Monday Yumday: Smoky Fried Tofu Bacon
I am slightly embarrassed to admit this, but there is something about bacon that made it one of the hardest foods for me to give up on my journey to veganism. In fact, all that salty, fatty, crispy goodness still sounds delicious to me, but sadly it usually comes from adorable little pigs which I can’t stand the thought of eating. So you can imagine my excitement when Allison told me she was makin’ bacon for her next “Veganize It!” column!
The recipe took several tries to get just right, which meant lots of time in the kitchen taste-testing vegan bacon in all kinds of ways. YUM! 
One batch turned into bacon bits, which were a delicious accident and highlighted how many different uses a bacon-loving person might find for this recipe.
Smoky Fried Tofu Bacon
From “Veganize It!” in VegNews Magazine
by Allison Rivers Samson
Serves 4
10 ounces extra-firm vacuum-packed tofu, frozen, then partially thawed
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon natural smoke liquid (hickory or mesquite) plus 2-3 squirts to finish
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unflavored coconut oil
1. Slice the partially thawed tofu in half length-wise and then cut each half width-wise into paper-thin strips. Place nutritional yeast, sunflower oil, water, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, tamari, salt, natural smoke liquid, onion, and garlic in a small bowl. Purée in a blender or with an immersion blender.
2. In a shallow dish, carefully arrange tofu slices and cover with marinade for at least 1 hour, or place in the refrigerator overnight. Be careful not to move the delicate tofu around too much, unless you’d prefer bacon bits instead of strips.
3. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add coconut oil. Gently add marinated tofu slices and pan fry for 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. 
Spray with 2-3 squirts of smoke flavor and serve. (Don’t skip this last part. The extra smoke flavor MAKES the bacon!)
As you may have noticed, there is nothing “low-fat” about this recipe, although it’s still much lower in fat than animal bacon. 
If you are wanting or needing to reduce the fat in this recipe, you are welcome to try it at your own risk. (Be warned that part of what most people love about bacon is it’s high fat content, so reducing it may change the quality of your vegan bacon experience.)
Whether you eat it for breakfast, as bacon bits on a loaded potato, or in a vegan BLT, this delicious vegan bacon really satisfies!
Monday Yumday: Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Very dear to my heart, this was my inaugural recipe for my column, Veganize It! in VegNews Magazine. I intentionally created it without tofu and nutritional yeast, both of which are commonly found in vegan recipes for mac ‘n cheese. Feel free to make it gluten-free with brown rice pasta and gf breadcrumbs. Our guest blogger and Super Fan, Jessica, took it upon herself to try this recipe and send us photos. (We hope you’ll do the same with one of my other recipes… hint. hint.)
Take a look at Jessica’s fine work!
When I first saw this recipe I was quite skeptical. How could a bunch of veggies and cashews live up to the creamy decadence of America’s favorite comfort food? Most vegan mac and cheese dishes use soy cheese or nutritional yeast to give the dish a more authentic and cheesy flavor, but this recipe had neither of those. Was I supposed to believe that blending potatoes, carrots, onions and cashews was going to create anything remotely similar to a cheese sauce?
Throwing my misconceptions out the door, I decided to make this hearty baked macaroni and “cheese”. All I can say is, stop what you are doing and make this now! This mac and cheese is so incredibly creamy and delicious, you will not believe it. Don’t let the long ingredient list scare you away, the dish comes together surprisingly fast once you have cut everything up. The extra effort is well worth it, trust me!
Baked Mac & Cheese
from ‘Veganize It!’ in VegNews Magazine
by Allison Rivers Samson
Ingredients:
4 quarts water
1 tablespoon sea salt
8 ounces macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non- hydrogenated margarine
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Method:
1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a fine texture. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.
5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.
I love seeing so many fresh, healthy ingredients coming together to make something that is completely decadent and delicious. This dish would be the perfect thing to bring to a potluck or holiday dinner party. I hope you’ll try it!
