OMG! This raw vegan BLT with eggplant bacon and avocado butter sandwich could be my favorite of all time!!!!
I have never been a big fan of sandwiches. They all have too much bread for my taste. This sandwich with raw bread, avocado butter, tomato, lots of spicy arugula, and my raw vegan eggplant bacon hits the spot.
This recipe is not complicated, but requires patience. The sweet and smoky bacon takes a few hours of dehydrating to get that crispy texture. If you are not 100% raw, this bacon can be made in less time. Try the dehydrating, I promise you the end result is worth the wait. I dehydrate the whole eggplant at one time and eat it over a few days. The leftovers can be stored at room temperature in a plastic bag.
Eggplant bacon can also be cooked on a stovetop or in the oven, similar to actual bacon, with great results.
I love a savory bread with aromatics (onion, garlic, carrots, celery, peppers, ginger, etc.) for this sandwich. Pick your favorite. You can find the recipe for the one used in this sandwich, my Raw Zucchini Onion Bread, here.
The spicy, sweet avocado butter is the perfect compliment to amp up the bacon flavor. Chipotle peppers impart an additional layer of smokiness to the sandwich.
You only need a couple of tablespoons for the sandwich. Use the spread as a dip, add to equal parts olive oil and whip up a quick salad dressing or use it to top tacos
Raw Vegan BLT with Eggplant Bacon
- Prep Time30 min
- Cook Time10 hr
- Total Time10 hr 30 min
- Yield1 serving
- Serving Size1 sandwich
- Energy448 cal
Ingredients
Bacon
- 1 eggplant
- 2 T tamari
- ⅛ t liquid smoke
- 2 T maple syrup
- 1 chipotle with adobo
- 2 T olive oil
- 1.5 T apple cider vinegar
- 2 t smoked paprika
- ½ t salt
- Pinch black pepper
Avocado Butter
- 1 avocado
- ¼ c cashews, soaked until soft
- pinch Himalayan salt
- pinch black pepper
- pinch ground chipotle pepper
Bread
- Raw Zucchini Onion Bread, or other bread of your choice
Instructions
Bacon
In a blender pulse all of the ingredients except the eggplant and blend until well combined.
Using a mandolin, slice eggplant lengthwise into thin strips.
In a large bowl, pour the marinade over the eggplant bacon slices. Toss to coat each slice in the mixture, and allow these to marinate for 30 – 60 minutes.
Spread out your bacon slices on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray. They should be lined in single layers. Dehydrate at 145F for 1 hour and then turn down to 115F for 10 hours or until they meet your desired crispiness.
Avocado Butter
Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until well blended.
Assemble the Sandwich
Spread avocado butter on the bread.
Add tomato then lots of lettuce.
Finally, place the bacon strips between the layers of lettuce and close the sandwich. Yum!
- Serving Size1 sandwich
- Amount per serving
- Calories448
- % Daily Value*
- Total Fat29.34 g40.75%
- Saturated Fat3.68 g18.4%
- Trans Fat0.02 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat8.21 g
- Monounsaturated Fat15.43 g
- Sodium973.42 mg42.32%
- Total Carbohydrate42.49 g15.45%
- Dietary Fiber13.9 g49.64%
- Total Sugars25.71 g
- Added Sugars5.95 g11.9%
- Sugar Alcohal0.33 g
- Protein10.2 g20.4%
- Calcium140.66 mg10.82%
- Iron3.18 mg17.67%
- Potassium1116.56 mg23.76%
- Vitamin A1168.6 mcg129.84%
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)30.5 mg33.89%
- Vitamin E (Tocopherol)3.95 IU11.97%
- Vitamin K49.44 mcg41.2%
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)0.53 mg44.17%
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)0.41 mg31.54%
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin)3.43 mg21.44%
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)0.62 mg36.47%
- Folate134.9 mcg33.73%
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)1.37 mg27.4%
- Phosphorus286.01 mg22.88%
- Magnesium158.92 mg37.84%
- Zinc2.2 mg20%
- Selenium7.78 mcg14.15%
- Copper0.63 mg70%
- Manganese1.63 mg70.87%
