Vegan Bacon Kale Salad with Miso Dressing Recipe

Vegan Bacon is the dream topping:

And not just with Vegan diners, but with Kosher-Keepers, and everyone in between. You will enjoy it for no other reason than that it is fantastic and super healthy.

Verboten no more!

But that’s not all:

I am giving you TWO Vegan Bacon Recipes:

One with Mushrooms, and one with Coconut!

Mushroom bacon is ready instantly, but it is somewhat expensive, as the mushrooms shrink to a tiny but potent handful in the searing process.

mushroom bacon

Coconut bacon, on the other hand, needs no maintenance, and cooks low and slow. It yields a nice big temperature-stable batch, enough for a few recipes. I got my inspiration from Hannah Kaminsky, a great vegan cook and cookbook author, and a dear friend.

coconut bacon

So many exciting things you can use vegan bacon on:

Omelets, soups, salads, avocado toast, to name just a few.

Here I am giving you one of my favorite ways to use vegan bacon: In a kale salad. No problem using your favorite greens (watercress, Swiss chard, raddichio etc)

And to make this salad totally glorious, I have included one of my favorite salad dressings, a nutritional powerhouse:

Miso Ginger Dressing!

Enough said. Just scroll down!

Ingredients

1. Mushroom Bacon

3 tablespoons olive oil
6 large portobello caps, sliced (if king oyster mushrooms are affordable on marketing day, use them, and slice them lengthwise)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce

2. Coconut Bacon
4 cups coconut shavings (health food stores)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Miso Ginger Dressing

2 tablespoons miso paste, dark or light
1/4 cup warm water
1 inch piece ginger
4-5 sprigs cilantro, tough stems removed (don't like cilantro? simply skip it)
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons rice or cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons bottled hot sauce
1 tablespoon matcha tea powder (health food stores)

Salad Greens

1 bunch kale, all ribs removed all the way up (use them in a soup or in a veggie burger) leaves torn in smaller pieces
2 ribs celery, peeled and sliced very thin
1/2 small head fennel, sliced very thin (or 1/2 apple, diced small)
4 large radishes, halved and sliced thin
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup diced roasted pumpkin or beets
4 scallions, sliced very thin
1/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1. Mushroom bacon:

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet until very hot, add the mushrooms and saute on a very high flame, until very crisp. Quickly stir in the liquid smoke, maple syrup and soy sauce, just a few seconds more, until all liquids evaporate.

2. Coconut Bacon

Preheat the oven to 200*F.
Combine all ingredients, and arrange in one layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake 1 hour. Leave in the oven to dry and crisp completely, a couple more hours, or even overnight. Store in a glass jar in a cool dry place. Makes 4 cups. 1/2 cup is enough in a big salad.

Dressing:

Put all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.

Salad:

Arrange all salad greens in a salad platter. top with your choice of vegan bacon.Pour the dressing over the salad.

Serving Size: 8 servings