Smoky Tempeh Bacon

Sharon123's Note:

This easy recipe can be assembled the night before and prepared in the morning for a weekend breakfast or brunch. Great as a BLT. The tempeh strips can be left marinating in the fridge 2 to 3 days. Just be sure to eat the bacon as soon as it’s cooked—otherwise, it may lose its crispness. Adapted from Vegetarian Times(April 2008).

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 24 slices

• 1 (8 ounce) package tempeh, sliced into 24 very thin slices
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ancho chile powder (or to taste)
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or light olive oil)
• smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Lay the tempeh slices in 2 13- x 9-inch baking dishes. Bring soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, cumin, ancho chile powder, and ½ cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat, and stir in liquid smoke, if using. Pour over tempeh slices. Let cool, then cover and chill 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 300°F.
3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Carefully transfer tempeh slices to prepared baking sheet, and discard marinade(or save and use again for more tempeh bacon).
4. Brush slices with vegetable oil, and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Flip tempeh slices, brush with oil, and bake 5 to 7 minutes more, or until crisp and dark brown.

Reviews

[Cookgirl]

This made for the perfect "BLTs": (Vegan) Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Salsa tacos! ;) I added the smoked paprika with the marinade mixture, skipping the ancho chili powder and adding only 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke. Had to increase the temperature to 350º to make the strips crispier to my liking and ended up cooking the tempeh strips about 25 minutes total. Served with a choice of corn or flour tortillas, mixed greens including arugula and fresh locally made salsa. Reviewed for Veg Tag January.