I’ve had a very busy and stressful week, I won’t lie, so rather than developing a new recipe I turned to my trusted hiking companion – vegan bacon sandwich – which I have been making for our hiking trips for years.

This vegan bacon sandwich is easy to make and very satisfying especially when consumed al fresco, at the top of a mountain you’ve just ‘conquered’. Don’t get me wrong, I love movement and nature and hiking in general, but my absolutely favourite thing about it is a delicious lunch with a stunning view. That’s what I am all about.

This vegan bacon sandwich is very simple to make. All you need to do is to slice some well pressed smoked tofu into thin slices and marinate it in a heady concoction of soy sauce, nutritional yeast, maple syrup and a few other simple ingredients to give rich salty, smoky and sweet flavour. You can start marinating a day ahead but if you don’t have time 15 minutes will suffice.

Then you briefly bake this tofu to perfection – you can also fry it but I like to keep things healthier – and then sandwich it between two slices of your favourite bread (I opted for seeded sourdough loaf). Pad this vegan bacon sandwich with creamy avocado, crispy gem baby lettuce leaves, good dollop of mayo and of spicy chilly jam and you will have the most taste buds pleasing sandwich. Sometimes I will also add a pickled cucumber slices although I didn’t this time. That’s it, it’s simple yet really satisfying and nourishing. I hope you’ll enjoy my take on a vegan bacon sandwich as much as I do.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

FIRM TOFU: My tofu bacon is made with very firm block of smoked tofu. I buy an already pressed smoked Tofoo, which is widely available in most of the UK supermarkets. It comes in 225 g / 8 oz pack. You can use unpressed firm or extra firm tofu, but be sure to press all of the water out really well before marinating and if using unpressed tofu, you’ll probably want to start off with more like 400 g / 14 oz block as all this water makes it weigh a lot more.

SOY SAUCE: Soy sauce and tofu belong together. I use a liberal amount of soy sauce to season the tofu well and to give it depth of taste. It may seem like a lot, but we are not adding any extra salt to this sandwich – although feel free to do so if you happen to be an even bigger salt fiend than I am – so everything is well balanced, I promise. If you want to make this sandwich gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST: A bit of nutritional yeast – inactive yeast that is a common vegan seasoning – is nice here. It adds more flavour, but if you don’t have do not worry, this faux bacon still has plenty of flavour.

MAPLE SYRUP: A bit of sweetness is needed to balance vegan bacon’s intense saltiness and maple syrup – often being served alongside real bacon anyway – fits the brief perfectly.

OIL: A small amount of oil is needed to improve this vegan bacon’s mouthfeel and give the marinade a higher viscosity. I used mild olive oil so that its flavour does not detract from the flavours I wanted to shine.

SMOKED PAPRIKA: While I like to use beechwood smoked tofu for this recipe anyway, I also like to add a touch of smoked paprika to highlight the flavour of smoke even more. If you only have regular tofu to play with, use more smoked paprika or a few drops of liquid smoke – alongside the paprika – would work even better.

GARLIC POWDER: A touch of garlic powder is another natural flavour enhancer for this vegan bacon sandwich.

TOMATO PASTE: Tomato paste, also known as tomato concentrate, thickens the marinade beautifully and also gives it much needed acidity for balance.

FAVOURITE BREAD: Good, real bread is a key ingredient of a good sandwich in my opinion. I used seeded sourdough and I also toasted it lightly for texture.

CRISPY LETTUCE: A thick wad of gem lettuce is a delicious addition to this vegan bacon sandwich. It gives it a pleasant crunch and freshness. I like to use 3-4 small leaves in each, but adjust that to your preference.

VEGAN MAYO: Mild and creamy vegan mayo adds moisture and delicious flavour and texture contrast to chewy and spicy tofu and chilli jam.

CHILLI JAM: I like a subtle kick of heat in most of my food so I tend to add a teaspoon or so of spicy chilli jam in this sandwich and it works a treat. I suppose you could make one, but I tend to use a shop-bought chilli jam like this

AVOCADO: If you happen to have a perfectly ripe and creamy avocado on your kitchen counter this vegan bacon sandwich will benefit from it. I tend to use it instead of vegan butter, but if your avocado is still rock hard or you are simply not a fan, simply butter your bread or use extra mayo.

HOW TO MAKE IT?

1) MARINATE TOFU

Cut pressed tofu into thin (2 mm) or so slices and marinate in a mixture of soy sauce, olive oil, maple syrup, tomato paste, smoked paprika and garlic powder. Marinate overnight for best results, but even in 15 minutes you can infuse the tofu with enough flavour.

2) BAKE TOFU

Arrange marinated tofu in a prepared baking tray and bake until firm. Brush on the leftover marinade half way through the baking time. Cool before using in sandwiches.

3) ASSEMBLE

Toast the bread for extra texture, if you like, and assemble the sandwiches. I tend to place avocado slices on the bottom, followed by slices of cooled tofu, a good dollop of chilli jam, plenty of lettuce leaves and a good dollop of mayo on top.