Shiitake Bacon, Lettuce & Roasted Tomato Quinoa Salad

I could probably shorten the title of this post to "BLT Quinoa Salad". I mean, let's call a spade a spade, right? This salad puts a (slightly) fancy, vegan twist on a classic BLT by doing this...

1| swapping out bacon for crispy, salty, smoky shiitake "bacon"

2| benching iceberg and sending fresh butter lettuce onto the field plate

3| casting aside bland, sliced tomatoes and making room for roasted roma tomato wedges

4| bidding mayo farewell and welcoming fresh, flavorful sunflower seed + basil dressing

5| trading sliced bread for quinoa because why not?

I could keep up the persuasive front, but I think I'd rather let this salad speak for itself...

To make this layered salad, you'll start by making the shiitake bacon recipe from this pasta dish. Then, you'll cut roma tomatoes into wedges, drizzle them with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt + pepper, and roast them in the oven alongside the shiitakes until they're tender.

While the mushrooms and tomatoes are roasting, you'll make a quick and simple batch of quinoa and prepare the butter lettuce. The last element is a creamy sunflower seed + basil dressing that balances the acidity of the tomatoes and brings more life to an already lively salad. Watch out, things are bound to get real. In my world, real = furious fork-to-plate-to-mouth movements that elicit the potential for quinoa to land in places it typically isn't welcome (e.g., my hair).

You can either enjoy this dish right after making it or refrigerate each component separately and toss them together each morning to enjoy for lunch throughout the week. If you opt for the later and enjoy this while at work, just be sure to check yourself for misplaced quinoa after eating. I left work one day and found a single piece that had taken shelter within my hair. Let's just say I'm quickly phasing out the "long hair, don't care" motto for a more suitable one: Quinoa in the hair, don't care.

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Shiitake Bacon, Lettuce & Roasted Tomato Quinoa Salad

I could probably shorten this to "BLT Quinoa Salad". I mean, let's call a spade a spade, right? This salad puts a (slightly) fancy, vegan twist on a classic BLT by 1| swapping out bacon for crispy, salty, smoky shiitake "bacon", 2| benching iceberg and sending fresh butter lettuce onto the field plate ,3| casting aside bland, sliced tomatoes and making room for roasted roma tomato wedges, 4| bidding mayo farewell and welcoming fresh, flavorful sunflower seed + basil dressing, and 5| trading sliced bread for quinoa.

Course Main, Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the Shiitake Bacon

• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed and thinly sliced (about ⅛-1/4-inch thick)
• 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• black pepper, to taste

For the Roasted Plum Tomatoes

• 4 roma tomatoes, cut into sixths (wedges)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• black pepper, to taste

For the Quinoa

• 1 ¾ cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed
• ⅛-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• black pepper, to taste

For Sunflower-Basil Dressing

• ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup packed basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To Assemble

• 1 head butter lettuce, washed and roughly torn

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F.

To Make Shiitake Bacon

• Line a pan with parchment paper.
• Add the shiitakes, olive oil, salt, and paper. Toss to coat, and bake for 25-35 minutes (varies depending on how thinly you slice the shiitakes), flipping every 10 minutes until you have a crispy-chewy bacon. Let cool.

To Make the Roasted Plum Tomatoes

• Line a pan with parchment paper.
• Add the tomato wedges, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat, and roast for 30-35 minutes (along with the shiitake bacon). Let cool.

To Make the Quinoa

• Bring the water to a boil in a heavy, 2-quart saucepan. Add 1 cup quinoa, return to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all the water.
• Remove from the heat, fluff, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Season with sea salt and black pepper.

To Make the Sunflower-Basil Dressing

• Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender, and blend on high for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and creamy. If you don't have a high-powered blender, I recommend soaking the sunflower seeds in hot water for 30 minutes beforehand.

To Assemble

• Create a bed of lettuce on a plate, top with quinoa, roasted tomatoes, and shiitake bacon. Drizzle with sunflower-basil dressing, and serve immediately.
• Refrigerate leftovers.