Fried Zucchini BLT with Smoky Remoulade + Avocado

Fried zucchini is one of my summertime favorites and adding it to a BLT is a great way to switch up a classic. This BLT is made with coconut bacon and topped with a smoky remoulade sauce. The end result is a crunchy sandwich full of flavor and fresh summer vegetables. Of course, this would be good with any type of bacon and any mayo-based sauce but the smoky remoulade does nicely complement all of the flavors in the sandwich.

A Vegetarian & Cooking original. 

Ingredients:
BLT
-Bread of choice (we used Brooklyn Bred Bistro Buns)
-Lettuce
-1 tomato, sliced
-1 avocado, thinly sliced

Fried Zucchini
-1/2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise
-2 eggs
-1 cup flour
-1 cup plain breadcrumbs

Coconut Bacon

-1 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes

-1 tablespoon liquid smoke

-1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

-1 tablespoon maple syrup

-1 teaspoon paprika

-1 teaspoon chili powder

-Pinch of salt

Smoky Remoulade

-3/4 cup light mayonnaise
-1 small onion, minced
-1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
-1 tablespoon pickle juice
-1 tablespoon mustard
-1 teaspoon liquid smoke
-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
-1/8 teaspoon cayenne
-Pinch of salt

Coconut Bacon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the liquid smoke, soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika, chili powder and salt in a bowl. Add the coconut flakes and stir until the coconut flakes are coated in the sauce. Spread the coconut flakes out onto a single layer on the parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring the flakes every five minutes at first, and every couple minutes towards the end, to make sure they are evenly cooked and to prevent burning.

Remoulade

To make the remoulade combine all of the ingredients and stir until well mixed.

Fried Zucchini

Whisk eggs in a bowl, and set between two dishes, one containing flour, the other containing bread crumbs and a dash of salt. Pat the zucchini slices dry with a paper towel, then coat thinly and evenly with first flour, then egg, and then bread crumbs. Fry the zucchini slices in a tablespoon or two of oil over medium heat, for a few minutes per side (until the bread crumbs are golden brown), then lay them out on a wire rack until ready to assemble the sandwich and serve.

BLT

To build your BLT stack the mixed greens, tomato slices, two tablespoons of coconut bacon, and several slices of fried zucchini onto one half of your sandwich bread. Add the smoky remoulade and avocado slices to the other half of the sandwich.