blt with eggplant bacon

many times i hold back on posting recipes because of the poor photos. but i'm not here to win a photo contest - i'm here to show you how to make a delicious vegan blt!

did you know plant products contain little to no cholesterol? some say cholesterol is the animal's revenge. i don't know about that, but i do know that even when i was an avid meat eater, i couldn't stand to cook greasy bacon. turkey bacon was ok, but some brands i've tried were inedible.

enter eggplant bacon. after making it over a dozen times, i have finally found a recipe i love. (you can click here to see more of my posts with eggplant bacon.) the key to good eggplant bacon is slicing the eggplant thin and allowing enough time for marination. mine marinated over two days in the fridge and produced the best batch of crunchy bacon yet.

eggplant bacon marinade

3 T nama shoyu or soy sauce
2 T maple syrup
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chipotle powder (depending upon how much heat you like)

mix all ingredients. slice eggplant into thin circles (a mandolin slicer is ideal). for best results, allow eggplant to marinate at least six hours*. dehydrate on teflex sheets at 115 degrees until crispy on top, then flip onto mesh screens and dehydrate until dry.

alternatively, eggplant bacon can be baked in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

*at first i accidentally typed six years. in other words, the longer the better if you ask me!=)

to assemble the blt, layer bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado (makes a nice substitute for mayo). we like to use ezekiel sprouted grain bread but have also used wraps and homemade raw breads. (matthew kenney's cumin flatbread and lisa's raw on $10 a day onion bread are my favorites.)

eggplant boasts a host of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. the beautiful purple fruit (yes, it's a fruit!) contains potent antioxidants that protect cells from damage, particularly brain cells. studies have shown that eggplant can reduce cholesterol in the arteries, effectively increasing blood flow. when switching from pork bacon to eggplant, we're not only preventing the cholesterol from entering our system, but also helping to remove it. win-win!

it's eggplant season in our neck of the woods. our eggplant isn't growing well, but fortunately the csa has plenty. i'm still waiting for red bell peppers to make roasted eggplant and red pepper dip. eggplant caponato is another delicious way to eat eggplant, especially this raw version.

how do you like to prepare eggplant? could always use a new recipe to try!

tomato sammies

what makes the end of the csa season so sad is saying goodbye to our tomato sammies.

 

'til next year, you delicious little monsters.

these sandwiches are heirloom tomato, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, liberal amounts of salt and pepper, and a yummy cashew cheeze sauce (leftover from cheezy kale chips) on toasted sprouted ezekiel bread. a nice mix of raw and cooked.

an all raw version:

 on dehydrated pumpkin seed bread with crunchy kale chips

a cooked/fried version:

on whole grain bread with tater tots 

tomato sandwiches are also great with eggplant bacon, vegan mayo, cole slaw or sliced avocado. pair with a bowl of veggie soup for a hearty, homey meal.

***

i'd like to say thanks for your tips and laughs on the last post with my blemish issue, and for not thinking i was totally gross and removing me from your blog list.=) i'm happy to say it's feeling much better, though it's still a sight to see. less red though and on it's way to healing. 

of course i squeezed it but gently this time with cotton swabs. then i dabbed a bit of coconut oil and tea tree oil on it before i went to bed. if you see me, please laugh at it and don't pretend it's not there. let's just acknowledge it and move on, mmmk?=)

sunny bread, kale chips, and buckwheat granola

this was breakfast today. 

sunny bread sandwich with sliced avocado, tomatoes, carrot, and lettuce.

served with a crunchy side of kale chips.

 

and this was lunch.

 

buckwheat granola cereal topped with almond milk.

sometimes my belly can be very strange! =)

~*~

i created the sunny bread recipe using matthew kenney's cumin bread recipe as a guide. i call it sunny bread because 1) its got sunflower seeds in the recipe and 2) it was a nice, warm(er) sunny day here yesterday when i made it. =)

Sunny Bread

1 C. golden flax meal

3/4 C. sunflower seeds, soaked

3/4 C. walnuts, soaked

2 small squash, roughly chopped

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1/2 tsp salt

1 clove garlic

place flax in mixing bowl. process remaining ingredients in food processor until smooth. add to bowl with flax and stir until well combined. spread batter on one teflex sheet, score bread into 9 (or more) slices, and dehydrate for about one hour at 145°. turn temperature down to 115°, and dehydrate until top feels dry. transfer to screen and dehydrate a few more hours, until bread is dry but still pliable.

~*~

john came into the kitchen yesterday saying "i want chipsss" (meaning tortilla or potato chips). i felt a little sorry for him because we had neither, but then i remembered we had kale chips in the dehydrator! we gobbled those chippies until our tongues turned green!

(you may remember this dish from the salem county arts festival post. i love the way the kale chips look on the orangey plate!)

 

Kale Chippies

a bunch of kale

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-2 garlic clove

few pinches of salt, to taste

trim off the tough stems and break kale into chip-size pieces. place in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with agave and olive oil. (you may need more or less than 1 tbsp of each, depending on how much kale you're working with.) massage kale a few minutes, making sure each piece is saturated. allow to marinate (i marinate my kale overnight in the fridge, but a half hour or so should do). spread kale in a single layer on teflex sheet and dehydrate at 115° until dry and crispy.

~*~

after trying many different raw granola recipes, i've finally come up with one i absolutely love! it's tasty as a dry snack or topped with milk for a yummy cereal.

the main ingredient of this granola is buckwheat. despite its name, buckwheat is a gluten-free fruit seed, so it should be safe for those with wheat allergies.

"o-tay!"

