Recipe: ‘TBLT’ sandwich with Siracha mayo by Raw Food Chef Debra Garner

Who doesn’t love bacon? Bacon is a hard one for many to give up. I have meat-loving boys in my house that I work hard to impress with my vegan cooking. This tempeh bacon did the trick. They loved it. I’ve already been asked to make more. Vegan bacon is expensive and has many ingredients — my tempeh bacon has just the tempeh and some seasonings in a marinade. It’s easy to make, and if you want to save some calories you can bake it rather than pan fry (which is actually easier since you can do the whole batch at one time).

The benefits of tempeh are many, here are a few:

Contains probiotics since it’s a fermented food

It may reduce cholesterol

It can promote bone health

It may reduce menopausal symptoms

Provides muscle-building protein (a 3-ounce serving has 15 grams of protein)

Contains diabetes-fighting manganese

You will want to make this the night before so the marinade can work its magic. The marinade contains liquid smoke, which you can leave out if you want but I highly recommend including it as it gives it that smokiness we’re used to in bacon.

I get my tempeh at Trader Joe’s. It’s organic and comes in a 8-ounce package. I was able to get 16 slices out of it. You want to slice it as thin as you can without it crumbling.

“TBLT” Sandwich with Siracha Mayo

For the tempeh:

8 ounces tempeh, thinly sliced

Paprika

Black pepper

For the marinade:

1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon cumin and chili powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Put your slices of tempeh in a shallow baking pan and cover with the marinade. Cover with Saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator overnight (or at least two hours).

When you’re ready to make the “bacon,” take the pan out of the refrigerator, put the tempeh on a plate that’s lined with paper towels and press the side facing up with paper towels. Sprinkle each side with paprika and black pepper.

You can pan fry these in a pan that has been lightly oiled, or you can bake at 350 degrees on a pan lined with parchment paper for 10 minutes and then flip over for another 10 minutes. You just want them crispy. If you’re baking them, you’ll want to brush each side with olive oil or spray them with olive oil via a Misto oil sprayer.

For the Siracha mayo:

1/4 cup of Vegenaise (vegan mayo)

1-2 tablespoons Siracha (depending on your desired spice level)

I used Dave’s Killer whole grain bread, vine-ripened tomatoes and romaine lettuce for the sandwich pictured. If you love the bacon as much as we do, you may want to make a few batches over the weekend so you have enough during the week.

Recipe by Raw Chef Debra Garner. To learn more about the raw food/plant-based diet and Debra’s services, visit http://rawchefdebra. She offers a six-week raw vegan/plant-based coaching program as well as ready-made raw vegan creations.