We adopted a this little guy last weekend! Meet Kenny!

It has been a crazy week. We have been missing our dear Jack so much and needed a bit more spunky energy in the house so we adopted Kenny! He is a miniature pincher-chihuahua mix. After bringing him home we realized that he was obsessively licking his surgery incisions to the point of an infection and had developed a cough! So after 4 trips to the vet, he is now in the cone of shame and on medications. I have my fingers crossed that he is on the mend! I realized last night that he can contort his little 12 pound body enough to still get at his incision! Garrrrr! So after I write this post, I am on my way to Target to buy child-size panties to cover his junk enough to get him to stop! Really Kenny, your obsession with your missing bits is too much!

This week’s recipe was suggested by my BFF Holly. She wanted me to come up with a tofu BLT. This has been the hardest recipe that I have tried to make. It took many tries and many failures! I started by looking at what other bloggers have done, most use a marinade of soy sauce and liquid smoke. I don’t particularly like smoky as a flavor so I omitted that from the start. Every time I tried to use soy sauce as a marinade the result was unbearably salty, even when I used the low sodium. I haven’t had bacon in probably 30 years, so I have no idea what it tastes like. I ditched all of the ideas I tried to make work and went with something I know I like and is simple, Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce! The trick to this recipe is more in the preparation of the tofu and the Basil-Avocado Aioli!

I want to stress that I have not tried to make bacon! I have added flavor to my tofu that compliments the other ingredients in a traditional BLT. Enjoy!

Heirloom tomatoes, basil and avocado on a blue background.

Avocado-Basil Aioli on a blue wooden background.

Baked BBQ tofu in a metal backing dish on a blue wooden background.

TLT - Tofu Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

Author: Jodi Boatman Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 23 Minutes

Total Time: 53 Minutes Yields: 4 Servings

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Tofu bacon:

1 14 oz package of extra firm tofu, cut into 1/8 thick strips (or smaller).
1/3 C Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
1/4 C olive oil

Basil avocado aioli:

1 C basil
1 medium avocado
2 TBSP mayonaise

Sandwich:

2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced thinly
8 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted
1/2 small head of iceberg lettuce, shredded

Instructions:

In order to make the tofu have a chewier texture, there are a few extra steps to it’s preparation. To prep your tofu, first press it either in a tofu press or wrapped in paper towels and with a heavy skillet over the top. I prefer the tofu press because it presses more evenly. Press for 45 minutes. Slice your tofu into 1/8 or smaller strips. Place slices into a freezer safe dish and freeze over night*. Let defrost for 1 day in the fridge. You could also defrost in the microwave. Press again with a towel to get more liquid out.
Preheat oven to 425°
Lightly brush BBQ sauce on the strips of tofu
Place tofu on a large sheet pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil that has been sprayed with nonstick spray
Bake for 20 minutes flipping midway. Remove from oven and set aside.
To make your basil aioli, blend basil, avocado and mayonnaise in a blender and set aside.
To crisp up your tofu, add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat, make sure it is hot. Add baked tofu and cook in oil on each side for 30-40 seconds per side.
To create the TLT, spread basil avocado aioli to both pieces of the toast, add crispy tofu, lettuce and tomatoes. Serve with your favorite potato chips and enjoy!

*Freezing your tofu helps to make it more chewy. It is an important step in this recipe!

*If you want to cut the WW points, you could use light mayo in the aioli and/or light wheat bread.