To make the mushroom bacon:

1. Briefly wash 16 oz. of mushrooms to remove dirt and chop off and discard stems. Pat dry with paper towels and slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Place in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, 2 tbsp oil, 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke, 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp coconut sugar, 3/4 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Pour the mixture over the mushrooms and use your hands to gently toss the mushrooms to coat with the marinade. Let mushrooms marinate for 40-45 minutes, tossing 3-4 times with your hands or a large spoon.
3. Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, add your sliced mushrooms to the pan and cook down for 5-6 minutes. Don't throw out the marinade! Then turn the heat up to medium high and cook, stirring frequently for another 5-6 minutes. Continue to add the marinade that's left in the bowl until all of the liquid is completely absorbed. The mushrooms should be browned by the time all of the liquid is used up.
4. You can enjoy the mushrooms as they are, or if you would like for them to be a little crispier, add oil to a deep pot over medium heat, enough to cover the bottom to a height of 1.5-2 inches. You'll know the oil is ready when you add a few drops of water to the oil and it sizzles.
5. Once the oil is hot enough, add the mushrooms in 2-3 batches to the pot. Stir well when you add them so they don't stick together. Let them cook for 3 minutes, stirring once while cooking. Remove with a slotted spoon and lay on a few layers of paper towels on a cutting board. Pat dry to remove excess oil. The mushrooms will crisp up a bit more as they sit. You can also lay them on a drying rack to help facilitate this until you are ready to use them.

To make the vegan ranch dressing:

1. Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk together. That's it!

To make the Cobb salad:

1. Wash and pat 1 head of romaine dry. Slice or tear into bite-sized pieces.
2. Cook 2 ears of corn corn by boiling for about 3 minutes. Let cool and slice kernels from cob.
3. Prep the rest of the salad ingredients: chop 1 cup of cherry tomatoes into halves, slice up 1 avocado, and drain and briefly rinse off the contents of 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas.
4. Combine romaine, corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas and mushroom bacon. Toss to combine, and then dress with ranch.