..as do all ideas for veggie bacon although, oddly, I don’t miss bacon itself. I’m not a big fan of coconut but I like the idea of transforming into something that’s no longer coconutty. I don’t have a smoker or liquid smoke, and I don’t know how easy it is to get hold of either in the UK, but I’ll give it a go.

The recipe is from here.

Smoked Coconut Bacon
(makes 3 1/2 cups)

3 1/2 cups coconut flakes (available at Whole Foods in the baking aisle)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetarian worcestershire
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (only of you don’t smoke the coconut on the grill top)

Smoke the coconut flakes for four minutes using my grill-top method. Four minutes don’t sound like a long time, but the coconut really soaks up the smoke quickly. This ain’t no pork belly, y’all!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the smoked coconut into a large mixing bowl and add the maple syrup, soy sauce, pepper, worcestershire, and sesame oil. (Only add the liquid smoke if you didn’t smoke the coconut. This is just an option for people without access to a smoker.) Toss to coat. Spread the dressed coconut into a single layer on a parchment-lined 12-by-17-inch sheet pan or two smaller pans. Cook coconut for ten minutes, stir it around and spread it back out on the sheet pan, and cook it another five minutes or until coconut is nice and dark brown. 14 months ago