If, for any reason, absolutely any reason of all, you are not an eater of conventional bacon, then you may want to try this. Something new and different and delicious.

1 eggplant
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. soy sauce (or tamari)
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. liquid smoke
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper

Preheat oven to 250F. Remove the cap from the eggplant, slice the eggplant into quarters (the long way), and then cut long thin sections. If the eggplant is large enough, you can cut each long section in half. You want to end up with sections approximately 1 inch by 4 inches, but this is just a rough approximation. They don’t really have to be exactly any particular size.

Mix remaining ingredients into a marinade. Place eggplant slices on a baking tray and brush them well (both sides) with the marinade. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Thank you to Vic Mensa at @maxlamanna for this and many other cool recipes.