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May 16, 2016

"baconish" + giveaway



Because I've been so busy with my upcoming book, Aquafaba (Amazon, B&N), it seems I've only had time to write reviews! It just seems to be the only break I've been allowing myself to get -- and as much as the kids like sweets, even they are getting a bit inundated with aquafaba creations since I've been done with the savory part of the book. 

Luckily, Leinana Two Moons offers just such a needed break with her Baconish (Amazon, B&N) cookbook, published by Vegan Heritage Press

As you might expect, the book is all about vegan bacon, in the form of tofu, seitan, coconut, tempeh, eggplant, carrot, etc. After introducing you to her bacon recipes, Leinana makes use of those bacon creations to include them in sweet and savory dishes of all kinds: beakfast, salad, soup, lunch, mains, sweets, ice cream, yeah, pretty much everything.

I make a really great bacon myself, so I had to see how Leinana stacks up in the bacon department, and naturally, if you have a bacon book, well, you should make bacon.

I chose the Seitan Bacon since that is one I haven't actually ever made, and, I think, have only had seitan bacon from Upton's company (really delicious, too, so Leinana had some big boots to fill.)

I made the seitan bacon as directed, but my bacon wasn't cooked by the designated time. So, if you make it, touch the gluten and if it is still very soft (raw) toss it back in for another 30 minutes or so. 
Once it was cooked, it was very tasty and my kid is still asking for it...of course, it is long gone.




We collectively decided to go for the Croque Monsieur sandwich, mostly because it looked like an interesting version, with a bechamel sauce on top, instead of more melted cheese.

The sandwich was very tasty, but a word of advice: don't add all the sauce to the sandwiches as it made them soggy and voided the hard work of toasting the sandwich in the first place. Also, place the sandwiches on a cooling rack on the baking sheet so the bottom doesn't steam up and get soggy, either.

With these few suggestions, the sandwich is really great. Oh! and if you have vegan brioche, that is the traditional bread to serve it on. (Hint: recipe in my upcoming Aquafaba!)




And then, I made my biggest mistake: I gave the book to my kids to pick something. Naturally, they chose the most time-consuming recipe in the book, Potato, Bacon and Onion Pierogi.

As Leinana point out, they are a lot of work, but they are worth it. Since the pierogies have onions in them, I decided to caramelize a little more as some topping. Very decadent and delicious.




Finally, I couldn't let you go without letting you have at the Famous Coconut Bacon BLT! Once you check out the recipe, I have more good news...giveaway! Comment below to enter to win a copy of Leinana's Baconish cookbook. Contest is open to US residents only and ends May 30, midnight. Good luck!




The Famous Coconut BLT
Makes 4 sandwiches

This recipe will make any vegan-bacon skeptic a true believer. Because Coconut Bacon will become less crisp the longer you store it, I recommend making it just ahead of preparing your sandwiches. (From Baconish © 2016 by Leinana Two Moons. Used with permission from Vegan Heritage Press.)

8 slices sandwich bread
Vegan mayonnaise
2 cups Coconut Bacon (recipe follows)
1 large ripe tomato, sliced
Lettuce leaves, washed and patted dry

Spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of mayonnaise. Top the mayonnaise with about 1/2 cup of the Coconut Bacon per sandwich, followed by slices of tomato and lettuce leaves. Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices. Cut each sandwich with a serrated bread knife and serve immediately.


Coconut Bacon
Makes 2 1/2 cups

This recipe will make any vegan-bacon skeptic a true believer. It is my absolute favorite bacon to use for the best BLTs ever. (From Baconish © 2016 by Leinana Two Moons. Used with permission from Vegan Heritage Press.)

3 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 cups unsweetened large-flake coconut

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the tamari, liquid smoke, water, and maple syrup together in a large bowl. Stir in the coconut and mix well to ensure that the flakes are evenly coated.

Spread the coconut in an even layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10 minutes, then stir. Bake another 8 minutes, keeping a very close eye on the coconut in the last few minutes. The coconut will go from almost done to completely burned very quickly. Remove from the oven when the coconut flakes on the outer edges of the pan are becoming a deep, dark brown, but not black.

Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. The coconut will continue to crisp as it cools. Coconut bacon will keep 1 to 2 weeks in an airtight plastic container, but will become less crisp the longer you store it. 

34 comments:

  1. So far, the Coconut Bacon recipe in American Vegan Kitchen is my favorite. When I finally found premade coconut bacon in a store I thought it was too pricey, so I've only had homemade. I am anxious to try this version.

