How often do you hear people salivate (and, yes, I do mean hear them) over the gourmet slices of swine bellies? Oh, I’ve been there. I love the taste of bacon…always have. Over the past decade or so, as I tried (sometimes in vain) to eat a bit more healthily, I intentionally cut back on how often I partook of this treat. But it never was easy.
If you’ve been following my blog, you also have likely figured out that I really enjoy playing the role of a novice chef, who takes his time putting together great vegan meals that sometimes are not widely appreciated by the spawn of my loins. Well, that’s only half the story. The other half is that, like most of you, I can be incredibly lazy and disinterested after a long day to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I definitely take advantage of opportunities for quick meals on a regular basis.
Okay….so love of bacon….and desire for a quick dinner. And much to my kids’ chagrin, nope, I haven’t given up the whole “vegan thing,” as they so lovingly refer to it.
So, what’s quicker and more tasty than a fantastic BLT, right? Wait, why do I hear no dripping chops? Tell me the truth….is it because of the whole “vegan thing?”
Well, tonight we did make BLTs, and, yes, they were vegan. But we also conducted an experiment at Casa de Nagle. We taste tested several varieties of “non-bacon” bacon.
Chelsea’s favorite (although even the sight makes me want to gag) is the Morningstar Bacon. Thankfully for me, that’s made with egg product, so I’m safe from having to gag that down. But she likes it, so that’s what she made.
JoDee’s a strong advocate for the Smart Bacon. And to be honest, I thought I had bought some of that last week on a shopping trip, only to discover that what I purchased (Maple Bacon Tempeh) was something entirely different. But come on, I love tempeh, and who doesn’t like maple-flavored anything?!?!
Today, since I was out at the store anyway, I DID this time pick up some of the Smart Bacon….giving us (collectively) three brands to taste test.
Drumroll please….First, I should say that all three are incredibly easy. A few minutes in an oiled frying pan, flip them, and a few minutes more. Finished! So far….so good!
REAL drumroll please…..
I decided to taste the Tempeh version first. And while it wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t very close to tasting like bacon. And the texture was….well, it was like Tempeh, not bacon. Then I tried the Smart Bacon….WOW! Seriously, while the coloring is a little different than actual bacon, I would bet that had this been a blind taste test, even the most discerning eater of pig would have thought he was eating a little porker! Even Chelsea agreed….the best of the three was the Smart brand! That’s a REAL endorsement, let me tell you!
So, here’s the recipe (homemade) for the BLTs:
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun
Tomato, sliced
Baby Arugula
Smart Bacon, 2 slices
Vegannaise (again, you won’t know the difference from non-vegan mayo)
Earth Balance, 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium frying pan, heat the vegetable oil until it shimmers. Place two slices of the Smart Bacon into the pan for two minutes before flipping. Continue cooking bacon for two additional minutes, then remove slices and place on a paper towel to remove excess grease. Meanwhile, toast hamburger bun for approximately 2-3 minutes in the oven. Once toasted, spread Earth Balance on one side of the bun and Vegannaise on the other. Place a small handful of baby arugula on the bottom half of the bun, to slices of tomato atop that, and top it all off with two slices of bacon and the upper half of the bun.
Enjoy!
Sliding Vegan 