TVP Bacon Bits (vegan and gluten-free)

You must have a dehydrator for this recipe.
This makes enough to completely fill a quart jar.
For strip-like faux bacon, try the Shiitake Mushroom Bacon.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Standard Pack (10 oz) of TVP
¼ Cup of Soy Sauce We use gluten-free soy sauce by Kikkoman, which can be found at Wal-Mart, Wedgie-Man's (Wegmans), and undoubtedly in many other stores.
4 tsp. Liquid Smoke
2 TBSP Sesame Oil
3 TBSP Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
½ tsp. Paprika

1 - Put all ingredients, except the TVP, in a sauce pan, stir them together (I use a fork), and bring the liquid to a simmer. This takes very little time, as there is very little liquid.
2 - Turn the burner off.
3 - Add the TVP and mix it thoroughly with the hot liquid. Mix until the color of the TVP bits are pretty uniform.
4 - Spread the TVP out on the trays of the dehydrator.
5 - Dry those soggy nuggets until they are crispy (it usually takes about 2 hours).
6 - Allow them to cool, pack them into a jar (we use a quart-size mason jar), then put the jar in the fridge. It is convenient to use the plastic lids made by Ball (the ones for storage only — not for processing). We put one of those on the jar, put a little electrical tape on that (any color other than black*), then use a Sharpie to mark the date they were made on the tape. That way, in a year or two, when you discover the jar in the back of the fridge, you'll know just how old the bits are.

* Yes I know black is not a color, but is actually the absence of color. But, in my defense, very little of what we perceive as black is truly black (that is, truly devoid of any color). The black tape is likely not perfectly without color. In any case, black ink, or pretty much any other color of ink, on black tape does not show up very well, so use a tape of a different color.