Vegan Highlight: "Non" BLTs!

Lately, I have been really craving a good BLT. It brings me back to the yesteryear of when I was little, had them occasionally, and loved them. However, since I'm mostly vegetarian, I am staying away from pork products of any kind. That's where Lightlife's Fakin' Bacon Tempeh* Strips come in. Ok...so, what is tempeh, you ask? Tempeh is basically slightly fermented soybeans and is actually one of the better soy products since it is fermented; it can be absorbed into the body more readily (organic is preferred and non-GMO at that). I was so curious about these, since I continually bypass them at the Whole Foods store, just a bit freaked out by them. I mean, really? Fake bacon? I decided to put these to the test to see if I could produce a BLT that tasted the same. Is it even possible?

*For more info on Lightlife's fake bacon strips, go to this link.

I've been reading Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, My Father's Daughter and really love it and the message that it sends on how food=family. Her daughter is a self-proclaimed vegetarian so, right off, I know GP is looking to include veggie recipes. She swears by Follow Your Heart Vegenaise (another product I've been tempted but afraid to try since I am picky about my soy products). However, I figured, why not? I don't eat soy blocks every day. Moderation. 

Here's what you will need:

- Lightlife's organic smoky tempeh strips Fakin' Bacon

- whole grain bread

- lettuce

- tomato 

- Follow Your Heart Vegenaise 

- salt and pepper, to taste

 {as I opened up the package, the strips had a very strong smoky smell...wasn't appealing to me, but I continued on...hoping for the best}

 {I had a hard time getting the strips out of the package, so I accidentally ripped three halves off! oops}

 {as they started to cook, they became more "bacon-like" in appearance...crispy...and slightly more appealing}

 {assembled sandwich!}

Verdict: WOAH! This was fantastic!! I was completely surprised at how similar it tasted to my old favorite with the bacon and mayo! The texture is almost identical to a BLT and the taste, dare I say it: I liked it even better as it was more flavorful!

Nutritional Breakdown


Because I am a "numbers" gal, I needed to see how these two sandwiches compared, nutritionally. I entered nutritional information on each via myfitnesspal.com. I was amazed at what I found:

	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Traditional Meat BLT:
Bread - Whole-wheat, toasted, 2 slice	139	26g	2g	5g	0mg	296mg	11g	4g
Oscar Mayer - Bacon - Hearty Thick Cut Bacon, 1.5 slice	90	0g	8g	6g	15mg	375mg	0g	0g
Kraft - Mayonaise-Regular, 1 Tbsp	90	0g	10g	0g	5mg	70mg	0g	0g
Taylor Organic Baby Spring Mix - Mixed Baby Greens, 0.25 cups	2	0g	0g	0g	0mg	4mg	0g	0g
Tomato - 5 Slices, 2 Medium Slice	8	2g	0g	0g	0mg	2mg	1g	0g
TOTAL:	329	26 g	20g	11g	20 mg	747 mg	12 g	4 g
Vegan BLT:
Lightlife - Fakin' Bacon- Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips, 1.5 slices	50	5g	1g	4g	0mg	235mg	1g	2g
Bread - Whole-wheat, toasted, 2 slice	139	26g	2g	5g	0mg	296mg	11g	4g
Follow Your Heart - Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise, 1 Tbsp	90	0g	9g	0g	0mg	85mg	0g	0g
Taylor Organic Baby Spring Mix - Mixed Baby Greens, 0.25 cups	2	0g	0g	0g	0mg	4mg	0g	0g
Tomato - 5 Slices, 2 Medium Slice	8	2g	0g	0g	0mg	2mg	1g	0g
TOTAL:	289	33g	12g	9g	0mg	622 mg	13 g	6g

What I found:

Calories - For the same sandwich, I saved 40 calories by eating the vegan version.
Carbs - 7 more carbs in the vegan version, but still low in sugar.
Fat - Here is where I saw a remarkable difference with 8g less fat in the vegan version than the traditional BLT.
Protein - Happily surprised that the vegan version was somewhat comparable at 9g vs. 11g.
Cholesterol - Another fantastic find...0mg cholesterol in the vegan BLT!
Sodium - Saved 125mg in sodium with the vegan version! Yeesss!
Sugars - Comparable to each other with the vegan version having slightly more at 13g vs. 12g.
Fiber - Vegan version has more, which will help with slowing down the absorption of sugars into the blood stream.

I am highly impressed at what I found and will definitely be trying the vegan BLT again soon! A wonderful substitute for the real thing!