Buckwheat Granola

6 dates, pitted and soaked

1 Tbsp soak water (reserved from dates)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 C. raw buckwheat groats, soaked

1/2 C. almonds, soaked, then roughly chopped

1/2 C. sunflower seeds, soaked

1 C. shredded coconut

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp hemp seed

handful of raisins or dried cranberries

process first 5 ingredients in a high speed blender until a paste is formed. place remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. add date paste and mix thoroughly. spread onto 2 teflex trays and dehydrate at 115° until dry.

i'm not much of a recipe writer, so if you have any questions, just ask! i'm happy to help! =)

fall arts festival

today we headed 45 minutes south to a fall arts festival in salem county. little did we know it was a tour of shops, galleries, and artists' homes! in one cute little shop i bought a brown sugar and fig soy candle....mmm...so nice and fall-y. we were also given free apples and pumpkins with our purchases. gotta love free produce! =)

next stop was klayhorse studios, which was actual part of the sculptor's home that she and her husband designed right along the delaware river. i forgot to take a pic inside Deborah Waddington Smith's studio but here are some pics inside her amazing home.

spiral staircases are cool, but i'd imagine they make it a bit difficult to carry the laundry basket up and down. i should have asked! :p

this wall featured Deborah's mother (Mary Waddington's) photography.

to the left are Amanda McCutcheon's portraits of "The Boardroom".

Ms. McCutcheon explained that these portraits were done in the recent year to show her anger towards the fraudulent actions of the banksters. (i need a creative outlet for my angst!)

on a lighter note, this house had some happy cats lounging around.

 

"why don't you take a picture...it'll last longer..."

he then proceeded to roll his eyes but was happy when john pet him. =)

final stop was Linda Levie's studio/house...located right next to a huge soy bean farm!

her home featured the work of Brigitte O'Dowd-Carr.

we brought along sammies and snacks with the intention to have a picnic lunch somewhere, but we ended up saving them for dinner. (we had too many goodies at the stops along the way...cupcake, cookies, pumpkin soup...sinful! why can't i say nooo?!)

can you spot the little heart sprout?

it's funny how we went from one extreme of eating to another in one day! hey, i say better to eat healthy most of the time then none of the time!

i followed this recipe to make a hearty raw bread, then topped it with sliced avocado, garden tomatoes, kale massaged with olive oil, and alfalfa sprouts. served with a side of baked kale chips.

*i'd use the bread recipe again but will leave out the pumpkin seeds and use more sunflower seeds.

have a wonderful week, my lovely readers!

(all 3 of you ;)

more yumminess and a houseguest

fried red tomatoes sandwich with lettuce, mung sprouts and vegenaise

nutty stir-fry with barley

~*~

this is nellie grace.

miss nellie is a 2 year-old pomeranian staying with us for the week while her mommy (my cousin kate) is away. i'm learning she likes to play ball, take walks, sniff, and snuggle. she does not enjoy steps or loud noises.

nellie also thinks it's too chilly today.

yumminess

john came home thursday with a tomato sicilian pie from his brother-in-law franco's pizzeria. mmm mmm mmmm was it GOOD! i topped my slice with some fresh basil, dried oregano and sauteed chard from the garden.

i had an eggplant ready to be picked so i decided to give eggplant "bacon" a try. i used a potato slicer to shave thin slices and marinated them overnight in a mixture of olive oil, shoyu, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. i baked them at 350 degrees in a casserole dish for about 10 minutes. i would have liked them a bit more crispy (yet another reason i want a dehydrator) but the taste was surprisingly close to bacon. the eb-l-t (eggplant bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich) was phenomenal. with a bit of vegenaise and sliced avocado...*drool*

when i got a nice little round watermelon in my organic co-op box this week i got the idea to make watermelon soup in melon bowls. i didn't feel like following a recipe - just read through a few to get an idea. i added strawberries, diced cucumber, ginger, mint, and rice milk to the chopped watermelon in a blender. quick, easy, and yummy.

grilled veggie sub

zucchini, yellow squash, roasted red peppers, romaine and red sails, dressed with garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, on an italian torpedo roll

if you're from the northeastern U.S., you know a fresh torpedo roll from an italian deli is hard to resist. i know white breads are no good, but convenience and the italian boyfriend were favored in this last minute choice. =) next time i shall use whole grain rolls.

spelt bread is on my things to make list. maybe i'll even try spelt rolls. my mom gave me the great idea to bread eggplant with panko and top it with bruschetta for a yummy sandwich. i think i'll wait until my eggplant and tomatoes have grown, then make an almost completely homemade, homegrown sandwich!

plant progression:

4th of july tomatoes

eggplant

hope everyone has a nice, relaxing weekend!!! =)

zucchini "crab" cakes

makes about 10

you will need:

around 4 C grated zucchini ( about 3 nice-sized zucchini)
2 eggs or egg replacers
3 T butter or Earth Balance vegan butter, melted
2 1/2 C Panko japanese bread crumbs and 3 T for coating
1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour and 2 T for coating
3-4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (or to taste)
few T olive oil for frying

how to make these delicious little monsters:

Wash zucchini and shred using the larger side of a cheese grater (when using organic, I like to leave the skin on). Drain in a colander for at least 20 minutes. It's important you get most of the moisture out or else they will have a mushy texture. Occasionally press onto shredded zucchini using a potato smasher or a spatula. Right before you're ready to mix the ingredients, press about two paper towels onto the zucchini. By now it will look like you have about half of what you started with.

In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg and butter. Stir in bread crumbs, flour and seasoning. Mix well.

Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in 2 T flour mixed with 3 T bread crumbs, or more.

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides. Be very gentle when flipping them because they will fall apart if you're too rough.

Serve on your favorite whole grain roll (but watch out for high fructose syrup in the ingredients- thank you ang and darryl for pointing that out to me!) Tastes really yummy with cocktail sauce. Extra patties can be frozen to be reheated later for a quick meal.

You will be amazed at how delicious these are!