I love getting together with my girlfriends for brunch on the weekends, but for many years I disliked most savory dishes on the menu due to my (or really my mother’s) distain for eggs. I was 26 when I first broke that barrier and tried for myself, but up until then evey breakfast and brunch was sweet carbs like pancakes or waffles with a side of bacon to balance it all out. I even had a list of places in Seattle that served the best of the breed, I guess I had to if there was only one savory dish, it better be fantastic.
Now it has been a few years since I have eaten true bacon distant but for the love of this salty treat, I have created a healthy alternative.
So this is a constant work in progress, but there is not better recipe to perfect. So far it looks amazing and is definitely addictive.
Just trying to take this photo I learned a lesson: “When taking food photos, place a sign on the food if you step away” I was in the middle of taking the photo and my roommate, who didn’t realize what I was doing, grabbed a slice right off the top. I turned shocked, to see her with a huge smile on her face, & a thank you. Oh well, one photo survived the attack…
It didn’t take long before this was declared a new favorite around the house. As I continue to work on the recipe I will alter it here. This is a combination & edit of several recipes I have found online. A little sweet, a dash of smoke, spice tricks and lots of salt.
Make your own:
2 medium Eggplants
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 very ripe avocado
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup (using 2 different sweeteners activates more ‘sweet’ receptors)
3 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayanne
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke (optional) – call the ‘raw police’ or omit
2-3 tsp Real Sea salt – depending on your taste preferences
Peel the eggplants. Using the mandolin or a peeler, make long slices of the eggplant.
Mix all ingredients in a large container and work onto the eggplant slices. Allow to marinate for 3 hours, taste and adjust salt/pepper.
Place slices directly onto the screen of your dehydrator sheets. This will completely fill a 4-tray Excalibur.
Set dehydrator at 145 for 35 minutes then 110-115 for 18-24 hours.
Wow, this looks amazing. Do you think it would work with other vegetables? I do not really eat eggplant, but this recipe sure wants to make me try it! Yum!
I have seen alot of Eggplant Bacon recipes, and I’ve tried a few to always be left disappointed, but his looks pretty good. I was giving up on the EB. I love avocados but can only eat them in small amounts, so that makes it even more tempting. I tried to tweak the recipes and used all the same ingredients you did except the red wine vinegar and avocado. Thanks for posting!
Damn that bacon looks amazing!
Thanks Michelle! I tried to make it with zucchini this summer, but they came out a with less flavor. (I honestly tried to make everything with zucchini when the garden was overflowing with them) Eggplant works great because it is like a sponge for the sauce, zucchini is to moist. Can’t think of anything that might work. Maybe try it on apples with a thicker sauce, you’d get apple-bacon ;)
Marquita, you’ll love it. Taste the sauce, it will be very rich tasting & salty, but that’s what you want for bacon.
Thanks Philip. It’s definitely a recipe that looks so good on a plate that even non-raw foodies can’t resist