I made this for dinner tonight and it was super yummy and sooo easy that I thought I would share the recipe. You might be aware that you can buy vegetarian “bacon” however it is typically heavily processed and often full of questionable ingredients. Being vegan (for me) is about eating healthy whole foods so the convenient fake meat substitutes are rarely on my grocery list or in my fridge.

In this plant-based version of a BLT the ‘bacon” is actually tempeh. Tempeh is a soy product, however it is different than tofu. Some nutritionist think that tempeh is a healthier choice than tofu because it is made from fermented soy. I like to buy my tempeh from Trader Joe’s.  I basically love all things Trader Joe’s but their package of organic tempeh for $1.69 is one of my favorite products (which I hope they do not discontinue!! If you are a regular at Trader Joe’s you know that have a tendency to discontinue products at random). The ingredients in Trader Joe’s brand of Tempeh are all familiar foods which include: organic soybeans, water, organic brown rice, organic barley, organic millet, and lactic acid (from plant sources). The other great thing about this product is that it has 20 grams of protein per serving! That makes this vegan smile! As well as gives me a great answer to the commonly asked question “where do you get your protein from?”

There are many different delicious ways to use/prepare tempeh, but this BLT sandwich is my current favorite. The following recipe will make 4 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

One package of tempeh

8 slices of bread

1 Roma tomato

4 leaves of lettuce

vegan mayonnaise (oragnic Vegenaise is my favorite brand)

Oil (a high heat oil such as safflower oil works best)

Onion powder

garlic powder

Soy Sauce (I use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)

Directions:

Cut tempeh in half lengthwise and width-wise to create four squares of tempeh. Heat oil in pan. Place tempeh in pan. Flip over when golden brown on the bottom side. Sprinkle liberally with onion, powder and garlic powder. Squirt with soy sauce to taste. Continue to fry in pan until both sides are golden brown. Assemble sandwich on toasted bread including one slice of tempeh, sliced tomato, mayonnaise, and lettuce on each.

That’s it! It serioulsy takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is a deliciously healthy alternative to a traditional BLT sandwich. Serve with soup and salad for a complete meal.

-Sarah