Years ago, my dad used to take me to this little diner near our home. I may have been young enough that I couldn't read or navigate the menu, so I remember that he always ordered for the same thing for me; a BLT and a Yoo-hoo.
In our home, and in those times, no one I knew ever discussed where our food came from or what it might have been before it was on our plate. I don't remember the "not wanting to know" syndrome; it was just an absolute disconnect – the animals and our food. In his youth, my dad was an athlete, and a boxer, and his livelihood was earned in a skilled trade through manual labor. Meat was almost mandatory, and back then when prices didn't reflect the cancer-like growth of massive-scale industrialized animal farming, it was expensive and treated almost like a delicacy in our home.
In college, I happened to read a PETA (people for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) brochure that told the story of a downed cow and how she was too sick to walk to the slaughterhouse so the workers beat her, prodded her with electric poles and finally dragged her inside. Sick as she was, she made it into the food chain and onto someone's dinner table. At that moment, I made the connection between the meat on our family table, the bacon in my beloved BLT, and the animals who suffered so egregiously to end up there. Once you know something, you can never "unknow" it and as a result, my world changed.
Dad never understood what being vegan meant or why it mattered. For years, he and my mother called my lifestyle choice a "health-kick". We chose not to judge each other's choices, and when they visited, they always remarked how they loved the (vegan) meal I prepared for them and never once complained or asked where the meat was.
I never made my dad a vegan BLT, but I'm sure that if I did, he would have given it a chance and surely enjoyed it. This version however, that's been deconstructed by using a grilled head of Romaine as the base and the bread as croutons, with everything else smattered and sprinkled about, might just have blown his mind. Maybe I've taken the BLT too far, but I think it's a creative and tasty way to enjoy all the ingredients we love with just a little more pizzazz, and a lot more compassion. In this recipe, I used store-bought vegan bacon, but I recommend trying our Shiitake Bacon Crisps.
Preheat your grill. Slice the head of Romain lettuce in half. Brush each half with oil and sprinkle with salt. With grill on “high”, place Romain halves, cut-side down on the grill. Grill for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the leaves begin to char and wilt a bit. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cook bacon according to package directions. I carefully cooked mine on the grill, but use a frying pan on the stove if you prefer.
Grill bread on “high” heat. When nicely browned, remove from grill and rub with garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Cool and cut bread into cubes.
To make Quick Creamy Dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Assemble by placing lettuce, cut-side up on a plate. Place tomatoes on top and around. Add croutons then crumble bacon into chunks and sprinkle on top. Drizzle dressing over everything and dig in!
Preheat your grill. Slice the head of Romain lettuce in half. Brush each half with oil and sprinkle with salt. With grill on “high”, place Romain halves, cut-side down on the grill. Grill for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the leaves begin to char and wilt a bit. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cook bacon according to package directions. I carefully cooked mine on the grill, but use a frying pan on the stove if you prefer.
Grill bread on “high” heat. When nicely browned, remove from grill and rub with garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Cool and cut bread into cubes.
To make Quick Creamy Dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Assemble by placing lettuce, cut-side up on a plate. Place tomatoes on top and around. Add croutons then crumble bacon into chunks and sprinkle on top. Drizzle dressing over everything and dig in!
