Help me vegetarianize this recipe for hash greens

[Drama Llama]

Shrove Tuesday is fast approaching.  Our tradition is pancakes with fruit and whipped cream, scrambled eggs and something we call “hash greens”‘which are bacon fried and crumbled and then shredded brussel sprouts sautéed in the grease and mixed with the crumbled bacon.

But this time I need the recipe to be vegetarian.  Since the bacon adds a lot of flavor, I know I can’t just leave it out.  What should I sub?  I somehow think smoked paprika should be involved?  Any other ideas?

Note this is not the vegan so we can use animal products that are meat.  Maybe some Parmesan is called for?  
 

Oh and I need to make it on the stove top nothing in the oven.

[Katy]

I'd probably dice mushrooms and saute them in garlic and a bit of white wine or balsamic vinegar and salt.  Butter for a vegetarian, avocado oil for a vegan.  I've made that when I was sticking to vegetarian and it was delicious.

Another thing you could try is one of the carrot recipes for replacing hot dogs, you marinate them in something salty then cook them.  You could make that, dice it afterwards & use it as a bacon substitute.  But that's just a guess because I've never made them.

[regentrude]

I sautee shredded Brussel sprouts and add pecans glazed in maple syrup with salt. Yumm.

 

 

 

[WildflowerMom]

I cook this in place of bacon.   Maybe that can give you some ideas?    https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/quick-easy-mushroom-bacon/

[Corraleno]

You could just use vegan bacon if you want the flavor to be as similar as possible to the bacon version. The Lightlife brand is available in most mainstream grocery stores; they make a plain vegan bacon (seitan + soy) and a tempeh bacon. There's a brand called Hooray that supposedly makes a very realistic smoky vegan bacon, but I think it's only available in certain Whole Foods stores. If you don't want to use vegan bacon, I'd probably fry up some mushrooms until they're really dark and crispy with a dash of Liquid Smoke (the hickory flavor one) and a little maple syrup.

[HomeAgain]

I like the mushrooms with balsamic, but you might try adding a bit of smoked mozzarella or gouda toward the end. The umami of the cheese would help to substitute the bacon's.

[Bambam]

Would something like this work? 
https://www.amazon.com/Deliciou-Seasoning-Original-Certified-Delicious/dp/B08NHCVCH5

[Drama Llama]

11 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I sautee shredded Brussel sprouts and add pecans glazed in maple syrup with salt. Yumm.

 

 

 

What do you sauté them in?

I can’t do nuts, and might be the only person on the planet who doesn’t like maple syrup but maybe I could do honey roasted pepitas for a riff off this idea.  

[MEmama]

Morning Star makes a really good faux bacon. I usually add it to my shredded, sautéed Brussels sprouts, along with a touch of lemon juice and a good Parmesan (or similar) cheese. Sliced almonds too, if I have them.

Morning Star products can be found in the frozen aisle of nearly any grocery store.

[Katy]

I think I might buy a costco sized bag of sprouts and make this 5 different ways and see which is best.

[regentrude]

20 minutes ago, BandH said:

What do you sauté them in?

Butter (or if the vegans are eating, vegan butter)

[Faith-manor]

Smoked paprika can add a barbecue flavor. I like it, but it can be strong. So be careful. Or another way to go would be a tiny drip of liquid smoke in honey and use some vegan butter so that the glaze is the right consistency or some warm coconut oil.

[ktgrok]

40 minutes ago, Katy said:

I'd probably dice mushrooms and saute them in garlic and a bit of white wine or balsamic vinegar and salt.  Butter for a vegetarian, avocado oil for a vegan.  I've made that when I was sticking to vegetarian and it was delicious.

Another thing you could try is one of the carrot recipes for replacing hot dogs, you marinate them in something salty then cook them.  You could make that, dice it afterwards & use it as a bacon substitute.  But that's just a guess because I've never made them.

My first thought was mushrooms as well, for the umami flavor. Maybe some caramelized onion as well. 

[Grace Hopper]

6 hours ago, ktgrok said:

My first thought was mushrooms as well, for the umami flavor. Maybe some caramelized onion as well. 

I just oven roasted some tomatoes and zucchini for a quinoa bowl, so agree that carmelizing the veggies and getting a teeny bit of blackening adds a lot of flavor. You could use parm cheese but feta or goat cheese has a more flavor (ime, unless you add a ton of park). 

Edited February 20, 2023 by Grace Hopper

[ktgrok]

22 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

I just oven roasted some tomatoes and zucchini for a quinoa bowl, so agree that carmelizing the veggies and getting a teeny bit of blackening adds a lot of flavor. You could use park cheese but feta or goat cheese has a more flavor (ime, unless you add a ton of park). 

I had oven roasted tomatoes and zucchini last night!

[Rosie_0801]

I usually roast Brussel sprouts whole and drizzle them with balsamic vinegar, but if I was shredding them, I'd do them in butter with caraway seeds.

[Tap]

I pan sear brussels in oil with some slivers of mild onion, add smoked salt and a veg seasoning blend like Urban Accents Balsamic Vinegar or use a more neutral blend and then drizzle balsamic vinegar over them at the end.  I use my cast iron skillet to get a good sear and some great flavor. 

[ktgrok]

Can you do some fried or poached eggs, not just scrambled? Cause a fried or poached egg on top of the caramalized sprouts is YUMMY.