The Veggie Bacon Recipe

I know I must have posted this before, but I can't find it in the archives. The original recipe is from the Compassionate Cook by PETA. The original recipe called for using only 1/2 pound of tofu but I've found that the amount of marinade is easily enough for 2 pounds of tofu.

Cut tofu into slices, you decide how thick or thin. Thinner slices will yield crispy "bacon" thicker slices yield chewy "bacon". Cut as much tofu as you need.

The Marinade:
1/2 cup tamari
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
1 Tbs maple syrup

Whisk this all together and then ideally soak the tofu in the marinade overnight. I confess this rarely happens anymore, I just never remember. Even if you only soak it a half of an hour it still tastes good. Pan fry on a hot griddle until browned on both sides. I use a cast iron griddle.

This week I tried cooking this a new way. It always seems like so much of breakfast needs to be cooked on the griddle. I wanted to see if I could decrease my cooking time by using other cooking methods. I greased an 8 x 8 pan and placed the tofu in, pouring the marinade over each layer. You wind up running out of marinade this way so I just tipped the pan and drained the marinade back into my measuring cup each time I ran out. When all the tofu was in the pan, I poured the last of the marinade over the top and I popped it into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes while I made pancakes on the griddle. The end result was pretty good. The edges of the top layer of tofu were crisp, the center tofu was chewy (how's that for a compromise?) and the marinade was completely absorbed. Best of all, I got to sit at the table with everyone before the meal was finished!