Kids, I think it’s safe to say I have turned into a (vegan) bacon-aholic.
First there was coconut bacon. Then I did the tempeh thing. And now I’m on to eggplant.
If I haven’t convinced you to invest in liquid smoke yet, what the what are you waiting for? [As much as I hate ending the sentence in a preposition, it doesn’t have the same punch when written grammatically correct. Cool?]
The tempeh was so good I made a double batch within the week. Kyle still hasn’t tasted it. I’m a pig. <— bacon pun anyone?
BLAC = “bacon”, lettuce, avocado & “cheese”
Not really sure how I feel about Daiya provolone yet. It’s not very flavorful. I may have really high standards though since they make an exceptional cheddar flavor. I haven’t tried the other sliced ones like havarti or pepper jack. Or the cream cheese. It’s hard spending $$$ on a gamble when you know there’s another option that’s a sure thing.
Another combo had tempeh “bacon” with spinach, goat cheese, and a fried egg.
Once the tempeh phase died down, I moved on to these guys.
Full disclosure, I have a LOT of eggplant to work with this week month. I’m talking dozens of eggplant. Eggplants? What’s the plural? Eggplanti? Kidding, that’s for sure wrong.
I told you!
This isn’t even all of it!
How jealous will you be when I tell you they were all free? Super jealous, I bet. Unless your name is Kyle and you don’t like eggplant. Sooooo I have my work cut out for me. Elise (and Pattycakes?) have to do some serious nightshade grubbing business in the future.
Eggplant parmesan? Babaganoush? Stuffed eggplant boats? Eggplant fries? BBQ eggplant? Ratatouille?
Yes to all of the above. Oh, and eggplant bacon.
Vegan eggplant or tempeh “bacon” [vegan, gluten free, FODMAPs friendly]
Ingredients:
- 2 Japanese eggplants, sliced thinly length-wise OR 8 oz. tempeh, sliced
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix all liquid ingredients (tamari through liquid smoke) in a mixing bowl. Add eggplant or tempeh to the marinade and brush the slices until they are covered (or spoon it over them). Let it marinate for a few minutes.
Spread onto greased baking sheet or parchment paper. Make sure it’s well spread out with minimal overlapping portions. Pour any remaining marinade on top.
Bake for 25-35 minutes (at 375 degrees F) until it’s as done as you’d like.
Notes:
Call me crazy a bacon addict, but I bet zucchini would work too. I dunno, get creative, go for it, bacon-ify your life. Minus the oink part.
Wow, such a unique idea! I need to try this sometime!
I too am addicted to liquid smoke…….add it to spilt pea soup….almond butter and coconut bacon sandwiches….can not wait to try eggplant bacon and fresh mozzarella with home grown tomatoes…..yum….
Yum! I have to try this, especially since my eggplant in the vegetable bed is growing like crazy. I don’t have any liquid smoke on hand but I do have smoked sea salt, do you think that would work?
I LOOOOOOVE eggplant! This looks amazing! I will have to snag up some at the farmer’s market tomorrow. Too bad I don’t have any for free 😉
Tempeh bacon, spinach, goat cheese and fried egg? How dare you do that to a preggo at 9:00 in the morning!! Going on the must-make list for next week.
I just recently tried the daiya pepper jack & wasn’t thrilled. It tasted too much like the “old school” fake cheeses of yore. But the mozzarella & cheddar rock, so yeah! Stick to what you know!!
nope. just buy liquid smoke. i promise youll love it.
Going to my weekly Longmont (CO) Farmers Market trip tomorrow–
Good to know Elise! You’re definitely keeping me going with yummy ideas! And yes, TONS of eggplant-The white ones- or Norwiegan eggplant is good also.
This is such a cool idea!!! I totally want to try this. I use liquid smoke in my veggie chili and it is sooo good!
I’m totally getting some eggplant so I can make this. I was on a tempeh beacon kick last week, so this is perfect timing to switch it up! That egg, spinach and goat cheese combo sounds amazing. Oh and that dark bread looks delish 🙂
haha. pregnant ladies need a private chef on standby.
thanks for the feedback. adios pepper jack! now if only i could get some info about the cream cheese…that could be the biggest disaster of all.
ive never tried the white ones…definitely on my list!
SUCH a good chili addition. mmmm…
Elise, what brand tempeh and tofu do you like best?
You do okay with the molasses in the liquid smoke?
Is that The Essential Baking Company super seeded multi-grain gluten free bread? It looks awesome. So much better than piddly white rice udi breads. You doing okay with it?
Happy to see another post by you this week!! Miss them!
Would love a list of your kitchen appliance essentials in addition to the rice cooker!
Ughhhh I can’t find liquid smoke aaanywhere( moangroan) , no bacon for me *sniff*
I actually got a bag of baby eggplanti ( <- could be right), and I've been making them into fries with a sweet tahini sauce for dippage. It's insane :).
Xxx
Vegan bacon is soooo much better than regular bacon! I especially love eggplant and coconut bacon. I haven’t made either in awhile and I’ve been growing a Japanese eggplant in my garden this summer and I think it’s destined to become bacon this week!
There is no molasses in liquid smoke.
Does the eggplant get chewy or crunchy?? Even when i ate meat (aka childhood) i seriously hated bacon so i’m going out on a limb here….. Trying the coconut version this wknd finally!
Oh, I love Tempe bacon and liquid smoke! Can’t wait to try it with eggplant! Wonder if cauliflower would works?
hmm, there is in my brand…the only one I can find.
Yum! I just made this recipe tonight at it was absolutely delish!
I actually made a few tweaks—>
I used raw honey instead of molasses. And, I massaged (I love hands-on food prep!) the eggplant and sauce in a pie tin which I slid into my dehydrator to marinate and warm for a few hours. I poured the warm yumminess on top of a bed of brown rice. Winner!!!
Elise, can you please post your tempeh bacon recipe (or brand)? I can’t find the recipe anywhere on your blog. Thanks so much.
um, duh…just noticed this eggplant recipe can be used for tempeh too! Never mind!!
Oh yum! I have always wanted to make eggplant bacon, but never gotten around to it. You have inspired me! And I think I will try some zucchini at the same time. Although, I am going to need for it to cool down a bit…90 degrees and no AC does not make me eager to turn on the oven, even for something as delicious sounding as this…
Courtney
On the menu for this week. Tempeh bacon is baking as we speak.
Made it, love it, can’t stop making it. SUPER good with wildwood organic super firm tofu too!!!! My almost 2 year old likes to help “paint” the marinade onto the tempeh slices with the basting brush.
I did not think my little town grocery store would have it either, but I found it way up high in the barbeque sauce aisle, not by the seasonings where I thought it would be.
Thank you for this great recipe! I had a pack of tempeh sitting in my fridge and wasn’t sure what to do with it so I made the bacon.
It was delicious! Awesome recipe! 🙂