Like many people, I go through phases with different foods. One thing I tend to get on the weirdest jags with is salad. Just to illustrate that point, I’ve had a massaged kale salad with lemony miso-tahini dressing at least once a week since last spring. Often these jags begin with needing to use up a certain ingredient. This fall’s phase of salads with kabocha squash, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds began when my sister made a hugebatch of pumpkin seeds.

This almost became a post about relearning how to cook for one person, but the honest truth is that I’ve been eating most of my meals alone for the past year anyway, so it’s really nothing new.  One thing that is new, though, is getting used to buying groceries in smaller quantities.

So the other day, I bough a pack of tempeh bacon, just to try something different.   In order to use it up within the 5-7 days recommended on the package, I’ve been throwing it into salads. I think I might have to buy more in the near future: this combo is a little bit addictive..

This is just a standard massaged kale salad in the dressing mentioned above, with tomato, roasted red pepper, avocado, and 3 slices of pan-fried, crumbled tempeh bacon. It’s a bit like cobb salad—only better. At least in my opinion. I’m a sucker for green stuff with a little crispy-salty-savory thrown in there.

What’s one of your current favorite food combinations? Have you ever tried tempeh bacon?