Lauren Toyota - Hot for Food Vegan Comfort Classics 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face

If you aint about that brunch life, dont even talk to me! Brunch is the best meal ever invented. Theres a whole ritual and culture built around it, something thats lacking from the everyday breakfast, lunch, dinner routine. Brunch is like the bad boy your parents never wanted you to date. He plays by his own rules and probably rides a motorcycle. Like Ryan Gosling in pretty much every movie, and youre the one who cant decide what you want to eat! Despite never being able to decide what I want to eat at brunch, I also like it because its a little more indulgent, and then you can lounge around all day reminiscing about the rendezvous. Savor your weekends and treat yoself with these recipes!

Starting a vegan cookbook with a spread dedicated to plant-based baconthats my style. But seriously, the foodie obsession with actual bacon is annoying. There, I said it. Get with the times.

The future of bacon is before youa tangy, sweet, and smoky marinade to drown endless options in. Then you can bake or fry up a ton of baconlike crispy stuff for any dish youre craving. These recipes make decent-size batches so youll have leftovers and in many cases enough for multiple recipes in the book. The marinade below is the base ingredient, followed by some of my favorite options.

cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Combine all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl or wide dish with a whisk or fork.

3 cups large flaked unsweetened coconut

Bacon Marinade (see previous)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Stir the flakes into the marinade and coat well. There shouldnt be any marinade pooling at the bottom of the bowl, as the flakes will soak it up.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the coconut flakes in an even layer.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes to prevent burning. When the coconut is a uniform, deep brown color, remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bacon to a plate or another baking sheet so it doesnt continue to cook. Allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. The bacon will last 2 months if stored in a cool, dry place, but it never lasts that long in my house.

3 cups sliced, blanched almonds

Bacon Marinade ()

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Stir the almond slices into the marinade and coat well.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out the almonds from marinade with a slotted spoon and spread in an even layer on the baking sheet. Reserve the excess marinade for brushing during bake time.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, tossing every 10 to 15 minutes to prevent burning. Watch closely as your oven temperature and bake times may vary. If the almonds are not darkening, you can brush on extra marinade halfway through baking. When the almonds are crispy, dark brown, and slightly sticky, remove the baking sheet from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. The almonds may stick together, but once theyre cooled and dry you can break them up with a sharp knife and store in an airtight container. The bacon will last 2 months if stored in a cool, dry place, but it never lasts that long in my house.

1 (about 14 oz/390 g) brick firm or extra-firm tofu (about 2 cups crumbled or sliced thin)

Bacon Marinade ()

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Depending on the use for the tofu bacon, either crumble it into small pieces or thinly slice it along the short side. Marinate the tofu for 15 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and either spread the crumbles in an even layer or lay out the slices spaced slightly apart. The tofu crumbles will have absorbed most of the marinade. For the slices you can reserve any excess marinade to brush on halfway through the bake time.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping the tofu halfway through the bake time and brushing the slices on both sides with excess marinade. The tofu should be much darker when its done. It might not be crispy right out of the oven, but it will get firmer as it cools.