Eggplant "Bacon"

We got another eggplant in our hungry harvest box last week.  And it's too hot to go with the eggplant chili we've made in the past.  So I wasn't sure what to do with it but inspiration struck when we were at Taylor Gourmet (a local sandwich shop) before the Janelle Monae concert last week.  They had a veggie sandwich with crispy strips of eggplant and it was sooo good!  So I decided to try to recreate it at home.  I looked up eggplant bacon recipes and used one from the Minimalist Baker as a starting point.  You all, it was amazing!

Here's my version of the recipe.

• 1 medium eggplant 
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp tamari
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 pinch garlic powder
• Hot sauce to taste 

Pre-heat the oven to 225 (or 250 if you want it to be crispier).  Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Slice the eggplant thinly (I used a mandoline set to 1/8 inch). You definitely want to make sure the eggplant is sliced thinly and evenly if you want it to crisp up.

Whisk the rest of the ingredients together to make a sauce.  You'll probably have extra sauce left over, I bet it would be great on tofu too!

Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking pan and brush both sides with the sauce.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  It should crisp up more as it cools.  My first batch was at 225 degrees and had a lot of sauce on it.  It was more chewy than crispy.  My second batch I was stingier with the sauce and cooked it at 250 degrees.  It crisped up nicely.  But both were really good.  Mike actually preferred the chewier version with more sauce while I preferred the second version.

The original recipe claims that they'll be good for 5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.  I was going to freeze half but Mike actually liked it so much that he decided to put it on his lunch sandwiches this week (along with his usual meat and cheese).  And I'm using mine on sandwiches for lunch with sriracha mayo, tomatoes and slaw. 

Does it taste like bacon?  I have no idea.  But is it delicious?  Absolutely!  I knew this one was a keeper since Mike was skeptical of the experiment at the start but then asked to have some for his sandwiches :)  I'm sure we'll be making it again.  And while it did take some time for the eggplant to cook, most of the time is while it's in the oven so you're free to do other things. 

 I'm linking up with Deborah and Sarah for Meatless Monday.