Vegan BLTA Lettuce Cups with Coconut Bacon!
Around here, we love BLTs. And even better, BLTAs, “bacon”, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. I often make my vegan bacon from tempeh but for this recipe, I used coconut bacon, addicting as it is. I love that the lettuce cups replace the bread, too. This recipe requires a couple of things to be made in advance but once you have everything done, it comes together in minutes. It’s what’s for dinner here tonight as we plunge back into high temps in the Bay Area.
Large flake coconut, when marinated and baked, turns into a delicious bacon-like treat. Many of the coconut bacon recipes that you will find on the web are extremely high in sodium. In this recipe, Coconut Aminos come to the rescue. They have less than half the sodium of low-sodium soy sauce and only a third of the sodium that Braggs Liquid Aminos has. We use them almost exclusively as a replacement for soy sauce which is a corner stone of the coconut bacon recipe. Coconut Aminos also add a wonderful umami flavor to many recipes.
This recipe includes a delicious vegan cashew mayo that I think you are really going to love. You will need to make the cashew mayo and the coconut bacon in advance.
The ingredients for the coconut bacon are simple. Large flake coconut, maple syrup, coconut aminos and a little bit of liquid smoke.
The cashew mayo comes together very quickly in the blender. Just make sure you take the time to get your cashews nice and soft before you begin.
Do you find the ingredient photos helpful? I would love to hear from you in the comment section. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. And please consider donating to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund .
Why Use Coconut Aminos?
Coconut aminos are a great replacement for soy sauce. They are lower in sodium, 73% less sodium than traditional soy-sauce and made from organic coconut tree sap and sea salt. Per teaspoon, they have 90mg of sodium. Compare that to low sodium soy sauce which has 191mn per teaspoon and Braggs Liquid Aminos which have 320mg per teaspoon. It’s a huge difference. You can buy them here: Coconut Aminos
For another fun recipe using coconut bacon, click here: Fig and Vegan Truffle Cheese
Vegan BLTA with Coconut "Bacon" and Cashew Mayo
Serves 4
Coconut Bacon
- 2 cups large flake coconut
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (can substitute low-sodium soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- Place large flake coconut in a bowl with a sealable lid.
- Mix together all of the liquid ingredients.
- Pour liquid ingredients over the coconut flakes. Place lid on and shake to distribute.
- Marinate for at least an hour. Longer is better.
- Dehydrate at 115 degrees for at least 12 hours or until chewy-crisp. Alternatively, bake at 325 for 20 minutes, stirring and flipping at the 10-minute mark.
Cashew Mayo
- 1 cup cashews, soaked until soft (usually 6+ hours)
- 1/4 cup water (more if needed to get consistency)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar
- 1 soft date
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Place all ingredients in high-speed blender and blend until smooth. This should be thick and will require scraping down the sides and using the tamper.
BLTA Lettuce Cups
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 2 large heirloom (or other tasty tomatoes), diced
- 2 avocados, diced
- cashew mayo
- coconut bacon
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- Place tomatoes and avocados in a bowl.
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup mayo
- Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves.
- Top with coconut bacon and a sprinkle of pepper.
Mae wrote on June 29, 2018
Even leftovers are great. I did make some modifications just because of what I had on hand. I made the bacon out of shitake and I did use vegan mayo – again b/c I had it on hand. I just ate the leftovers 2 days later and it’s still delicious! I’ll make it as it is written next time. I have had coconut bacon before and yes that is very tasty!!
Peter wrote on September 13, 2017
Delicious! Had it for dinner the other night thanks to my fabulous wife.
Susan wrote on September 13, 2017
Awe, thanks honey!
Karl @ Healthy Kreation wrote on September 2, 2017
Never seen coconut bacon before but its a fantastic idea for a vegan substitute. The recipe looks absolutely delicious although it uses a lot of separate ingredients to accomplish. Thanks for sharing.
Kay Smith wrote on September 13, 2017
I have the cashew mayo and coconut back made — which is awesome by the way. Does the “bacon” need to be kept in fridge? Pics are awesome. Posting there since I can’t get the post to go one separately . Thanks
Susan wrote on September 13, 2017
Hi, Kay, You want to keep the “bacon” in an airtight container but do not put it in the fridge. It will get soft. If it softens up a bit, you can always crisp it back up in the dehydrator. Cheers!
Majesty wrote on August 31, 2017
I just want to say, your prep photos are amazing…better than just a list of ingredients 🙂 And ths looks delicious!
Susan wrote on September 1, 2017
Thank you! I am so glad to know it. Cheers!
Susan wrote on August 31, 2017
On the sodium scale, it is really low compared to even low-sodium soy sauce. But if your taste buds have been conditioned to not eat salt, I would think anything seems salty. Cheers!
kate wrote on August 31, 2017
This looks great..I usually make my DLT’s with dulse…i wipe the salt off of the dulse with a damp rag, then put it in a skillet on very low, and it becomes very crispy, just like bacon. I tried the Coconut aminos, and ended up throwing it out, as it has added salt, and i thought it was over the top salty. just my taste. anyhow, thanks for the recipe….it inspired me to do my DLT’s again !!
Yvonne wrote on September 5, 2017
I found a simple method to cut saltiness in Coconut Aminos, Tamari and Shoyu just by adding water to suit my tastebuds.
Darlene wrote on August 31, 2017
Beautiful…
Love the visuals!
Susan wrote on August 31, 2017
Thank you for letting me know! I will keep it up. 🙂
Rochelle Cotten wrote on August 31, 2017
Yum! I love this recipe and will be making it as soon as I buy that coconut aminos. The ingredient photos are really great. I love photos for every step of the recipe. Thanks!
Susan wrote on August 31, 2017
I am glad you like them. It’s good to know! Cheers!