Tempeh BLT with Tofu Mayo (28g Protein)

The BLT is mostly about smoke, salt and crunch, and marinated tempeh delivers all three while quietly being one of the most protein-dense things you can put between bread. The mayo is blended silken tofu — creamy, light, and kind to a stomach that has gone off grease.

Ingredients

• 200g tempeh
• 100ml low-salt vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 100g silken tofu
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 4 slices wholegrain bread, toasted
• 1 large ripe tomato, thickly sliced
• 4 butterhead lettuce leaves

Method

1. 1Slice the tempeh into thin rashers, about ½cm, and lay them in a single layer in a shallow dish.
2. 2Whisk the stock, soy sauce, cider vinegar, 1 tsp of the maple syrup, the smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder, pour over the tempeh and leave to soak up the marinade for 20 minutes, turning once.
3. 3Meanwhile make the tofu mayo: blend the silken tofu, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast and the remaining 1 tsp maple syrup until smooth and creamy.
4. 4Lift the tempeh out of the marinade and sear in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes a side until browned at the edges, spooning over a little leftover marinade as it cooks.
5. 5Spread the toast with tofu mayo and stack: tempeh rashers, tomato slices, lettuce, top slice. Cut in half and eat straight away.

Tips for GLP-1 appetites

• At 28g of protein this sandwich covers a whole meal’s target on its own — nothing else required on the plate.
• The seared tempeh is worth making on its own: it keeps three days and upgrades salads and wraps all week.