Around here, we love BLTs. And even better, BLTAs, “bacon”, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. I often make my vegan bacon from tempeh but for this recipe, I used coconut bacon, addicting as it is. I love that the lettuce cups replace the bread, too. This recipe requires a couple of things to be made in advance but once you have everything done, it comes together in minutes. It’s what’s for dinner here tonight as we plunge back into high temps in the Bay Area.
Large flake coconut, when marinated and baked, turns into a delicious bacon-like treat. Many of the coconut bacon recipes that you will find on the web are extremely high in sodium. In this recipe, Coconut Aminos come to the rescue. They have less than half the sodium of low-sodium soy sauce and only a third of the sodium that Braggs Liquid Aminos has. We use them almost exclusively as a replacement for soy sauce which is a corner stone of the coconut bacon recipe. Coconut Aminos also add a wonderful umami flavor to many recipes.
This recipe includes a delicious vegan cashew mayo that I think you are really going to love. You will need to make the cashew mayo and the coconut bacon in advance.
The ingredients for the coconut bacon are simple. Large flake coconut, maple syrup, coconut aminos and a little bit of liquid smoke.
The cashew mayo comes together very quickly in the blender. Just make sure you take the time to get your cashews nice and soft before you begin.
Do you find the ingredient photos helpful? I would love to hear from you in the comment section. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. And please consider donating to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund .
Why Use Coconut Aminos?
Coconut aminos are a great replacement for soy sauce. They are lower in sodium, 73% less sodium than traditional soy-sauce and made from organic coconut tree sap and sea salt. Per teaspoon, they have 90mg of sodium. Compare that to low sodium soy sauce which has 191mn per teaspoon and Braggs Liquid Aminos which have 320mg per teaspoon. It’s a huge difference. You can buy them here: Coconut Aminos
For another fun recipe using coconut bacon, click here: Fig and Vegan Truffle Cheese
Coconut Bacon
- Place large flake coconut in a bowl with a sealable lid.
- Mix together all of the liquid ingredients.
- Pour liquid ingredients over the coconut flakes. Place lid on and shake to distribute.
- Marinate for at least an hour. Longer is better.
- Dehydrate at 115 degrees for at least 12 hours or until chewy-crisp. Alternatively, bake at 325 for 20 minutes, stirring and flipping at the 10-minute mark.
Cashew Mayo
- 1 cup cashews, soaked until soft (usually 6+ hours)
- 1/4 cup water (more if needed to get consistency)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar
- 1 soft date
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Place all ingredients in high-speed blender and blend until smooth. This should be thick and will require scraping down the sides and using the tamper.
BLTA Lettuce Cups
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 2 large heirloom (or other tasty tomatoes), diced
- 2 avocados, diced
- cashew mayo
- coconut bacon
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- Place tomatoes and avocados in a bowl.
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup mayo
- Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves.
- Top with coconut bacon and a sprinkle of pepper.
