Recently a friend posted a recipe for Eggplant Bacon.  Now being the bacon snob that I am, my initial reaction was yeah right, nothing could take the place of heavenly pork bacon, not even turkey bacon which I begrudgingly eat from time to time, to be healthyish!  Lets face it, some things you just cannot replicate no matter how close you get.  Having said that, I decided to give it a try.  I created a version that I felt would not only look close to pork bacon, but would hit the same flavor points.

The verdict?  Pretty damn good!  Now I am not going to sit here and convince you it is the same as bacon, but I will say this, it is a pretty damn good Vegan hack!  I love eggplant anyway, so this was perfect.  I made mine into an elegant ELT, and it was so delish!  I am planning to slip this one in and see if I can trick my kids!  That will truly be the ultimate test, because my kids love bacon and they love eggplant, so I think they will be ok with this healthier hack as long as I don’t forgo their beloved bacon permanently.

I hope you give this a try,  You may not be ready for a full on Vegan lifestyle, as I personally have tried it and cannot make the commitment but if you do one or two meals a week, you are already making a difference to your overall healthy and well-being and you don’t have to sacrifice taste!

Sinfully,

Susan xoxo

• Servings: 4-5
• Time: 35 min.
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A healthy vegan hack, that's, easy, healthy and delicious!

 

 

 

 

Credit: CrazySexySavor.com/Susan Mangieri-Maurath

Ingredients

• 1 half eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. of sweet paprika (if you are not using the Applewood Smoked Sea salt use the smoky Paprika.
• 1 1/2 tsp. of Applewood Smoked Sea Salt
• 2 tsp. of Liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp. of pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp of soy sauce or Tamari (Tamari is a Japeneese soy sauce that is fermented, contains less wheat, is less saltier than soy sauce, and is a bit thicker)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. of EVOO
• Cracked black pepper Kosher salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275°.  Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Peel and slice eggplant into thin strips. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of Kosher salt, front and back.  In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients.  Mix well.
3. Brush mixture on both sides of eggplant.  Place in oven for 25 -30 minutes, or until crispy, slightly dried and looks like bacon.  Remove from oven, place on baking rack to cool.  When cool enough to handle use in sandwiches or with eggs as a breakfast meat substitute.  Devour.