I was never a really big fan of bacon when I was a carnivore; I am talking about the real OG, pork, the other-white-meat bacon. It has a nice flavor, but the fat content was always off-putting to me. Turkey Bacon was ok, but not really necessary for my tastes either . I really want to talk about my love of the best summertime sandwich ever - the BLT. Before I discovered my passion for faux bacon I would just eat lettuce and tomato sandwiches with the occasional piece of cheese to go with it. I would always get a funny look from the waitress when I would say, "I would like the BLT with no bacon." "No bacon", she would say with a furrowed brow? YES! NO BACON. You heard me correctly I want an LT on wheat bread, toasted. I really just like fresh sliced tomatoes...especially from my parents' organic garden. Mmm nothing better.
I should back up and tell you about my trials with tomatoes. Tomatoes are a delicate fruit. I learned recently, that refrigerators are too cold for tomatoes. Once they are kept cold like that the texture changes and they really are never the same or as good as fresh out of the garden. Unfortunately, if you are buying tomatoes from the grocery store, they've been refrigerated. Among other issues, the store bought tomatoes are usually picked too early, and don't have any flavor. I've tested them all: Roma, Heirloom, hot-house, organic, On-the-Vine. ICK. None of them are as good as fresh tomatoes from the garden. I have a few tomato plants in my backyard and I am anxiously awaiting their ripening so I can eat them! While waiting though, I asked my parents to smuggle (shhh please don't tell!) me some fresh tomatoes from Utah last weekend when they came to visit. It was a successful smuggling, and all is well. They taste - they actually have flavor, deep red and delicious. Wow, I might actually be in love with these tomatoes!
Back to the BLT: So vegetarian bacon is WAY better than pork or turkey bacon to my palette. I first came across the MorningStar Farms bacon strips. These strips have a really similar flavor to bacon, and the texture is right on if you like your bacon crispy to snapping point. The look - well it looks like cartoon bacon or pet treats, but try to ignore that and focus on the flavor. MorningStar Farms strips are made of egg whites, soybean oil, and other things of that nature. Its about 60 Calories for 2 strips and only 4.5 g. fat. Keep in mind that with most fake meats, they are just to help with the craving. They are usually filled with strange things that one can't pronounce without a Ph.D. but whatever...it is the similarity to the real thing that counts without harming any animals along the way.
My number one choice for faux bacons are the Smoky Fakin' Bacon Tempeh Strips by Lightlife. I sought these ones out for a few weeks before I realized that I just wasn't looking in the right place at the store for them. They are so delicious and even the texture is almost right on to real bacon. These tempeh strips are a little thicker than the MorningStar Farms brand and still can be crispy but slightly floppy still - which is how I prefer bacon to be; I don't want it to be like a chip. Tempeh is made from soybeans and brown rice. The texture of most tempeh products is quite pleasing and the flavor is so abundant. These strips are about 100 Calories for 3 and only 3 g. fat. The other ingredients is easy to read and you don't need a Ph.D to understand what you'll be ingesting. 
Both products are good, and both hit the spot if all you want is a bacon substitute or something like that with less fat and calories as the real thing. If you are a vegetarian or just trying to watch what you eat, give these a try. Happy BLT-ing!
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