Tempeh Bacon!

This tempeh bacon is bangin'. It's just the thing to make if you don't eat meat but you REALLY miss bacon.. and it's worth trying if you do eat meat and think it's impossible to live without bacon. Why yes, it's very possible, and it's also cruelty free! This tempeh bacon can be made in the form of strips, or crumbles. Recipe retrieved from the amazing cookbook, "But I Could Never Go Vegan!"




Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of liquid aminos (or tamarin or soy sauce)

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

1 tablespoon of olive oil (+ 4 teaspoons extra for cooking)

2 teaspoons of liquid smoke

1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon of cumin

a few dashes of garlic powder

a few dashes of black pepper

8 ounces of tempeh


Directions:

Combine everything (only 1 tablespoon of the olive oil), in a shallow square or rectangular baking dish.

For strips:
Cut tempeh piece in half to make 2 blocks. Slice each in half lengthwise and cut into 8 long strips. Dip strips into the marinade and saturate well on each side of each strip and leave strips soaking in marinade.

For crumbles:
Cut tempeh into small cubes (many cuts across in each direction) and take cubes in your hands and crumble into smaller bits into the baking dish with the marinade. Use your hands to mix the crumbles well with the marinade until they are fully saturated with it.

Place dish in refrigerator for at least an hour, up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, remove tempeh from fridge and heat a frying pan on medium heat with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Cook half the batch of strips in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side until they darken. Repeat with other half of strips. If making crumbles, place all crumbles in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Place cooked "bacon" pieces on 2 layers of paper towels to absorb the grease. Enjoy!