Vegan BLTA Salad with Ranch Dressing

Bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado — these flavors compliment each other so well. I really don’t think that changes once entering the plant-based world. It’s just all about how you do your, “B.” I love this tofu “bacon!” Oh, and the ranch, this is the best ranch ever!

It’s getting close to summer, and though we’ve been experiencing some “June gloom,” I’m still in the mood for some summery eats. I suppose I eat a lot of green salads all year round, but it’s this time of year when I can have them for the main coarse, instead of just a side, without having the family get too irritated with me. LOL!

Honestly, I’ve been making these BLTA salads since before going vegan. Now that I am, and my ingredients have changed some to honor that, it’s still one of my favorites. All the flavors are still there, I’m just able to feel a little better about eating them now!

Depending on how many you’re feeding, you may need to make two batches of this delicious “tofu” bacon. This way you avoid fights for the last little bit of it. One batch makes 12 slices. I had to stash a couple pieces… to use for our breakfast in the morning.

Do you have a tofu press? If not, I highly recommend getting one. I have two, because depending on the dish (or how “bacony” we’re feeling), as a family of four, we sometimes need to do more than one block. If you don’t have one, however, you can still rock the tofu, it’s just not quite as simple. Stick to it “old school” style — laying down paper towels above and below tofu. Then topping it with a cookie sheet or cutting board, weighed down with something heavy like canned goods.

For this recipe, you want the tofu extra dry, which means pressing for longer than normal. I did mine in the refrigerator overnight. If you don’t have that long, it’s not a necessity, but the longer you press, the better your “bacon” will be. I’d say at least four hours. You want it as dry as possible, and nicely firm. When doing this, it really changes the tofu. You don’t have that same spongy texture.

After pressing overnight, I mixed up my bacon marinade, and then let my tofu bathe in it all day long. Again, this isn’t a necessity, but it’ll collect the best flavor. Otherwise, I’d let the tofu marinate for at least an hour.

Once you’re done marinating, you have two options for cooking the bacon.  Air fryer, if you have one, or if you don’t, the oven works, I’d say just as well. Both are a total score because unlike a lot of faux “bacon” recipes, you’re not using a lot of oil. One major plus, if you do have an air fryer, is you can make this salad on a hot summer day without having to turn on the oven.

Double win!

This time, I did mine half in the air fryer, and half in the oven. That way I could show you pictures of both, so you could see instruction, and compare the outcomes. You’ll see they are very similar. If doing them all in the air fryer, you may need to do multiple batches. In which case, I keep mine in the toaster oven set on warm.

Okay, so now that you know all about the “bacon,”what else do we have to go over? We have romaine, “bacon,” cherry tomatoes, avocado, green onions, ohhhh… and the cheddar shreds! If you’re not a fan of faux processed cheeses, that’s understandable and you’re free to leave it out. For me, I enjoy the familiar flavor because cheddar was something I used to add to this salad back in the day. I do, however, enjoy it without as well.

The last item, the one that ties it all together, is the ranch! This ranch, I sadly can’t take credit for, but I don’t even try to create my own, because this recipe is the best ranch I’ve ever had. I think any omnivore would agree. It’s at least just as good as whatever their favorite may be. I discovered it when trying out the recipe (found on the same page) for their cauliflower wings. The wings I also suggest making sometime. They’re very good, I’ve made them a few times, and plan to again in the near future.

I think I’ve gone over everything. Sadly, the delicious produce in this post didn’t get much mention, but that just means we’re keeping them whole, in their purest form. I will say this: Avocado and tomatoes are two of my most favorite things. Especially on a green salad.

Okay, tofu “bacon,” cheddar shreds, ranch dressing, produce… let’s do this, shall we?