Combine the water, salt, maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, Tamari, paprika, garlic powder, liquid smoke and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Layer the eggplant slices into a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the top. Let the eggplant marinate for 15-30 minutes, being sure to rotate the eggplant slices at least once so that all of them are submerged in the marinade.
Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place a wire baking rack on top. Lay the marinated eggplant, reserving the marinade, in an even layer on the rack and bake for 12-14 minutes until the eggplant starts to caramelize, remove from the oven and let the eggplant cool on the rack.Once the eggplant has cooled and crisped, about 2 minutes, dip each eggplant bacon slice back into the marinade again and place back onto the baking rack. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper ( I like Maldon salt for this, but kosher salt works great too!) Bake an additional 2 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the rack before serving.
Build a breakfast bowl
in a large serving bowl combine the kale, olive oil and lemon juice. Massage with your hands until the kale begins to tenderize. Fold in the cooked quinoa until incorporated then top with avocado slices, strips of bacon, a fried egg and a sprinkle ofdukkah. Serve immediately.
