*Guest post by Jessica Piñeros (@yesikitaaa)*

As we continue to practice social distancing this week, some of you may be wondering what ingredients to stock up on when you make those dreaded grocery runs. Or perhaps what meals to make with what you already have, in order to avoid the stress and crowds all together. So as a plant-based Latina, the following meals/recipes were made with some staple foods that I always have on hand - including Loisa’s seasonings and 90-second grain options! All of the ingredients used are non-perishable or can remain fresh for weeks to come.

Given the circumstances, this is a perfect time to explore or rediscover your culinary skills. Cooking and experimenting with ingredients is a perfect inside activity to do with kids, keeping them busy and entertained. So without further ado, here's the first of our upcoming three recipe series that got me through last week:

~ Tofu "Bacon" BLT ~

Ingredients (3-4 Servings):

For Bacon:

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• ¾ cup avocado or grapeseed oil
• ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon Loisa Adobo
• 1 teaspoon Loisa Sazon
• ½ cup liquid aminos (can use, soy sauce, or tamari instead)
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• ½ teaspoon yellow mustard

For BLT:

• Lettuce
• Tomato, sliced
• Vegan mayo
• Sandwich bread of choice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Slice tofu into thin rectangles (as thin as you can for more crunch!). Combine the oil, nutritional yeast, adobo, sazon, liquid aminos, liquid smoke and mustard in a small bowl and whisk well. Dip each strip of tofu into the marinade and transfer to the baking sheet. Pour remaining marinade over strips of tofu.
3. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove baking sheets from the oven and gently flip each strip with a fork. Rotate baking sheets in the oven (top to bottom) and bake for another 20 - 30 minutes depending on how crispy you like your bacon. The thinner the slices the faster they cook.
4. Snack on some tofu bacon right away or make a delicious vegan BLT sandwich with these strips! Spread some vegan mayo on each slice, and stack the lettuce, tomato and as many bacon strips as you’d like. If you have any bacon leftover make sure to store in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheating or toasting at a later time changes the taste and texture. Chances are you will finish it all in one sitting anyway! Enjoy!