I realized I hadn’t shared with you my version of rice paper bacon, so this morning, I made a BLT, just to get some photos to put here!  

When eating rice paper bacon, you know you aren’t eating it for any nutritional value; it’s purely to add flavour!  I’ve never been a ‘but bacon’ person, so never missed it. Think it was in the 90’s the last time I ate bacon from a pig – they are just too cute and intelligent for me to justify paying for them to be killed at 6 months old just to have a few pieces in a sandwich.

There are so many alternatives out there, from store bought to homemade. Vegan bacon can be made from rice paper, tofu, eggplant, mushrooms, tempeh, coconut and so much more!  Because, like most foods, it always comes down to the FLAVOUR! And yes, this is also gluten-free!

Short and sweet, here you go!  

RICE PAPER BACON

(this makes about 5 or 6 pieces, so if you want more, plan accordingly!)

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets of rice paper 
• 1 Tbsp oil (use a light one, like olive or veg)
• 1.5 Tbsp tamari
• 1.5 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke 
• 1/4 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place parchment paper onto a baking sheet.
2. Using kitchen scissors, cut strips in the rice paper. They snap easy, so go slow.  Pair up with another similar sized piece. 
3. In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients (except water) until well combined.  
4. In another bowl, add enough water to cover the paper when you dip it in. While holding two pieces together, slowly submerge them into the water. When you remove it, slide it in between two of your fingers. This gets off excess water, but also helps the pieces stick together. 
5. Then submerge the piece into the mixture in the second bowl. You want to have it well coated on both sides. Allow excess mixture to drip off and place it on the baking sheet.
6. Repeat until all pieces are coated. 
7. Place in oven and bake for 9-11 minutes. If you have an older oven, or one that tends to have hotter spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through. Keep an eye on them though, as they go from crispy to burnt super fast!
8. Add to your brunch plate, atop some vegan caesar salad or a BLT!