I enjoy finding vegan recipes that appeal to my meat eating friends. Here is a great alternate to say.. a potato skin appetizer. Or it can be a side dish. It’s made with Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon which you must try! In case you are not familiar, tempeh has a rich, nutty and meaty texture. It will provide many nutrients and protein in a more digestible form due to the fermentation process. You can use it to make veggie burgers, add to a stir fry, salads and wraps. See my easy recipe for a TLT. Tempeh Lettuce Tomato open face Sandwich . Another quick and easy favorite. Send your thoughts!

Author: Blue Ridge Babe
INGREDIENTS
5 medium russet potatoes (about fist sized)
extra virgin olive oil
Vegan butter
nutritional yeast flakes
garlic powder
sea salt
pepper
6 slices of Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh Strips
Green onions, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS
Wash potatoes and pat dry
Place potatoes on a baking sheet and rub with olive oil to coat
Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork
Cut potatoes in half, then in half again, smashing each quarter lightly with the knife or a spatula
Spread vegan butter over the tops of the potatoes
Sprinkle the potatoes with a generous amount of sea salt
Sprinkle on freshly ground pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast
Bake potatoes an additional 15 minutes, or until sizzling
Cook Tofurky bacon according to package instructions
Using a spatula, break cooked bacon into small pieces
Remove potatoes from oven and top with bacon pieces and chopped green onion
Enjoy!

Looking for a vegan alternative for a BLT? Here it is. The TLT. This is the most simple version. Of course you can add extras as you like.

Get some Tofurky Brand Tempeh Smoky Maple Bacon Flavor. Toast a slice of your favorite bread or I use pita bread. Smash some avocado on the toast.

Add on the cooked tempeh, chopped tomatoes and spinach or any greens you prefer. Too easy, delicious, and filling.

Version 2 can be a TLT wrap. I like to use Rudisbakery.com  Spelt Tortillas.

They hold up really well and have no high fructose corn syrup. You can add in the tempeh, tomato, spinach, avocado, cilantro, and dress it with a mixture of Followyourheart.com Vegenaise and Dijon mustard mix or a hummus salad dressing.

Ingredients: Amy’s Organic Marinara Sauce, Ricotta Cheese 16 oz., Organic Mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano, Yves Meatless Pepperoni, Raw Organic French Green Lentils, ½ Green and Red Bell Pepper, Yellow and Green Zucchini Squash, 1 garlic clove, ½ onion, Raw Kale Chopped, “Bionaturae” Lasagna Noodles, sea salt, Simply Organic pepper, and Nutmeg.

Cook 1 cup of green lentils and set aside.

Lightly saute onion, garlic, peppers, zucchini and dash of salt and pepper in extra virgin olive oil. Set aside and mix in some Amy’s red sauce and add the lentils. *Call this the bean mix.

In another bowl, Add raw Chopped Kale (2 cups) with Ricotta Cheese, dash of pepper, dash of nutmeg and Parmigiano reggiano. Mix together. You can also add some Amy’s Red sauce if it seems too thick to spread.
*This we can call the ricotta mix

Preheat Oven to 350

In 8×8 glass dish we will make layers of everything. First place bean mix across bottom of pan to make a light layer. On top of that place lasagna noodles raw to cover. Add Amy’s Red sauce on top of noodles to lightly coat. Then add ricotta mix as a layer and top that with mozzarella cheese. Cover that with Lasagna Noodles, red sauce, then bean mix and ricotta mix combined and top with slices of meatless pepperoni.
Sprinkle top with mozzarella and fresh parmigiano reggiano.
Cover with Parchment paper and then Foil.
Bake covered for about 30 minutes. Then remove cover! Place back in oven and continue cooking for maybe 15 mins until the top is bubbly. Let this sit for a bit to cool before you cut into it.
Enjoy!

Taking a few minutes to make a fresh salad dressing is more nutritious & delicious.

Try this cherry vinaigrette:
1 cup pitted fresh cherries
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar

Blend all ingredients to smooth.

Maybe your mom will like this as much as mine did. In the bowl add cooked plain brown rice, black beans, some veggies, avocado, and cilantro to garnish.
Sauce: 2 tablespoons yellow miso
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Reduced Sodium Tamari
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Blend all and pour a little as dressing on the bowl to taste.
Eat warm or cold.

Brown Rice, Bean and Vegetable Salad:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup short grain brown rice or Lundberg Jubilee Gourmet mixed whole grain brown rice blend
• 1 can Garbanzo beans 15oz- drain and rinsed
• 1 handful of raw chopped kale or green beans
• 2 carrots peeled & chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• Parsley and scallions to garnish

Dressing :

• 5 to 6 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt fine ground
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste.
• whisk ingredients together.

Bring water to boil. Add rice and cook uncovered for 25 mins stirring occasionally.
Drain and rinse rice with cold water. Set aside.
In large bowl mix veggies, beans, and cooked rice. Add dressing to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and scallions.

This salad can sit in the refrigerator overnight if using the next day for lunch with dressing on it.