What to do with your Eggplant...make fakin maple bacon

We have been receiving eggplant in our CSA share and I thought I'd share one of my favorite Fakin Bacon Reicpes.  I do not make this often because of the high fat content.....but once in a great while I will make this to fix a bacon craving.
Eggplant Bacon Recipe 

I find that the proportions of all the recipes I have tried is just too greasy...so here is what I made yesterday and it is perfect
2 med. eggplant~peel and slice on a mandolin in long strips like bacon
soak in a mixture of:( I blend mine in the Vita-Mix)
1/4c. olive oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 T. raw honey
1 T. agave

or for maple flavored bacon eliminate the agave & honey and use 2T of maple syrup
lots of cracked pepper

dehydrate overnight at 105 degrees

pictured above is a blended salad and fakin bacon, lettuce, tomato & vegan mayo

Fakin Maple Bacon and Mexican Casserole

I've been craving some fakin bacon for some time now, so this is what I came up with today.  I usually like to use two eggplants and store the extra in the fridge for another day or to crumble on a salad.

This turned out very good!

FAKIN MAPLE BACON

2 eggplants sliced on mandolin

Blend the following ingreds in blender and pour over eggplant to marinate for an hour or two

3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

2 T. raw agave

2T. pure maple syrup

Black pepper to taste

spread  eggplant on teflex sheets dehydrate @ 105 degrees until crispy

I like to throw together different cooked vegan casseroles for my family when I get tired of hanging in the kitchen....Here is what I directed my daughter to place together while I made the bacon

EASY MEXICAN CASSEROLE

 FOR THE KIDS

1 can of Amy's spicy chili

1 can of organic chili beans

some leftover lentil/rice casserole or soaked bulgar

taco seasoning

nutritional yeast

Daiya Mozzarella cheese

Ezekiel sprouted tortilla's

layer

tortilla on bottom

1/2 can of chili & 1/2 can of chili beans

lightly sprinkle taco seasoning

nutritional yeast

rice or bulgar

Daiya cheese

tortilla

other 1/2 can of chili and 1/2 can of chili beans

taco seasoning

nutritional yeast

rice or bulgar

Daiya Cheese

bake at 350 for 30-40 mins

Spicy Doritos Cheese Dip

NACHO CHEESE~

I used taco seasoning instead of chili powder

thank's goes to Averie for the recipe

1/2 c. hemp seeds

1/3 c. sunflower seeds

1/2 red bell pepper

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1/2 t. taco seasoning

pinch of cayenne pepper

3 T. lemon or lime juice

1/2 t. himalyan salt

water to thin to desired consistency

Blend all ingredients in a Vita-mix until smooth and creamy

We had the dip with some Salted Flax Cracker's from Ani Phyo's new book.  I changed her recipe up a bit and added Chipotle Mrs. Dash and nutritional yeast for a nacho cheese flavor.

Chocolate Milk, Dulse, Cheesecake, Bell Pepper Juice, etc...another nutty day in the kitchen..

Chocolate Milk~Raw

2 c. fresh raw almond milk

4 dates pitted

2 T. raw cacao powder

1 t. vanilla

4-6 ice cubes

Blend until smooth an a bit frothy

makes 2 servings

My daughter was craving some chocolate milk and this really hit the spot! 

DULSE

It is not often you make acquaintance with people who like seaweed.  This past week I talked with someone else who appreciates this yummy stuff and since I was getting some out to share I thought I'd just take a picture of my stash.  It has been store in a box secured tightly in plastic so it has settled.  It pull apart in strips that can be eating as is...thanks to another friend who turned me on to eating it this way....or you can soak it in filtered water and put it in salads or add it to soups.  I prefer it raw and chewy!  It satisfies my taste for salt and it is better than potato chips.

I also use Dulse granules to sprinkle on some of my foods when I don't want to chew it.

If you want to know a bit more about dulse and other seaweeds check out this article.

