Happy Thursday! We are getting closer and closer to the weekend…I hope the sunshine and warmer weather is bringing a smile to your face as it is mine.

Continuing on with the pizza week theme, I have a fun pizza-flavored recipe to share with you — Pizza Tempeh Chips! This high-protein snack is perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up and/or a healthy replacement for salty chips 🙂

I’ll admit, tempeh used to freak me out…but then again, so did tofu until I gave it a real chance and I love the stuff now. I think it’s all about the way it’s prepared…and after this easy dish, I can safely say I am on the tempeh bandwagon.

I intended on making a vegan cheese sauce for dipping. Plans changed as I didn’t have the right ingredients on hand and whipped up a quick tomato-garlic aioli instead (blend 1 plum tomato, a dab of tomato paste, 2 minced garlic cloves,  squeeze of fresh lemon juice, pinch of salt and 1/2 cup vegenaise or other mayo) . While I loved the aioli (it make a lovely spread on a sandwich and my turkey burger), I wound up eating most of the chips sans the sauce.

Pizza-Flavored Tempeh Chips 

Ingredients

6 oz gluten free tempeh, sliced thin into about 25 pieces (I used Surata Multigrain Tempeh)
2 tsp tomato powder (I bought this at the bulk section of the local health food store)
3/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp sea salt
several shakes of crushed red pepper
olive oil, a Misto spray or lightly brushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix the tomato powder through pepper until well combined.
3. Carefully lay the tempeh slices on the sheet in an even layer and then spray (or brush lightly) one side with olive oil. Sprinkle half of the tomato-spice mixture on the tempeh slices and press slightly to adhere.
4. Turn over the slices, spray/brush with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining spice mixture.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until tempeh is slightly crisp, turning once or twice while baking. I let some of mine get a little brown, I like the crispy edges. Enjoy straight from the oven!

Serves two

Recipe Variations – For an easy Southwestern snack, use the spice mixture from my Roasted Fajita-Spiced Chickpeas.