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  2. How did I miss that in AVK?? I'll check it out; thanks!

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  3. Thanks for the recipes! I appreciate that they're soy free as I can't have soy.

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  4. Oh, and I don't know how to get it to post with anything but "unknown". That last comment was from me. I'm Kel. Hi!

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    1. Hi Kel! Thank you for visiting! Make sure to check back here next month to see if you won. Or you can email me your email address or Twitter handle and I can let you know. zsu at zsusveganpatry dot com

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  5. I never had or made coconut bacon. This one looks delish and easy enough.
    Chely C. at pepitajobo at icloud dOt com

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  6. I usually make tempeh bacon so I would love to see all of the variations. I'll definitely give the coconut bacon a try. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  7. Hiya! SO glad to see a blog post from you in my inbox this morning! I would love to win this book! This looks like a mighty-fine sandwich! And a new book from you in the near future, too!? YAY! Congrats once again on another book!!! http://MyBlissfulJourney.com

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  8. So interested to try her coconut flake bacon. The recipes I've tried, my husband says they're too sweet and need more smoke. But that sweetness could be coming from the coconut flakes themselves, even though they're not sweetened flakes.

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  9. I would love to win this book. I have tried coconut bacon that I found at the grocer's and it was quite tasty!!!!

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  10. Ooooh this all looks so AMAZING! I would la la LOVE to win a copy! Cheers!
    xo

    heatheranne99 at gmail dot com

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  11. I'd like to try making seitan bacon, since I always make my own seitan.

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  12. Thanks for holding a giveaway! I'd love to win a copy! :) (jackydlt at gmail)

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  13. That sandwich looks amazing! :)

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  14. This looks so great! Recently, I tried to make rice paper bacon (yesterday afternoon, in fact). I was unprepared for how quickly it burnt, but the non-charred bits were really tasty, and I liked the consistency. This cookbook looks like lots of fun; thank you for the giveaway! ceevegnashville ~at~ gmail ~dot~ com

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  15. Oh my, that BLT looks amazing! Is it wrong that I do miss bacon?

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    1. Missing the taste is one thing...and I think most of us miss some flavor or other from our past. Nothing wrong with that; besides, you don't really know if it is the flavor you miss or the memory associated with the flavor. No judgements here. Eat the bacon; just make it vegan :)

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  16. Bacon! Yum. Coconut! Yum. Together -- amazing.
    Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net

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  17. Thank you so much for the vegan bacon recipe! I've been purchasing it and, while delicious, it is quite expensive! I cannot wait to try this!

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  18. My omnivore fiance is OK with using fak'n (as we call it), so I'd love to expand my repertoire a bit!

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  19. Thank you for posting this. I am always looking for plant-based bacon recipes. I can't wait to try this.

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  20. I would LOVE to win this cookbook! And that BLT looks amazing!!!

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  21. It's funny, before I became vegan I never really cared for bacon. Too fatty I think. But now that I'm vegan I LOVE vegan bacon - if there's a vegan BLT on the menu that's what I order. One of my favorite variations that I've tried making is shiitake bacon - so good!

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  22. Your post is so intriguing, and I'd love to explore the entire book. Thank you for the opportunity to win this cookbook!

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  23. The thought of making baconish food that's also kind is very intriguing... And a BLT, really? I'm all over that and can't wait to make it...

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  24. Bacon is the only thing I've truly missed since I became a vegetarian 4 years ago. I've tried some store bought replacements and they're good for a bad craving but it's just not all that similar to the real thing

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  25. I've been meaning to try making coconut bacon forever! This is awesome!!!!!

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  26. Susan from Maple Shade, NJMay 30, 2016 at 6:41 AM

    Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I am all for preserving the safety of animals. I am always looking to make and share vegetarian and vegan dishes with friends and family to promote a healthier lifestyle. Kindly enter me for a chance to win a copy of Leinana's Baconish cookbook. Thank you and have a delightful day! <3

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    1. You are the winner of "Baconish! Please contact me at zsu at zsusveganpantry dot com

      Congratulations!

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Are you Susan from Maple Shade, New Jersey? If you are, please email me. Thank you!

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  27. I was never a huge bacon fan but these days I really enjoy portobello bacon. I would love to try some new recipes for that smoky flavor.

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Thanks for your comment! I'll check if it's spam and post if it is not. I appreciate your time and effort for commenting! ~ Zsu