My carnivorous (seriously, she HATES veggies and many fruits too) sister is a bonafide bacon-lover. She and my dad are currently in Chicago as she auditions for musical theatre colleges and they’re planning on going to a bacon restaurant this week. A. Bacon. Restaurant. What is wrong with America that we glorify shameless, unhealthy meat eating to the point that there are restaurants with a bacon theme?
Getting off my soap box, I realize a lot of people like bacon. Vegetarians and vegans alike, even. If that weren’t true, there wouldn’t be so many faux bacon products out there. I used to eat them occasionally, not really to replicate bacon (because let’s be honest, those products don’t and also I have no desire to eat meat or its imitations) but just to get that flavor. I think it’s the salty, smoky, sweetness that makes people go gaga over bacon. So why can’t raw vegans enjoy this flavor combo too…in a healthier form?
Enter…coconut bacon! I’m definitely not the first to think of this (though I wish I was) but many recipes out there aren’t raw or quite as healthy as this one. I’ve got nothing against maple syrup (love the stuff, actually) but for the sake of staying raw and no-added-sugar, I nixed it for homemade date paste and dehydrated my ‘bacon’. I think I like it better dehydrated than baked, because it keeps the texture perfectly crunchy.
Homemade ‘bacon’, fresh from the dehydrator.
Coconut ‘Bacon’ (vegan, raw, gluten free, grain free, no-added-sugar)
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (can increase amount for more ‘bacon’)
- 1-2 tbsp coconut aminos (can sub tamari for non-raw version)
- few drops liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp date paste (soaked dates+a little water blended)
Mix aminos, liquid smoke and date paste in a bowl until combined. Add in coconut and stir until coconut is covered. Spread coconut flakes onto Teflex or parchment paper lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 118 degrees for 2-4 hours, or until coconut is crisp. Makes 1 cup.
BLA lettuce wraps with the coconut ‘bacon’.
You can just eat the ‘bacon’ by the spoonful if you want, but it also makes a delicious addition to BLA (‘bacon’, lettuce and avocado) lettuce wraps, salads, sweet & salty desserts and basically anything that needs a little ‘bacon’!
Recipe submitted to Raw Food Thursdays.
Have you ever tried non-meat alternatives to bacon?
Real. Food. Girl. 
Um…YUM!
I wish I had a dehydrator. One day…
You can totally make this in the oven in the meantime! I’ve seen a few really good recipes for baked coconut bacon, like this one here: http://www.fettlevegan.com/4/post/2012/07/coconut-bacon.html
I’ve read a lot about coconut bacon. I’ll have to give it a try if I ever get a chance.
It’s true that most people like meat just because it’s a vehicle for the seasonings. You can have veggie alternatives made with the same seasonings and get it almost exactly the same with mainly just a change in texture.
I think the texture thing is what throws some people from eating veggie-based alternatives, but once you get used to them, they’re so much better!
They really are. They’re just not as protein rich as meat which can be difficult on its own, unfortunately.
Pingback: WIAW: Raw Til 6 | almostveggirlie
Pingback: Meal Prep Monday: Raw Week 1 | almostveggirlie
Thanks so much for sharing this at Raw Foods Thursdays! I’ve added to our RFT board and shared it on Facebook too! Hope to see you back again tomorrow!
xo