Coconut bacon, because sometimes you crave something salty and smoky with a crunch.
Even as a vegetarian, I had a hard time trying to find a substitute for bacon. I tried tempeh bacon, but the texture and flavour wasn’t the same. I had tofu bacon, and the flavour was right, and the texture was thin, but not crispy. Coconut bacon? Crispy. Salty. Smoky. I’m not going to lie to you, this ain’t bacon. Nothing but bacon will be bacon. But it is damn good on sandwiches.
It was really fun working with coconuts and flaking them to make these, even when it took two hours. And I’m pretty sure my 8 year old vegetable peeler is on its last legs.
You don’t need to add any extra oil because coconuts are naturally so fatty, and as a result they crisp up really nicely. I’m not going to go into the debate about whether or not coconut oil is better for you than any other fat, but I like that it’s a naturally occurring plant-based fat so let’s leave it at that.
You can buy the stuff in jars, but you could also just use fresh coconuts or even dried flaked coconuts, which are maybe $3 per 400 g. You could make your own stuff if you have the ingredients (I already have liquid smoke, tamari, and maple syrup so that’s no extra cost to me) and you can play around to your own tastes.
But anyway, it’s Saturday! And today’s H&H post is about Happy, and how I’m working towards my goals to be happy. It’s been almost three months since the “I am average-looking” revelation, or rather, the revelation about how it’s MESSED UP that I think that of myself, and I like to think that I’m doing pretty well.
My confidence is slowly getting higher and I feel good in my own body. I feel like people are starting to notice my confidence and the fact that I’m starting not to care if they’re staring at me. Let’s face it, in the end, what they think of my appearance doesn’t matter. Why should I care if they think I’m beautiful or not? I don’t really care what they look like. It doesn’t affect me. Why should I let their perceptions of me affect what I think of myself?
It’s easier said than done, and it’s a slow and steady process. We’ll see where I am in two weeks, shall we?
To see what my fellow H&H’ers wrote, check out the links below:
- Falafel Pitas from The Haas Machine
- GF Cake Mix Cookies by Pint Sized Baker
- Beet and Orange Quinoa Salad by Kiss My Beet
Be happy. Forget the haters. Make coconut bacon.
Recipe adapted from Fettle Vegan and Project Vegan
Coconut Bacon
Craving something smoky, crunchy and salty? Here's some good ol' coconut bacon to sprinkle on salads, sandwiches, soup, or whatever you'd like!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 3 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp water (I recommend adding 2 tbsp water if you're using dried coconut)
- 4 cups fresh flaked coconuts (you can also use regular flaked coconut from the store but I haven't tried recipe with them)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Whisk together liquid smoke, tamari, maple syrup, and water. Give a little taste test, if you like it saltier, add a bit more tamari, if you like it sweeter, add more maple syrup. I like it smoky, crunchy with a bit of a salty kick.
- Pour marinade over coconut flakes and mix until evenly coated. Spread 1/3 of the coconut flakes over a lined thick-bottomed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, flipping/mixing the flakes every 5 minutes for even baking. Flakes should be bacony-brown. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. They'll crisp up even more.
- Continue baking the other batches of coconut flakes until you have a whole batch of coconut bacon. Store in an airtight container and enjoy on sandwiches, salad, soup, or even as a little finger food!
Gillian @ The Haas Machine says
This looks crazy! I love bacon & eat it regularly, but I also love coconut, so I’m going to have to give this a try… maybe while watching a movie or something so that I can stand the amount of time it takes :)
Nicole says
Oh my gosh, you flaked your own coconut!?! You have way more patience than I do. I am intrigued by these coconut flakes as an alternative to bacon.
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
You crack me up “Be happy. Forget the haters. Make coconut bacon.” That’s going to be my new slogan, haha. Also, you are so badass, I would have just bought dried flaked coconut….but…I literally have never seen a real coconut up here in Alaska, so….
Lisa Le says
Hahah I actually can’t find flaked coconut at my massive supermarket, so I opted to use the coconuts I had to buy for some photography work anyway. The local markets I go to are owned by a Chinese family so we get a lot of imported foods like coconut =)
[email protected] Cooking with Curls says
I am thoroughly intrigued by this Lisa!! I am a huge bacon lover, and this may be a way for me to finally get away from it…maybe. It is definitely worth a try! :)
Skye says
I can’t shake the feeling this would taste sweet? Then again I haven’t had bacon in 25 years so maybe bacon is sweet too…
Lisa Le says
It’s not really sweet. If you look at the ingredients, it’s equal parts sweet and salty, but the liquid smoke and maple’s woodiness go so well together so you don’t notice the sweet as much. If you don’t think you can swing it, you can probably reduce the maple syrup.
Sarah | Well and Full says
I think every woman has ups and downs with self-confidence, no matter how confident they seem to be. Even women who genuinely believe they’re beautiful probably didn’t always feel that way. Which is a crying shame. I think culturally, we are conditioned to always strive for the “female ideal” – which is complete bullshit. While I genuinely believe that all women are beautiful goddesses (really! we’re so amazing!), I still struggle with my self-image. But honestly, kudos to you for practicing self-acceptance. And even more props for writing about it! We can’t change as a society unless we talk as a society. Thanks for being such an inspiration :)
Lisa Le says
It’s an ongoing battle, especially now with my skin issues still slowly healing. But we take it one day at a time right? Thanks for reading and commenting, Sarah =)
ESME KNIGHTS says
Amazing! I looked at SO MANY coconut bacon recipes but they all called for store-bought coconut flakes. BUT, thought I, I’ve got a coconut tree in my backyard. Why buy! So a big thank you, Lisa. Rambling over, now to the question: Does this coconut bacon work with eggs, as in bacon and eggs?
Lisa Le says
Hahah uh, I wouldn’t really know ^^;