Vegan BLT
Lately I have had a huge craving for a BLT. I loved BLTs growing up and when I gave up meat at the age of 13 it was something I craved. I remember my mom taking me out to eat and I would order a BLT but with cheese instead of bacon (mayo, tomato, lettuce and a slice of cheese). During that time there was no such thing as vegan bacon. I am not even sure if you could find a vegan bacon recipe online. Flash forward 16 years and there are vegan bacon recipes all over the internet as well as vegan bacon options in the frozen food sections.
This bacon recipe is different from those other bacon recipes online. To get that real good bacon flavor you need things like liquid smoke (which is not easy to find and most people don’t just have it lying around their pantry). This bacon recipe is very simple and requires just a few ingredients.
For this recipe, I used tofu for protein. You have the option to bake, air fry or pan fry your vegan bacon. The air frier will give you more crunch and baking/pan frying will give you less crunch.
Ingredients:
3 thin slices of tofu or tempeh
a few shakes of smoked paprika
2 tsp maple syrup
(option for nutritional yeast)
(option for 1 tsp coconut aminos or tamari)
a few pinches of salt
1 tbsp oil (avocado oil is best)
2 slices of toast or your favorite bun
lettuce
sliced tomato
vegan mayonnaise
option for sliced avocado
option for sriracha
Directions:
Heat a pan over medium heat (if using the oven preheat to 375 or heat air frier accordingly). Add oil to your pan. Then coat tofu slices with paprika, maple syrup and salt (option to add nutritional yeast and coconut aminos). then transfer tofu slices to your pan and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes. Then begin assembling your BLT. Spread the mayonnaise over your toasted bread. Then layer your tomato, vegan bacon, lettuce and avocado. Enjoy!
How to customize this recipe for dietary restrictions:
Use regular cooked bacon and/or regular mayonnaise in place of vegan bacon and vegan mayonnaise.
Use lettuce as the “bun” (gluten free, low-carb)
Use rice paper in place of the tofu (soy free)