Dulse is a natural source of iodine, essential for thyroid gland health and thyroid hormone secretion.

It is extememly high in B 6 and B 12, iron, potassium, fluoide. It is low in sodium, unlike other seaweeds.

It contains C, E, A, calcium, magnesium, dietary fiber and protein.

Eggplant Bacon

follow the link above for the recipe

Today I was busy in my kitchen.  I was trying to hurry along...so I made my eggplant a little thicker this time...I really like to slice it thin so it is more crunchy...I'm going to leave it in the dehydrator overnight to see if it will dry to a more crunchy texture.  It is still good!

P.S. `next day~perfect bacon...I won't be cutting it thin anymore...it was hearty and crunchy... :)

Raw Cheesecake

Crust

1 c. of soaked and dehyrated raw almonds

4-6 dates

blend in food processor until it sticks together and press in springform pan

Filling

1 1/2 c. raw cashews~soaked for a couple hours and drained

1/3 c. lemon juice

1/3 c. extra virgin coconut oil~melted  (set in dehyrator if needed)

1/3 c. raw honey or raw agave

1 t.  vanilla extract

2 twist o Himalyan Salt

Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth and creamy..you may need to scrape the sides down

after assembly~cover an place in freezer until ready to eat. Then sit out for a couple mins before slicing.

I made this for tomorrow, when I will make some chocolate sauce to drizzle over top each slice.

Chocolate Sauce

raw cacao powder

raw honey or agave

vanilla

water to thin

I'll try to take a photo tomorrow if I can before the eaters come.....

Taco Meat

4 c. soaked raw walnuts, drain water

3-4 T. Bragg's Liquid Amino's

2 T. cumin powder

2 T. coriander powder

1 heaping T. dried cilantro

process in food processor for a few seconds until it looks like hamburger meat.  remove and add :

1 c. frozen corn or you can use raw corn

this is quite a bit of taco meat.  It will last our family for a few days of raw taco's

Raw Taco's

use romaine lettuce leaf as the shell top with taco meat, chopped tomato, diced red onion, mock sour cream or tofutti sour cream

I will also use it as a topping for

Taco Salad's

shredded romaine

taco meat

diced tomato

red onion diced

diced jalapeno

squeeze of lime

mock sour cream~optional

I also made 3/4 gallon of Bell Pepper Juice Blend  today~

2 bunches of celery

5 small on the vine tomatoes

the big bowl of bell peppers picture the other day in a previous post

1 bunch of carrots

juiced these items and then added:

pinch of cayenne peper

shake of allspice

4 oz of lemon juice

2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

I made some ~

Almond Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers

2 C. almond pulp~leftover from making almond milk

2 heaping T. of dried onion

1 T. dried dill

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

couple twist of Himalyan salt

1 small red bell pepper diced very small

Mix and place in a glass jar in the fridge.

we stuffed bell pepper halves with the almond cheese for lunch and had some cherry tomatoes on the side.

you can also eat this with raw crackers or Mary's Gone Crackers

Another Gorgeous Day! Goodwill and FoodMatters....Eggplant Bacon Recipe Revision

I am truly enjoying my time off from work and this gorgeous weather is icing on the cake (raw and vegan, course).
Today my daughter and I had a brisk walk with the dog for about 35 mins. That is about the limit for my dog. Poor pooch, he is a bit out of shape. We do plan to remedy this. Our goal is to walk him daily. He loves it and it is a great time with my girly. Some day she plans to be a Vet. She is constantly sharing something new about the animal kingdom.
She and I are also doing Power 90 Bootcamp. At 13 yrs. of age I want to continue to encourage her to be physically active in a variety of ways.
Tomorrow is in-line skating at the park and a trip to Goodwill, to fetch some bargains. I believe we should be good stewarts of the things we are given. By shopping in thrift stores, I honor God by making the best use out of the money He gives us by providing through my husband and myself. This is also a great way to be environmentally friendly, by the process of recycling instead of filling up the landfills.
I buy work-out videos, kitchen gadgets, clothing, etc. I even found a Brand New, un-opened, "Food Matters" dvd

