Bacon Fruit Sandwich aka BFLT

the need for bacon is so powerful I try to turn tofu into it

recipe #170

In an attempt to loose the last 10 lbs. of baby weight I been hauling around on my ass for the past 16 months I have decided to stop cooking with dairy, meat (not including fish), sugar, wheat, white rice and potatoes. My dad has lost 40 lbs. in the past 5 or 6 months this way (he has also cut out salt and all booze).

I started this diet with the philosophy I wasn't going to try to substitute cheese with vegan cheese or hot dogs with not-dogs. I would just skip that. I didn't want to make a vegan/gluten free mac and cheese because that would just make me miss the real thing even more. This policy is working well, so far until. . .

About 20 hours ago I was hit with a powerful need for a BLT. I ignored and ignored. I put on my I heart Bacon tee shirt to keep me warm. This afternoon, maybe an hour ago it was clear a BLT was going to have to be consumed.

So here is what I did:
Bacon Fruit
I took some firm tofu that I had dried and pressed. I'm not sure I really get tofu yet, but I think it has an interesting texture after it has been pressed. I then sliced it lengthwise into 1/3 inch wide squares.
I took about 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
around 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
some salt, some pepper
a wee bit of hong you oil (recipe for that here)I dragged across the country and had to use for something
2 tablespoons of olive oil

I let this marinate for a very short time because I really wanted a BLT. Maybe 10 minutes. Then I threw everything in a shallow glass pan and put it under a broiler. I think I left it there for about 10 minutes per side. the 2nd side cooked much faster than the first and looked like it was seconds away from being fully burned.

Toasted bread, romaine lettuce, tomato, loads of mayo (screw you, diet), bacon fruit.

bacon fruit

It worked. Sort of. It reminded me of a BLT. It was greasy because it was cooked in so much olive oil. It was smoky. It was, unfortunately way too sweet.
I think next time I will use ketsup or BBQ sauce instead of maple syrup. It had more of a sausage flavor than a bacon flavor.

If I don't loose 2 lbs. simply by eating this sandwich, there is no justice in the world.

So, if you have recently become vegetarian, kosher or a muslim and still crave the sweet sweet taste of bacon, you can give this recipe a shot. Just think of it more as a cousin or brother-in-law of bacon.

tags technorati : vegan, sandwich,