tempeh - try tofu or seitan to keep it vegetarian, or chicken breast pounded thin if you prefer
- Peaches - use nectarines, apricots, or mangoes, or simply more tomatoes
- Tomatoes - use all peaches, or sub chopped bell peppers or cucumbers
Equipment
This is a low fuss recipe, and there's no special equipment that you'll need besides your grill! A simple cutting board and knife, with some measuring cups and spoons will do!
Affiliate links are in the recipe card if you need some new tools!
Storage
Store the tempeh and relish separately, in airtight containers in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days. The tempeh will last longer, but the relish will start to break down.
This recipe is not freezer friendly.
Pro tip
Slicing the tempeh thin is key to infusing a lot of flavor into it. But this also makes it easier to break, so be gentle with it while you turn it in the marinade and grill it.
FAQ
Tempeh is a high protein meat substitute, made from fermented soybeans, and bound together in a cake that holds together well enough to be sliced, cubed, and cooked in a variety of ways.
It is usually best to steam or marinate the tempeh before cooking to help reduce the bitter taste it is often described as having.
In my opinion, tempeh has a slightly nutty, and just a little bit of a cheesy taste. But it's a great blank canvas for flavors, like tofu, and can be marinated before cooking, and/or served with flavorful sauces.
Related
Looking for more appetizers? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Grilled Tempeh:
📖 Recipe
Grilled Tempeh with Summery Peach Relish
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz packages Tempeh plain
- Balsamic Glaze for drizzling
For the Marinade
- 5 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 clove Garlic grated
- ½ teaspoon Ground Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt
For the Peach Relish
- 2 medium Peaches diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup diced Tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon minced Red Onion
- ½ tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ cup chiffonade cut Basil
Instructions
Prepare the tempeh
- Cut each tempeh block in half, into 2 squares each.
- Now cut each square on the diagonal, into 2 triangles (you will have a total of 4 triangles now from each block of tempeh).
- Now slice each triangle in half height-wise, so you now have 8 triangles cut from each brick of tempeh. This last cut is optional, but we like the tempeh thinner. See pictures above if needed.
- Make the marinade by whisking together the oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Place the tempeh in a dish and pour the marinade over it. Flip the tempeh slices to coat if needed. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the grill.
- Remove the tempeh from the marinade, and lay each piece on the grates. Close the lid, and grill for about 5 minutes.
- Flip and grill for another 5 minutes. Remove the slices from the grill, to a plate.
Make the Peach Relish
- Dice the peaches, tomatoes, and onion, and add the lemon juice. Toss to coat.
- Just before serving, chiffonade the basil, and stir it into the relish. Serve the tempeh, either warm or room temperature, topped with the relish, and drizzled with balsamic glaze.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.
Food safety
Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on ready to eat food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands before touching food, and after touching raw meat, your hair, face, pets, etc.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the weather is hot)
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always keep your face back from a grill being opened to avoid steam burns and smoke inhalation
