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Thursday, March 5, 2009

New and Improved! Imitation Bacon Bits

The old recipe was good…but this one is better!

2 tablespoons (30 ml) liquid smoke
1 scant cup (205 ml) water
1 cup (96 g) TVP granules
1/4 teaspoon salt
A few drops red food coloring, optional
3 tablespoons (45 ml) canola or other vegetable oil

To a measuring cup add the liquid smoke, then fill to get one cup water.In a microwave safe dish, mix together Liquid smoke mixture, TVP and salt. Cover tightly with plastice wrap and microwave on high for five minutes. Carefully remove the wrap. Preheat a frying pan with the oil. Add reconstituted TVP to the pan and toss to make sure it all gets coated with oil. Pan fry until desired crispness. Stir them often. You don’t necessarily want to “brown” them, rather dry them out. Right around ten minutes. Allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator. Should last at least a week.

Yield: About a cup
at

9 comments:

  1. veggievixenMarch 5, 2009 at 7:46 PM

    wow, what will you think of next?!?

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  2. jbMarch 10, 2009 at 7:46 PM

    This is awesome, thanks for the recipe!

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  3. julie hassonMarch 12, 2009 at 8:52 AM

    Very cool Joni! I wonder how these would be dehydrated instead of pan fried? Unfortunately I don't have one to try it out on, but it could be interesting.

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  4. AnonymousApril 18, 2009 at 11:21 PM

    I make something really similar:

    Place the following in a liquid measuring cup:
    2T liquid smoke
    1T soy sauce
    1t ketchup
    2T peanut oil
    fill to the 1 cup mark with water

    mix with 1 cup TVP. Stir and let stand until fully absorbed. Spread over a baking sheet and bake at 250, stirring every 15 minutes until they're dried out. Store in the freezer.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Leslie RichmanApril 22, 2009 at 7:40 AM

    Ooh ooh ooh Oh My gosh!!! Yay! Back in the day, I had a soft spot for crappy salad bar bacon bits. I will be ultra embarrassing and start carrying a little shaker of these to family dinner!

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  6. Jamie the FoodieApril 28, 2009 at 10:40 AM

    oh my gosh! i absolutely must say, you are brillant! i have made these several times now & am in love! i am actually going to blog about you & these bacon bits! (my husband has the camera with my pics on it, but i will do it this week!) i made your blt burgers, had to add more liquid as the first batch was dry, but i actually sold these at a turtle awareness concert tour! last night i made broccoli salad using these & also a layered yummalicious potato salad! just now, i finished off a sandwich on whole wheat bread with mayo, tomatoes, vegan swiss cheese & your brain-child, what i now call, fakin' bacon bits! it was absolute heaven & i wish i had another one!

    sorry this comment is so long, but i just had to let you know how thankful i am for this recipe! it ROCKS!!!

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  7. Joni Marie NewmanApril 28, 2009 at 11:23 AM

    Thanks Jamie! What a wonderful review...you should be my spokeswoman!

    Julie...if you use a dehydrator instead of pan frying, they will still be bacon-y but they won't be "greasy"...the oil gives them that extra bit of bacon-y goodness!

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  8. jayedeeJanuary 28, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    i hate to 'play' with someone else's recipe and then crow over it, but i may have brought your yummy recipe to a new height! i added a couple of drops of maple extract before frying it....oh my gosh! my house smells delightful!

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