Woo! I finally got my hands on Upton's Naturals Bacon!
I served my Upton's Naturals Bacon as a side dish. Wondering what's in the bowl on the left? That's a Tropical Oats Bowl, a recipe that's going to be in my BOWLS! cookbook.
I have been drooling over photos of Upton's vegan meats on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for ages, so when the Whole Foods in my neighborhood finally started stocking this brand, I snatched up a box of vegan bacon to try!
Upton's bacon is seitan-based, which is probably my favorite meat substitute. Seitan is chewier than tempeh or tofu, and I think it does a much better job of getting that "meaty" texture without artificial ingredients.
Cooking Upton's Naturals Bacon
So, I could have gotten inventive, like Cadry did with her seitan gravy, but after such a long wait, I really just wanted a plate of straight up Upton's Naturals Bacon. One box has two servings, so I did get a couple of shots to experiment.
Upton's Naturals Bacon is sliced very thinly. So thinly, in fact, that when I cooked it up the first time, I accidentally fried two slices at once. And you know what? I think I prefer it this way! I realized what was happening halfway through the first batch of bacon, and the doubled-up strips were my favorite when it was all done.
The bottom strip got super crispy in the pan, and the top one stayed a little bit soft. This kind of gave it a more bacon-like mouth feel. Though I want to stress that if you're fresh off of meat-eating, this is not going to taste like bacon to you. But if you're like me, and it's been years, the two-two-two-strips of Upton's bacon might just be the ticket!
Like I said, I tried this two ways. Which kind of overstates what happened. The first time I cooked this up, I used olive oil. The second time, I used coconut oil. Coconut oil worked best, in my opinion, since it's a richer fat.
In conclusion, here's how I recommend cooking up this stuff!
Upton's Naturals Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 container Upton's Naturals Bacon
- 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil (I recommend coconut, but olive is fine, if you don't have any)
Method
- Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Peel the bacon apart two strips at a time (so the two strips are still stuck together).
- Put as many in the pan as you can without overlapping, and fry until the bottom layer gets crispy.
- Flip, then cook for just 1-2 more minutes, then transfer to a plate with a napkin on it to drain while you cook the rest of your bacon. Eat immediately.
acookinthemaking
Jealous--I am STILL waiting for my Whole Foods to start carrying this! They have other Upton's products but not the bacon (whyyy??). Your description of the two slices together is intriguing...I'll definitely have to give that a try when I finally do get my hands on some 🙂
Becky Striepe
I'll cross my fingers for you! Have you asked for it? I don't know if all whole foods are this way, but ours will order things sometimes if folks ask.
acookinthemaking
I asked at the big WF in downtown Boston but haven't actually been back since to check and see if they got it. Thanks for reminding me that I should put in a request at my local store too!
Becky Striepe
Yay! Fingers crossed for you!!
Connie at Bird and Seed
Oh I know what I'll be having for Sunday morning breakfast.....faux-bacon!
Becky Striepe
Yay! I hope you like my accidental discovery!
Cadry's Kitchen
Yay! I'm so glad you were finally able to try it. As you know, I looooooove the stuff. I pestered a few of our local stores to start carrying it, and I was so glad when they all did. Now whenever I see that they're running low, I feel relieved that other people are buying it too. It's the worst when you ask for a product, you're the only one buying it, and then they stop getting it again. With the Upton's bacon, it looks like that's not going to be a problem!
I'm going to have to try your double bacon frying and use coconut oil next time. I always just use olive oil, but the coconut route sounds extra delicious.
Thanks for linking to my gravy! Much appreciated! 🙂
Becky Striepe
Me tooo! I've had my eye out but just discovered it in the cold case last week. Now that I have a supply, I've got your gravy recipe on my to do list for sure.