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Makin’ Bakin’ Bits
Joni 
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Joni Marie Newman is the self appointed QUEEN OF VEGGIE BURGERS! She is just a regular gal who loves to cook and bake...ESPECIALLY for friends and family. Self taught, and still learning, she spens most of my spare time in the kitchen. You can find more about Joni by visiting her website www.joninewman.com
Makin’ Bakin’ Bits
I love a challenge, so when asked about the hydrogenated fats in imitation bacon bits, I started on a quest. I normally don't buy premade meat analogs anyway, so why not figure out how to make these little bits of bacon-y goodness on my own. Of course, buying a jar of Bac-os™ is still the easiest. But, if you are a smidge adventurous, try this.
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 scant cup water
1 cup TVP granules
1/4 teaspoon salt
A few drops red food coloring, optional
3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
To a measuring cup add the liquid smoke, then fill to get one cup water.
In a microwave safe dish, mix together Liquid smoke mixture, TVP and salt.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and micro wave on high for 5-6 minutes.
*Alternatively, bring the water to a boil, pour over TVP granules, mix in liquid smoke, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
Preheat a frying pan with the oil. Add reconstituted TVP to the pan and toss to make sure it all gets coated with oil. Pan fry until desired crispness. Stir them often. You don’t necessarily want to “brown” them, rather dry them out. Right around ten minutes. Allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator. Should last at least a week, but probably much longer. Makes about a cup.
October 19, 2009 | I thought this was soooo much better than bacos!! Mine had a bit of a chew, like real bacon bits you'd fix yourself. I put these on a salad with Julie's Pleasure Valley dressing with lettuce, tomatoes, and onion--yummy!!! Thanks for creating this. I did notice that my microwave still smells like 'smoke'. I think I will try the stove top method next time. jayne” —Jayne
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April 28, 2010 | I really loved this idea. I rehydrated the TVP with the marinade from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Tempeh Bacon recipe (http://www.veganpeace.com/recipe_pages/recipes/TempehBacon.htm), which I think has a great bacony flavor. I didn't have a skillet large enough to dry out so much TVP in one go, so I split it into 2 batches. I found sauteing the first batch to be kinda tedious, so, since the point was just to dry it out, not crisp it up, I decided to do the other batch in the oven. I spread it in an even layer on a cookie sheet, and baked it in a 300° oven for about 20 minutes, stirring once about half way through. Worked great, and I didn't have stand in front of the stove. So I guess I really didn't follow this recipe at all. But still, I really loved the idea and I ended up with some darn delicious bacony bits that I've been sprinkling on everything. So thanks so much for the inspiration!” —JB