As part of my yearly goal to explore flavor, I made the vegan version of BLT’s. In 2019, I ate coconut, tomato, and lettuce sandwiches at a restaurant. I loved it, especially the coconut bacon. The restaurant where I had the sandwich is no longer open so I finally decided to make my own coconut bacon and serve the sandwiches to my parents when they visited. We all enjoyed!

I have been a vegetarian since I was 2, I don’t know if I ever ate bacon but I have always enjoyed smoky food. As a child my Grandpa let my sister and I pick out candy at the store after church when he bought a newspaper. I always got smoked nuts instead of candy. I often put smoked paprika in recipes. I used Hickory smoke with this coconut bacon but I wonder if I will like any of the other liquid smoke flavors. It is an interesting flavor to explore.

Coconut Bacon (I used Hickory liquid smoke – it is wonderful to keep the coconut bacon in the freezer and use as desired)

Iceberg Lettuce

Wegmans Multi-Grain bread toasted

Tomato Slices

Mayonnaise (I was going to make vegan garlic aioli but I got lazy and knew that my parents like mayonnaise)

Cantaloupe fresh from a farmers market

Crinkle cut zucchini and carrots