Sandwiches. They are just about the perfect food. You have bread, which is objectively wonderful, and then you have a sauce whether it’s vegan mayo, mustard, ketchup, hummus, pesto or even barbecue sauce. And then you have the “guts” of the sandwich which can be vegetables, meat alternatives and even beans. What’s not to love?
So recently I was scrolling on IG and I saw someone making mushroom bacon, which seems divine by the way but King Oyster mushrooms are difficult to come by where I am in the world right now, plus they’re wickedly expensive so I keep my distance. But it did make me think about one of my favorite sandwiches from back in my pre-vegan days.
On a side note, we’re coming up on my 7 year anniversary of being vegan! Go me!
Anyway, I’m talking about the BLT. It’s the perfect sandwich recipe because it’s simple, full of flavor and there are plenty of ways to change it up without having to do too much.
Do you love a vegan BLT sandwich? Do you call it a BLT sandwich or just a BLT? I had to specify sandwich for the SEO so please forgive me for being redundant.
What You’ll Need:
*Cutting Board
*Sharp knife
*Baking sheet
*Salad spinner
Ingredients:
For the “bacon”: I chose smoked tofu because it has that smoky flavor built-in so I don’t have to bother with things like liquid smoke or overdosing on smoky paprika, though can you really overdose on paprika? I think not! I chose a simple seasoning mix of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, soy sauce and maple syrup. toss or brush it onto the strips of smoked tofu and bake it for about 5 to 8 minutes or until your tofu gets crispy but not too crispy.
I’ve seen vegan food creators make vegan bacon out of carrots, mushrooms and even seitan. You can even attempt one of the vegan bacon options in some grocery stores but so far I have found them lacking.
Lettuce: I picked Romaine lettuce because I love it! Romaine is a pretty green color (for photos) and it’s proper crunchy and flavorful. I’m not a fan of iceberg lettuce so it’s never an option for me, but you can choose something darker or more bitter or even a peppery option like arugula.
Tomatoes: I like the big vine tomatoes and if they’re in season, the Monterosa or Beefsteak tomatoes because they are huge and juicy, which makes for perfect slices for a vegan BLT. Use whatever you prefer just remember that if you cut them too thick, it’ll take over the sandwich.
Bread: For the bread I like something hearty and substantive, which usually means whole wheat bread with seeds. There’s this great bread at my local Kaufland with seven seeds on it and it absolutely delightful. Perfect for any type of sandwich.
Toppings & Sauces: Any good vegan BLT must have mustard, at least in this vegan’s humble opinion. There’s just something about the combination of mustard with anything smoky that is just delicious. I used a dill mustard here and it added just the right amount of freshness to the party.
So we have mustard on one side of the bread…what goes on the other side? You can go with a vegan yogurt if you want to keep with the traditional BLT of your youth, or you can spice it up a bit. I took a bit of vegan cocogurt and mixed it with some homemade oil-free vegan pesto and spread it on the other slice of bread.
Stack It: Obviously you can put together your vegan BLT sandwich any way you see fit, but it’s called a BLT for a reason, though I guess technically it should be called a BBLT for Bread, Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato and then we can leave out the ‘sandwich’ part of the recipe title. Ugh, too much. BLT, it shall stand.
From top to bottom, (bread & sauce) – vegan bacon – tomato – lettuce – (more bread & sauce). That’s it, your vegan sandwich recipe for this week.
What Else?
If you’re like me, most meals, especially lunch, just don’t feel right if there’s nothing on the side. It feels, I don’t know, naked or incomplete. So what do you pair this vegan BLT with? A salad, of course! But not any old salad, I chose an olive and cucumber salad which sound weird, but it was tasty and flavorful and the perfect little side dish to this quick and easy vegan lunch.
You can also add anything you want, chips, carrot sticks, fruit or whatever else makes your vegan heart sing.
The Spicy Spatula 
Whatcha think?