Mushroom Bacon Success!!

Mushroom bacon success!

I made the best vegan BLT sandwich ever yesterday with this mushroom bacon. The "bacon" turned out so good, I had to stop myself from eating it right of the pan while I was waiting for my bread to toast.

It was so hard to get an attractive picture and this is not the best, but I decided I would show it with a bite taken to show how delicious it is. I seriously could not mess around forever for a pretty picture, I needed to eat this thing.
Here's what I did!
Marinade

• 2 T. Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 T. Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
• 3/4 T. Liquid Smoke
• 1 Tsp. Agave
• 1 Tsp. Brown Sugar

I used 2 medium Portobello Caps,but I know people make "bacon" out of shiitake mushrooms, and I'm sure button mushrooms would work too. I sliced the caps pretty thin, not quite paper thin, but pretty close. I let the mushrooms marinate for a little over an hour. To cook them, I  lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, put the mushroom slices in a single layer, drizzled with a little extra marinade, and baked in a 350 degree oven for about eighteen minutes, flipping halfway through. I could have gone longer to maybe try and get them a little crispier, but these were fine. They were a little crisp on some edges, and had a meaty texture without being meaty. I used brown sugar and agave to see if it came closer to maple syrup.  You could definitely use one or the other, just do one tablespoon. These were smoky, and salty and a little sweet. I think these were my favorite vegan faux bacon. I baked mine, but I was thinking if you sauteed these in a little coconut oil, it might add a little of that rich fattiness that people love about regular old gross bacon. I have some marinade left over, and I'm going to use it on some plain button mushrooms so maybe I'll experiment with the coconut oil then. I seriously want another of these sandwiches right now. If you wanted to make a bigger batch, there is enough marinade for at least four Portobello mushrooms. This was one of my best experiments for sure.
I also made a fun and delicious dinner. As a vegan or non vegan I have never had chili cheese fries. I don't know why, but I blame it on my eating disordered past. Anyway, I had a huge potato that needed to be used now, so I cut it into fries, and when they were done I topped them with some tomato cayenne Chao slices that I finely sliced and a can of Amy's black bean chili! Man, have I been missing out! I love that it felt like a kind of junky treat, but really was pretty healthy.

Again, not the prettiest of meals or pictures, but it sue was tasty! And speaking of delicious treats, I'm going to sign off and leave you with the delicious Chunk!

I hope everyone has a Sunday that is a comfy and cozy as Chunk is right here!