Ingredients
Eggplant bacon:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound) sliced lengthwise
into 1/4 inch slabs
Sriracha cashew mayo:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 4-8 hours
then drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
3 tablespoons plain soy or almond milk
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (less or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
BLT sandwiches:
8 slices sandwich bread
Sriracha cashew mayo
Eggplant bacon
4-8 romaine lettuce leaves
1 large or 2 small ripe tomatoes, sliced
Instructions
Make the eggplant bacon:
In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, apple cider
vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, maple syrup, and liquid smoke.
Add the eggplant slices and stir gently to coat. Marinate at
room temperature for 30 minutes or more, stirring every 10
minutes or so to keep eggplant well coated.
Coat a large skillet with 2 teaspoons olive oil and place over
medium-high heat. When hot, add eggplant slices in a single
layer, working in batches if needed. Reserve marinade. Cook
until the eggplant slices are browned on bottoms, about 3-5
minutes. Pour half of marinade into skillet (or less if you're
working in batches) and cook another minute, until marinade
cooks off.
Flip the slices and cook until they're browned on other side,
about 3-5 minutes. Add the remaining marinade to the skillet and
cook another minute, until the marinade cooks off again. The
eggplant slices should be tender at this point.
Make the Sriracha cashew mayo:
Place the soaked cashews in a food processor fitted with the
S-blade and process until a thick paste forms. Add lemon juice,
milk, Sriracha, and salt. Continue blending until smooth and
creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
Assemble the sandwiches:
Slather one side of each bread slice with the mayo. Divide
eggplant among four bread slices, followed by lettuce, then
tomato slices. Top with the remaining bread slices, slice in
half with a sharp bread knife if desired, and serve.