faux, faux, faux…Bacon? (Vegan Bacon)

Gooooood Morning My Food Lovers! 🙂

If you would’ve told me 30 years ago that I’d be writing about fake bacon, I might have laughed in your face. Granted I was a young child, but sitting here now I could see my past self walking up to my Mother asking why would anyone want fake bacon when real bacon is delicious! 🙂

And she would reply with her motherly ways and answers, that not everyone wants to eat bacon. Be it because of their diet, spiritual beliefs and anything in between the choice is theirs. She would then go on to explain why she did not eat it (she’s been plant-based since before we met) and end our conversation with a kind gesture reminding me that I was welcomed to enjoy it. I would listen intently, keeping this fascinating information and ways to respect other people’s food choices tucked away for future use. ❤

Fast forward to today. Actually, 5 days ago. I was in the lab (kitchen) thinking about what I wanted to eat. Some days I can piece together a food outfit rather quickly, other days I snack on dehydrated fruits and water for hours while planning a month’s worth of meals and recipes based off my cravings. I’m wildly fascinated with food psychology, diets, food science, what people eat and why. I’m not allergic to anything and feel perfectly fine eating meat, so I do. However, about 4 years ago I decided to be more mindful with food research, fixing my mind to become “vegan with a side of meat.” It’s not meant to offend anyone, but rather help me while cooking to keep all types of food lovers in mind while creating meals. Everyone’s food journeys are different and some people do have food allergies, so it’s just easier on my brain to cook from my family and clients perspectives. Plus I love a good food challenge and party 🙂

ANY WAY, for the past 5 months I’ve been close to 75% plant-based and 25% everythang else. I have thoroughly enjoyed every meal and the conversations connected to the new dishes people have introduced to me. So when I was thinking about what I wanted to eat, everything was plant-based approved, except for one item.

Bacon. 

I’m not gonna lie, had it been any other day I would have topped my black bean burger with a slice of the best bacon. Alas, it just so happens to be one of my mom’s favorite burger and as I told her about what seasonings would go on this faux bacon, she encouraged me to give it a go. She spoke the beautiful words, “I would try it.”

BOOM. Music to my culinary ears! 🙂

Y’all. This bacon made me so happy. It’s got that yummy smoky flavor and made with simple ingredients. The strips are made with rice paper, allowing the chance to achieve the level of chewiness or crispness you want. How do I know? Well, because I made roughly 50 pieces in one night! I was so inspired by the first batch, I tried all different combinations and sizes. I even made a bacon bowl, wrapped a few strips around asparagus and tried my hand at a bacon-shaped skateboard. (Don’t ask.) In case you were wondering, my Mother approved it, as well as two bacon-loving skeptics. #Score! I’m most excited about the new opportunities this brings to our table, and hope it does the same for you! I welcome you to try this recipe. Let me know what you think; we food lovers have to stick together 🙂

Food Lovers Unite,

❤ The Smitten Chef ❤

Rice Paper Bacon (Vegan)

Prep Time: 20 minutes  Cook Time: 7-10 minutes  Total Time: 27-30 minutes

Yield: 24-30 pieces

Ingredients

• 8-10 sheets of rice paper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• an enjoyable pinch of cracked black pepper (ground pepper works perfectly too!)
• pinch of smoked paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup (optional, but the sweetness helps to round out the flavors)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the rice papers in a wide bowl until the nutritional yeast is mixed well. This will be your marinade.
3. Fill a second bowl halfway with water.
4. Line a baking sheet with one layer of parchment paper. (If you have multiple baking sheets, you can line them all and cook the bacon all at once!)  🙂
5. Carefully cut rice paper into thick strips, or into the size that you want. (The strips will shrink in size a little bit when cooking.)
6. Take two strips and stack them. Holding them together, dip them very quickly into the water.
7. Dip the pair of rice paper strips into the marinade and coat it fairly generously; place it onto the parchment paper.
8. Repeat with additional rice paper and rice paper strips until the baking sheet(s) are filled.
9. Over time, the oil might start to separate; if that happens simply whisk the marinade again to emulsify.
10. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. The strips can burn easily, so stay close and rotate the baking sheets halfway while checking on them. The bacon will be crispy with some chewy spots. ❤
11. Devour!
12. Store leftover bacon in an airtight container for up to 3 days…if it lasts that long! 😉

What we have had made with this bacon: Bacon bites, asparagus wrapped bacon, bacon wrapped mushrooms, taco bowls, loaded baked potatoes and as a topping on salads, chili, and pasta. #NomNom ❤

Below are all the pictures of this exciting food adventure. You can see how quickly things escalated once I made the first batch, hahaha!

