Tofu Bacon

Tofu Bacon 

 is smoky, crispy, chewy, insanely delicious and a great alternative to the real thing! Give this a try and use in your favorite breakfast recipes, BLTs, salads and more. 
Ingredients
14 oz extra firm tofu
1/3 cup  soy sauce (or tamari)
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp coconut oil

4 tsp liquid smoke
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Oven method for tofu bacon strips:
Drain tofu and pat dry. Wrap in a clean towel or paper towel and set something heavy on top, like a cast iron skillet or a few cookbooks. Press for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours if you have time. 
Preheat oven to 375˚F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 
Using a very sharp knife, slice a block of tofu in half lengthwise. Then, turn each block on its side and slice into thin planks.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, maple syrup, oil, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Brush each side of the tofu generously with the marinade, and bake for 18 minutes, brushing on more marinade every 5-7 minutes.
After 18 minutes, carefully use tongs to flip each piece of tofu bacon over. Brush on more marinade, then bake for another 18 minutes, applying more marinade every 5-7 minutes.
After 18 minutes, flip once more and brush with any remaining marinade. Cook for additional 5 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and browned. It might not look totally finished, but once it cools, it starts to harden up and get chewy/crispy. Don't over-bake, otherwise it will start to burn.
Stove top:
Pre-heat gourmet skillet-griddle or EOS

to see if the pan is hot by doing the beaded water test). Oil for the pan Tamari & nutritional yeast for Add some spray oil or coconut oil to heated pan. seasoning 
Add tofu slices to hot pan and let sear for 8-10 mins until the sear has released then turn over and repeat sear. 
 
Stovetop method for bacon bits:
Drain tofu and pat dry. Wrap in a clean towel or paper towel and set something heavy on top, a few cookbooks. Press for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours if you have time. 
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, maple syrup, oil, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Dice the tofu into small cubes, then transfer to bowl with marinade and let sit 10 minutes. 
Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add and extra tbsp of oil to the skillet along with tofu and about half or the marinade liquid. Cook, stirring often, until crispy and browned on all sides. Add more marinade as the pan dries out.