Tempeh strips marinated in a sweet and smoky sauce turn into a meaty substitute for candied bacon, perfect for a summer BLT with basil mayo.
In 1980 I was attending Parsons School of Design in New York. My friend Raul Martinez and I both had an evening language class at the New School. My challenge was to get us dinner for a dollar. I would pick up two day-old kaiser rolls and enough potato salad or coleslaw to round out that dollar. Dinner was potato salad sandwiches or coleslaw sandwiches.
Paging through Susan Russo’s The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches I came upon a “recipe” for a chow mein sandwich, and was transported back to NYC and dinner with Raul. While I wouldn’t recommend any of those three sandwiches from a nutrition perspective, I can recommend this book. Susan writes Food Blogga, one of the first food blogs I started reading. Her newest little book is as petite, charming, and informative as she is.
I make fewer sandwiches since going gluten-free, so it was fun to get new ideas from reading through the book. While our GF bread options are more limited, moms or dads will enjoy seeing how many variations of sandwiches they can make to brighten up a lunch box.
The book is packed with fun facts, original recipes and classic regional recipes about this most portable of foods. History, local lore, and lots of ideas for pairing ingredients made this book fun to read, and I loved the alphabetical layout. Gorgeous pix by photographer Matt Armendariz, food styling by Adam Pearson, and design by Jenny Kraemer make this an excellent reference book for food bloggers as well.
The renovation: I started with a tempeh bacon recipe from Chef Wes at Blossoming Lotus restaurant in Portland, and have adapted it to make it smokier and more candied. Use the best summer tomatoes you can get, like a beefy heirloom tomato, soft and crisp butter lettuce, and your favorite mayo. I used Udi’s GF bread for this sandwich, as I like the floury crust that reminds me of ciabatta bread.
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets
TBLT Sandwiches
Makes one sandwich
2 slices Udi’s GF multigrain bread
2 slices heirloon tomato, perfectly ripe
1-2 butter lettuce leaves
3 slices tempeh bacon (recipe below)
1-2 T. mayonnaise (regular or vegan)
1-2 basil leaves
Finely mince the basil and mix it with the mayo. Slice the tomato thickly and remove the seeds and goo from the slices. For a non-soggy sandwich, pat the slices dry with a clean kitchen towel. Toast the bread. Spread each slice with mayo, then build your sandwich. You can add a couple of slices of ripe avocado if you have them, just dial back on the mayo.
P.S. If you happen to know Raul Martinez, a graphic designer with a charming Cuban accent who loves vintage clothes and Akira Kurasawa movies, tell him he owes me a sandwich. :)
Cookbook Review: The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches | Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces tempeh
- 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos (or tamari)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp smoked salt
- 1/2 tsp smoky mesquite blend optional
- 1 tsp sage (dried)
- 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Notes
- 204 calories
- 11 g fat
- 2 g saturated fat
- 5 g monounsaturated fat
- 1 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 755 mg sodium (482 mg sodium with salt omitted)
- 239 mg potassium
- 16 g carbohydrate
- 6 g fiber
- 6 g sugars
- 11 g protein
- 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus
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MMMM sandwiches! that cookbook looks awesome! since going vegetarian i never thought i could have a BLT… looks like im going to have to try this one! thanks for the great recipe!
I LOVE tempeh bacon! Wish I was having it for lunch now. That cookbook cover is something else! What a sandwich.
Love this post. I have recently tried tempeh and have been looking for new ways to prepare this wonderful protein. Thank you for your recipe renovation. Moving my family very slowly into a vegan lifestyle and this recipe looks like a good opportunity to “trick” my meat-loving husband. Thanks again.
Event though I love bacon, I love tempeh too, so I’m really excited about trying your tempeh bacon recipe, Stephanie! Your recipe renovations are always so ingenious and delicious. Thank you for the lovely review and kind words. I truly appreciate it.
I am the same way — Anything on a Sandwich !!
That looks delicious! I’ve recently discovered Udi’s bread and am so happy to enjoy gluten free sandwiches again. I’d love to win this giveaway!
There’s a packaged tempeh “bacon” at our food coop that is really yummy and I’ve been using for BLT’s for years. I’ve often thought of making it at home, but never got around to trying. So, yay! Thanks for sharing this recipe – I am sooo excited to try making it! A question though… I have a good variety of single non-smoky spices, like cumin, coriander, paprika, etc and no blends. So, if we don’t have smoked spices or a mesquite blend, what do you recommend as substitute? Thanks!
Oh, and I love the idea of the sandwich book. Thanks for the opportunity to win it :)
Stephanie, your post is fantastic (love sandwiches, love faux blt’s) plus I have a marinade that was in desperate need of something to be soaked in it. I’m on my way to TJ’s for tempeh asap. No, make that WF where I can get the tempeh and Vegenaise at the same time. Can’t wait – thanks so much for the idea! (P.S. Sending healing thoughts to Cody and your family.)