Tag Archives: veggie bacon

Almond-Stuffed Dates

7 Apr

This is a dish I learned from Emeril Lagasse…  I have heard so much about dates wrapped in bacon on the internet that I wanted to give it as try using veggie bacon.

I brought this appetizer to one of our Les Francophones party.  And as always, these vegetarian experiments are usually a better hit with the non-vegetarians than with the true veggie people.  The husband of a friend was all over these, so much, I had to sneak a few out of the plate for Annie Mariel , my fellow “almost vegetarian” of the group, to get a chance to try them.

There are a few steps in making these, but I believe they’re worth it.  The amount of stuffed dates are contingent upon how many slices of veggie bacon you have… so I will give you the method here, not so much quantities.

 stuffed-dates

ALMOND-STUFFED DATES

Pitted dates
About 1/3 of an 8oz pack of cream cheese
Almonds, with skin removed and toasted
1 package of veggie bacon strips, cut in half
Toothpicks
Canola oil spray

 

I first soaked the almonds in water to remove the skin… afterwards, I toasted them lightly in a 350F toaster oven for about 15 minutes, until the almonds start to smell a bit and turn a slight darker beige color. You can do this in advance if you want…

  1. Leave the oven at 350F or pre-heat it to that temperature if you made the almonds in advance, which I recommend so you can handle them better.
  2. Create an assembly line…  Take a date and make sure it does not have the seed inside… this might be a not so nice surprise for your guest’s teeth.  Take an almond and pick a bit if cream cheese with the tip.  Insert the almond into the date using the pointy end of the almond as a guide.  After the almond and cream cheese is inside the date, wrap the date with a ½ strip of veggie bacon and secure with a tooth pick.
  3. Be careful using the tooth picks because they can tear the veggie bacon… remember this is a soy-based product and does not have the same fat content of the original…  now, place the stuffed and wrapped dates in a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and spray with canola oil spray.  This will prevent the veggie bacon to get too dry in the oven.
  4. Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes…  when you like the color of the veggie bacon, take them out.

Let them cool off a bit and take off the toothpick before serving…

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Potatoes à la Angie

22 Jul

My friend Angie does not cook a whole lot… but what she does cook, she does very well.

Every time she invites me over for dinner she prepares her specialty – Potatoes with Butter, Onions and Bacon.  Well, I decided to immortalize her recipe making it a vegetarian version.  These are a super easy way to make a potato side dish or even as a simple, quick lunch with a side salad.  That’s what I had for lunch today…

 

POTATOES À LA ANGIE

3 medium red skinned potatoes, washed and sliced thin using a mandoline
½ onion, sliced thin
2 tbs butter
1-2 slices of veggie bacon, cut into small pieces (optional)
2 tsp adobo

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400° F.
  2. I used a mandolin to thinly slice the potatoes…  you can do it with a sharp knife, but I find the mandoline to be extremely consistent and easy to use.  BE CAREFUL, the mandoline’s blade is super sharp and I have been known to almost loose a finger tip to a mandolin (long story that shall not be told while talking about food, but it’s important how sharp these things are…)
  4. We’ll be making a layered potato dish,  so…
  5. In a small buttered casserole dish, place a layer of potatoes.  Sprinkle lightly with adobo.  Dot each potato slice with a bit of butter.  Place a light layer of onions. Repeat the layering process until you’ve finished with all the potato slices.  It yielded me for about 3-4 layers of potatoes. 
  6. When you place the last of the potatoes, sprinkle with the last of the adobo.  Dot again with butter and sprinkle the pieces of veggie bacon on top.
  8. Roast in oven for about 30-40 minutes until potatoes are done.  Check them at about the 30 minute mark, if you feel it needs more time but the top is too crispy, cover it with a piece of foil paper, tying for the paper not to touch the potatoes… to avoid over browning.

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Ode to Vermont Sandwich

8 Apr

To honor Vermont and their cheeses, I made myself this simple open faced sandwich…  I had read about this sandwich combination a long time ago, but it always stayed on my mind.

 

ODE TO VERMONT SANDWICH

2 slices of sprouted wheat bread
Pear Spread
Extra Sharp Vermont Cheddar Cheese – I used Vintage, but any kind of Vermont cheddar will do
2 slices of veggie bacon

 

  1. Toast the bread – I use a toaster over, so I placed the veggie bacon slices right next to the bread to heat up a bit, while saving time and energy
  2. Spread the Pear Spread onto the bread slices – go as heavy or light as you’d like
  3. Layer the cheese
  4. Top with the veggie bacon

 

I know the pictures are not very artistic, but the flavors were excellent – a reminder of Vermont and all their great produce.  Love it!!!

 

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Breakfast Sandwich

16 Feb

I am on a bread phase… and most mornings I crave bread in some kind of shape or form.  I know I should be more moderate, but sometimes the craving is too strong to ignore.

I love toasts with lots of butter, I love cheese toasts, I love melted cheese sandwiches… but the other day I saw a box of veggie bacon and I knew I have to do something with it.  I built this breakfast sandwich – cream cheese, veggie bacon, tomatoes on whole wheat toast.  It hit the spot… so much indeed that I ate it two days in a row…

 breakfast-sandwich.jpg

BREAKFAST SANDWICH

Whole wheat Bread
Cream Cheese
2-3 veggie bacon strips
cherry tomatoes
  1.  Toast bread.  Cook Veggie Bacon according to package directions – I put it in the toaster oven for 5 minutes turning it half way
  2. Assemble components in your favorite way.

Enjoy your breakfast!!!!

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