This is an excellent documentary. I watched it with my kids. Teach them young and keep educating yourself. You can go to their website for more information and to sign up for their newsletter.
Here are a couple samples from today's newsletter. "The Dangers of Dried Fruit" and it's connection to sulphur dioxide.
Also, you can check out, "New 60 Minute Report on Pesticides"

What we put into our bodies does Matter. It is what will fuel us today. Our energy level depends upon it, our productivity, our thinking ability, how we deal with stress and the direction we are taking our health. We are examples to those closest to us, our children, our spouse and our friends...maybe even those that are not close, but are in the same social settings. What kind of example are we exibiting? One that leads to health or sickness and obesity? I am not saying everyone needs to be thin, just that we should strive to eat for health. It benefits us and those around us.

So far today this is the food that mattered to me for my health~
a.m. smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, cacao, ice
16 oz green juice~celery, cuke, ginger,lime and liquid stevia
3-4 kiwi

Blended Salad/Soup~I'm gonna call this Coleslaw..it was so good.
4 baby carrots
2 large stalks of celery
romaine lettuce~I loosely filled my small Vita-mix container with this~after the other items
2 T. Tahini
lemon juice
Braggs Liquid Aminos
water to blend

I topped it with 1/4-1/3 c. of Fermented Ginger Carrots & shredded Dulse
and mixed them in....yum, yum, yummy!
Eggplant Bacon, tomato, Vegenaise, romaine roll ups

Lemonade~1 lemon, 1 squirt of liquid stevia, pinch of cayenne and water

Coconut Kefir Sundae~
in a bowl place~ (you may use whatever fruit you like or have on hand)
1 banana sliced
4 chunks of fresh pineapple
Pour over fruit~
cacao sauce~cacao powder, pure maple syrup, agave,vanilla and water to thin
top with raw pecans and coconut kefir this kefir is thick and fluffy like whipped cream...very yummy!

Eggplant Bacon Recipe Revision~
I find that the proportions of all the recipes I have tried is just too greasy...so here is what I made yesterday and it is perfect
4 med. eggplant~peel and slice on a mandolin in long strips like bacon
soak in a mixture of:( I blend mine in the Vita-Mix)
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. raw honey
2 T. agave
lots of cracked pepper

dehydrate overnight at 105 degrees



Blessings to you~

Eggplant Bacon

Eggplant Bacon~(modified from "How we all went Raw"~Nungesser & Malachi)
2 eggplants peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise
1 1/2 olive oil
2 t. black pepper
1/4 c. raw honey
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

marinate eggplant for two hours, place on teflex sheets and dry approx. 9 hours and then turn and dry for another 9 hrs.
after the first 9 hours I removed the teflex sheets and placed it on the mesh screen withone teflex sheet under the bottom tray to catch any oil drips. (after it is done to desired crispness you may want to dab off the excess oil)
This makes quite a bit of bacon. I chopped some of it into small pieces for bacon bits for my salad. I made my vegan son a BLT on whole grain toast with Vegenaise. I made me one just wrapped in Red leaf lettuce as my bread.

I have had a good day. I made a gallon of Green Lemonade this afternoon.
Not much else going on in my kitchen. I have prepared meals in the fridge so it was a nice break from the kitchen.


Eats Today~

1 QT of Green Lemonade

Smoothie~fresh raw almond milk, banana, maca, lucuma, cacao, mesquite

Big Salad~red leaf lettuce, grape tomatoes, cukes, carrots, a radish, mung bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, hemp seeds,sunflower seeds, tahini dressing, eggplant bacon bits

Chocolate covered cherries~recipe on yesterday's post
I made some for my hubby and the kids and I just had to have some too~

16oz of Green Lemonade

Eggplant BLT~red leaf to roll it in~ eggplant bacon, roma tomatoes, vegenaise

yoga practice~