Vegan BLT sandwich with aquafaba mayo

Step 1

Heat up the oven to 180° C / 350° F and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.

Step 2

Cut the tofu into six slim (0.5 cm / 0.2") slices. How you achieve that depends on the dimensions of your tofu. I cut mine in half and then cut each block into three thin slices widthwise.

Step 3

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and place in a shallow dish. Place tofu pieces in the dish and spoon the marinade over the pieces to coat. Leave aside for an hour or two (the longer the better, of course), spooning the marinade that pools at the bottom of the dish over the tofu now and then.

Step 4

Brush the baking tray with a little bit of oil and place marinated tofu on top. Pop in the oven and bake for 25-30 mins, flipping the tofu pieces to the other side, halfway through the baking time.

Step 5

Change the oven to the grill / broiler function. Stick the tofu under the grill for about 3 minutes on each side. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn. What you want is for the tofu to dry out on the outside but to remain moist in the middle.

Step 6

Put aquafaba, lemon juice, salt, ground mustard and garlic powder into a tall container and blend together with an immersion blender.

Step 7

Once combined and slightly frothy, start adding oil VERY SLOWLY while blending at the same time. The oil should be literally trickled in (rather than poured in) so that the mayo starts to emulsify properly.

Step 8

Once your mayo gets all thick and creamy, stop adding oil. Season your mayo with pepper and extra salt if needed. Transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate it for a few hours so that it thickens further.

Step 9

Toast the bread - I like to toast mine on a lightly oiled griddle pan.

Step 10

Slice avocado and spread it on the toast. You may want to lightly sprinkle it with lime (or lemon) juice to prevent discolouration.

Step 11

Top with lettuce, tomato, bacon tofu, sprouts and a dollop of vegan mayo.