Happy Food Trails!

Kiwi Lotus Flower: A Tribute to Sam Cooke 🎤

…Hey Food Lovers!

Today marks the birthdate of the late and forever great Mr. Sam Cooke. I woke up this morning, whispered a hello and sent my friends the blog I wrote about him in 2013. About one year after I wrote that entry, my goal was to either add a recipe to each blog, a food photograph I was proud of, or both. It was already in my mind not to write about him again in detail because I still feel the same way. So I decided to choose one simple item, photograph it and perhaps send you to a link I listen to of his famous song, “A Change is Gonna Come” upon close.

I chose kiwis (also known as kiwifruits & Chinese gooseberries) as my photography source. Why? Well, I’m glad you asked! They are one of my favorite fruits; easy to eat, sweet, and small enough to bring places when on the go. And they are BEAUTIFUL!!! Reminds me of paradise, the colors contrast naturally and without competition. Not to mention when I opened up the fridge there were two staring directly at me. 😉

So I got my camera out. Looked for good lighting. Thought about the angle I wanted to capture- emphasis on the fuzzy brown skin and bright green fleshy inside. Wondered if it needed a prop; a napkin or a spoon? Took a few photos…assessed the depth of field to what my mind was envisioning. Then in the midst of my critique I remembered Mr. Cooke: and I knew capturing the moment was all I needed to do. The rest is up to the audience to enjoy.

I present to you, a kiwi lotus flower! My first time making one. My first time making any fruit into a piece of art. I had fun trying. Thanks to Mutita EdibleArt on YouTube, for the tutorial and inspiration.

To Paradise,

– The Smitten Chef 🍴💋

The inverted version; because the purple looked pretty.

 

My Kiwi Lotus Flower

 

QUICK SMOOTHIE RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, peeled & chopped
• 5-7 strawberries, tops removed
• 1 kiwi, peeled
• 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
• 3/4 cup pineapple/orange juice

Directions:

1. Place the banana, strawberries, kiwi, frozen yogurt, and pineapple/ orange juice blend in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Enjoy!

Below is the link to Mr. Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”

Sautéed Kale…with Beer?

Happy FryDay Food Lovers!

I have always wondered what kale would taste like if beer was added to it…this week I did 2 tests and guess what? I love it! Whilst I already fancy kale, it is beer that I don’t drink. I do use it for marinades and thought kale would be a great stepping stone for possibly marinating veggies or just a new flavor for people who want a new twist on the green.

It worked! I didn’t measure anything, but what I did notice was how fast the leaves dissipated once the beer was added to the pan. What I was hoping would be three servings, turned into one…the good news is if this happens to you, just add more chopped kale to the pan and voilà: you’re back to being able to share. 😉👍

Let me know if you try this, or use a different beer. I am not too familiar with brands of ales, but I do know the flavors range like wines, so I will include the specific one I used. My favorite thing about this dish is the fact that no meat was added to it for flavoring.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 TBSP of Olive Oil

• 1/2 red onion

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped as fine as you’d like.

• Sprinkle of crushed red peppers

• 1/2 bag of Kale (I used half the bag of the precut and bagged type)

• 6 oz. Heineken Beer (I used the one from the bottle)

• Agave nectar, optional.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat large sauté pan with olive oil on medium high heat.

2. Add the red onions, garlic and red peppers to the pan. Stir frequently and until all sides become a nice golden brown.

3. Turn stove down to medium. Add the kale into pan, one handful at a time. Stir until it cooks down; add another handful. Repeat process until all kale is added.

4. Add beer to pan. Cook until greens get tender and a large portion of the beer is absorbed into the kale.

5. Taste the greens: if too bitter, add a few drops of agave nectar to the mix and keep cooking. If the greens are still too chewy for you, add your liquid of choice: water, broth or more beer.

* What I learned: if you completely cook the greens down to where there’s no more beer in the pan, it makes for double sautéing. Nice accident & those greens were used for a pesto pasta salad! *

Worth A Try,

The Smitten Chef 🍴😉

Pasta for Breakfast?

Sure. Why not?!

Pasta, veggies, pesto & spice. Add a few pieces of cooked chicken breasts on top (leftovers work just fine) and you’ve got a meal packed full of goodness. This is one of my favorite things for three reasons: quick, flavorful and gives me energy. That’s why I enjoy having it in the morning. And if I decide to workout, it is not too heavy to have before or after.

