Today is a beautiful day. It is March 1st. Spring is coming. All things green and lovely are rolling around. Enchanting flower fields, blue skies, spring farmer's markets and friendly breezes feel on the horizon. And oh yes, I get to give away $500 cash (aka a VISA gift card) thanks to my fabulous friends at SUNSET®!

Oh, and on top of all that, I am sharing one of my most favorite recipes. Party-approved, anytime-approved..

Vegan BLT Roll-Ups with Easy Vegan Ranch Dip.

Get my recipe + watch my how-to video. All the giveaway details ahead too..

Giveaway has Ended. Please see the widget below for the winner -- please check your email if this is you!

Hello beauties.. (SUNSET® Flavor Bombs)

BLT Roll-Ups and a massive giveaway. Not a bad way to kick off March..

Tempeh bacon, oh how I love thee.. (I usually make mine in a skillet, but I baked it today - same recipe - and loved the extra-crisp results!)

Add the goodies.. For the "L" in "BLT" I created two versions: one using romaine (L)ettuce and one with SUNSET® mini (C)ucumbers.

Wrap, roll and slice..

And of course, dip.

Vegan Ranch Dip..

Vegan Ranch Dip + tomatoes = perfect!

Now call up your boy or girl friends, binge watch something, catch up on Oscar flicks (I still need to see Mad Max and Brooklyn!), and enjoy these roll-ups!..

GIVEAWAY details at end of this post.

Today's Recipe.. If you are into March Madness and the basketball frenzy that launches later this month, well this plate of BLT roll-ups is perfect...

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

BLT Platter. This platter is such a fantastic appetizer/party snack recipe because it provides satisfaction. Each tenderly wrapped tortilla roll-up contains my smoky tempeh bacon (or shiitake bacon!), sweet, juicy, gorgeous SUNSET® tomatoes, lettuce or SUNSET® cucumber and plenty of smashed avocado too.

Then I pair these flavorful wraps with my super easy Ranch Sauce.

How to make these wraps GLUTEN-FREE: Sub the wheat tortilla with a gluten-free rice tortilla or with rice paper rolls. Or my favorite option, use collard greens as the wrap! Tip: Use toothpicks if needed to secure greens.

How to make these wraps SOY-FREE: Make sure your tortilla wraps are soy free and instead of tempeh bacon, use shiitake bacon. Also use soy free vegan mayo.

These tomatoes! I am swooning over the tomatoes that SUNSET® sent me for this post. Seriously. I cannot get enough of the gorgeous colors and flavors of the diverse varieties they offer. My favorites are the Organic Campari tomatoes and the Organic Tomatoes on the Vine. I also adore the unique KUMATO tomatoes and bright yellow ZIMA tomatoes that kinda remind me of candy. And I would love to try their ECO Peppers which are sustainably grown in their pristine greenhouses, using recycled water. I think Leonardo Dicaprio would approve.

I also tried out the gorgeous FLAVOR BOMBS variety, which is what most of my photos are of in this post. Seriously one of the most beautiful and flavorful tomatoes I have ever tried. When you bite into one they literally explode with flavor in your mouth. Sweet with a fresh-picked-from-the-garden flavor. So in love with this flavor and the name!

I also tried out the mini cucumbers, which I used in place of "lettuce" in one of my roll-ups.

And with that, today's "BLT's" are really "ABCorLTs"

- Avocado
- "Bacon"
- Cucumber (or lettuce)
- Tomato

Vegan BLT Roll-Ups with Vegan Ranch

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 03/01/2016

These vegan BLT roll-ups are perfect for a delicious, portable lunch or appetizer - or even a light entree and they also serve a crowd quite easily! Make a big platter and let the vegan deliciousness begin. Avocado, vegan bacon, sweet tomatoes and something green, rolled up in a warmed tortilla.

Ingredients

Roll-Ups:
2 extra large tortillas, any variety
16-18 slices of tempeh bacon (or try shiitake bacon!)
1 small avocado
1 cup diced SUNSET® tomatoes
½ cup something green (romaine lettuce or SUNSET® mini cucumber)
Easy Ranch Dip:
½ cup vegan mayo
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sweet onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
1-2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
a few pinches cayenne or smoked paprika
garnish: additional SUNSET® tomatoes

Instructions

First, add all the vegan Ranch ingredients to a small bowl and stir briskly together. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill and allow the flavors to marinate together. (Do this at least a half hour before serving)
Make your tempeh or shiitake bacon. Instructions in the links. Set aside. (This usually takes about 7-10 minutes. I also like to make my tempeh a day ahead of time so it is ready to go!)
Warm the tortillas by using the oven, microwave or stovetop. See my video for how I get them nice and charred and perfectly warmed. (If using my gas stove top method, proceed with extreme caution. I literally only warm each side for a few seconds at a time. Never walk away from the stove and have your vent fan running in case some edges burn a bit.)
For each tortilla: Add avocado slices and smash on top of the tortilla. Add enough so that the entire tortilla is smothered in avocado. Next, add 7-9 strips of tempeh and about ½ cup of the diced tomatoes. Add a few torn leaves of lettuce - or the cucumber strips on top. You want an even distribution of filling. Tip: Leave one edge of the tortilla pretty blank -- this will be the end you roll towards. This prevents any filling overflow.
Carefully roll up the tortilla into a tight spiral. See my video for details.
Slice the roll and add to serving platter. Serve right away alongside the Ranch dip. Yes these roll-ups can be made up to a day in advance! Just be sure to cover them tightly with plastic wrap -- and I would add a spritz of lemon juice on top of the avocado to prevent any browning. Enjoy!

Yield: 12-14 rolls
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.
Tags: appetizer,vegan,party,roll up,avocado,tomato,tempeh bacon,entree,dinner,sandwich,protein

And now for the extra exciting part..

$500 VISA Gift Card Giveaway! Open to USA and CANADA shipping addresses. As you will see, the only must-do part of the entering process is signing up for SUNSET®'s email updates. They share some inspiring recipes and more via their newsletter. I cannot wait to award one of my blog readers this fantastic prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love this Vegan Ranch Dip - super easy and instead of using dried spices I uses whole foods. Instead of onion powder, I added some finely diced onion, etc. This made for a slightly chunky dip which I loved!

More tomato beauty..

FLAVOR BOMBS..

Tempeh for smoky-sweet tempeh bacon..

Yup, everyone loves amazing produce. Even Sochi cat. Fun Fact: Sochi is obsessed with veggies. Kale, arugula, beets and basically anything green he can nibble. MrWhite (my other kitty) .. not so much. 🙂

Love roll-ups? Also check out my Hummus Spirals!

disclosure: this is a sponsored post, and the prize was donated by SUNSET®, but all opinions are my own. Thank you to all my brand partners who make my blogging life a reality!