Ingredients:

* I do not measure anything for this recipe, because I never know how hungry I will be. *

• rotini pasta (I start with 1 cup)
• basil pesto
• sweet peppers, sliced thin
• 1/4 of a small red onion, finely diced
• fresh spinach, stems removed
• cracked black pepper
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. In a medium pan on medium-low heat, add pasta. In about one minute, add remainder of ingredients. Stir and cook until ingredients come together. About 1-2 minutes.

3. Remove from pan. Good by itself or with a slice of French bread. ☺️ Enjoy!

Side Note: some of my friends make a whole batch of this and then store the rest in the fridge to make a cold pasta salad for later. Add cherry tomatoes and black olives for a new flavor. Yummy.

To Each His Own,

The Smitten Chef 🍴😄

Fun with Food

Hey Food Lovers!

I must first tell you of a prayer I had a while ago: to learn how to have more fun with food. I thought I would have to research a far away spice or try a new technique.

Little did I know I would have to fry small strips of bacon together too closely, and they would MAKE LETTERS. ☺️

It truly is the little things. F is for fantastic, B is for bacon.

Live a Little,

The Smitten Chef 🍴🍜

Welcome, 2015!

May your year be bright & full of tasty treats!

Sincerely,

The Smitten Chef 💝

The picture featured is a photo I took in 2014 at a very fun concert. At first I was a little disappointed I didn’t capture the artist in the shot. Then after taking a step back I thought it would make a nice backdrop to anything celebratory. I blurred the lights to make them look like stars, then just add desired fonts. What started off as a complaint turned into a photography success. Now in 2015 I can use this backdrop for many things!

Santa Claus Came to Town!

Hello There Food Lovers! 👋

My Awesomes (sisters children) are in town and I am so excited! A few weeks ago, I saw this cute and fun appetizer to make and thought they would love to help. Fruits and marshmallows make this dish up; the beauty of it is once you see the pictures you will smile at how easy it is. Not to mention, yummy. We had them for dessert.

Happy Holidays to you and your families!!!

Ho Ho Ho,

The Smitten Chef ⛄️💋

* Below are three pictures we took of the final product! FUN FACT: I have noticed that if you ask a child to help you cook, they are more eager to try the end result…they might even be excited 🙂 *

INGREDIENTS:

grapes, washed and stems removed
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 pack of strawberries, washed and tops removed
Handful of small marshmallows
Toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:

1. Take one toothpick and add the following items in order to it; grapes, banana, strawberries…top with marshmallow to accentuate Santa’s hat!

2. Serve on a platter and enjoy!

Food Funnies

…this photo basically sums up my personality. I would totally be interested in getting married if these were my dinner bouquets. I didn’t have enough foil to wrap the veggies, so this result was a nice spin to it. I have been laughing for the past 30 mins. Bacon wrapped asparagus, topped with huge garlic chunks, a few red onion slices, and fresh portobellos. A bit of water/soy sauce to keep it steaming while in the oven. About 350*F until done. Served with a side of Spicy Aioli Sauce! I DO!

My cousin taught me how to make these last night; not only did she show me, but she told me there can be different variations of them! I look forward to sharing 🙂

May You Rise to the Occasion,

The Smitten Chef 🍴👠

Breakfast for Dinner! (Blueberry Pancakes)

Blueberry Pancakes call my name tonight…and while I love the ease of adding a few blueberries to pancake mix and creating a masterpiece, my favorite portion lies in the syrup!

So here’s a tip: if you throw some fresh blueberries in the pan you used to make your pancakes and mash them with your favorite syrup, you will have a warm delicious treat for your fluffy cakes! But, take the pancakes out of the pan fully before mashing the berries, or you will have a royal mess…been there, done that. 😉

Here’s to Good Eatin’ Food Lovers,

The Smitten Chef 🎈🎂

Breathe In Love, Breathe Out Negativity

…Greetings Food Lovers!

May this find you well. I woke up in search of positivity, and I found it. Read a book, wrote down some quotes, wrote in my journal. I even managed to phone a friend right quick just to hear their voice. It was nice. Ate some oatmeal with chocolate chip pieces in it. Yummy. Found this picture below and it brought me joy! I recall getting this in one shot. I was so proud. It was a picture I took right after chasing a storm. I missed capturing the rainbow and the dark clouds, but I got a close up of a phone booth & it was a simple reminder of the saying, “I can see clearly now the rain is gone.”

Keep pushing forward.

Be Well Friends,

The Smitten Chef 🙏☺️