Paleo Bacon Coleslaw

I had SO much fun cooking tonight's dinner. If you can... make an evening out of it! Sip some wine and enjoy the process! ... Gourmet & Paleo!!! Enjoy! :-)

Recipe:

1 head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

OR you can cheat and buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage w/ carrots! :-)

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

6 strips bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T honey

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch sea salt & pepper

Combine cabbage, onion and carrot in a large bowl and set aside. Cook bacon pieces over medium heat until throughly browned and crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer bacon to a dish lined with paper towels... to drain. Set aside. Reserve bacon grease for later. Combine mustard, honey, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add about 2 tablespoons bacon grease and all but 2 tablespoons bacon. Mix well and pour over cole slaw. Sprinkle remaining 2 T bacon over slaw and serve!

I used whatever remaining bacon grease for the sweet potatoes side! Use 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, add to a baking dish. Saute 4 cloves minced garlic in the bacon fat. Do not let the garlic burn! Add about 2 T fresh rosemary (chopped finely) and continue to saute slightly and quickly. Pour mixture over chopped sweet potatoes. Toss well and bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees!

I served both these delicious sides with an old recipe favorite: "Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops with Rosemary"! Everything complimented each other nicely! Yum.

Steamed Brussels with Bacon and Shallots

You don't hear this often, but the BEST part of tonight's dinner was the BRUSSELS SPROUTS!

No joke! These were delicious. I highly recommend! This will make even the doubterest of doubters a believer in the magic of brussels sprouts. I could have macked on these all night! THANK YOU ANNIE for this delicious recipe. (You don't always go to the gym just to get a great workout, sometimes you get a great recipe, too)! Brussels sprouts are in season right now and will make an excellent side dish to any recipe! Enjoy! ... The kids will like 'em too, 'cause we all know: "bacon makes everything better".

Recipe:

about 15-20 brussels sprouts, cut in half

2 shallots, sliced

3 slices bacon, chopped

1/4 C chicken broth (or water)

sea salt and pepper to taste

Saute chopped bacon in a skillet. When bacon starts to crisp, remove bacon pieces, reserving bacon fat. On medium heat, saute the shallots in the bacon fat until they start to caramelize. Add the sliced brussels with the shallots. Cook together for a couple minutes. Add the bacon pieces back to the skillet along with the chicken broth. Toss all ingredients together well and cover with a lid for about 5-7 minutes (until brussels are tender).

A tasty side for just about any dish! :-)

Apple and Onion-Stuffed Pork Chops

As a kid, I really didn't like pork chops much... I always remember them being dry and chewy! As an adult, I have come to really enjoy them! And as a Paleo enthusiast... I love their versatility in a recipe! Tonight's dinner was one I found on the Food Network (and made only minor changes). We completely enjoyed this (even the kiddos)... So, I give this a "highly recommend" rating.

Now, if we could only figure out who gets the (1) leftover chop for lunch tomorrow?!?

... Ro Sham Bo?

Recipe:

4 boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick

2 slices bacon, roughly chopped

1 large sweet onion

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly diced

olive oil

2 T pineapple juice & 6 oz pineapple juice

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. ground sage

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

ground black pepper

pinch sea salt

1 T fresh parsley

1 T fresh lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gently cut a pocket horizontally in the side of the pork chop. Season the outside of the chops with some freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the bacon. When it starts to crisp, add the onions, thyme and sage. Cook until onions start to caramelize (about 10 minutes). Pour mixture in a bowl. Add apples and 2 T pineapple juice to the bowl and mix well. Stuff each pork chop with the mixture and secure the opening with toothpicks (there will be leftover filling). In the same skillet, add olive oil to coat pan and heat to medium-high heat. Sear the pork chops on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a baking dish, and bake for 20-25 minutes. While pork chops are cooking, add pineapple juice to skillet and deglaze pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until it reduces (about 5 minutes). Add leftover apple, onion and bacon mixture to skillet. Add lemon zest and fresh parsley. Pour sauce over the pork chops and serve! YUM! :-)

Salmon with Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Spears & Sauteed Spinach

I thought this was a hearty and decadent meal. It seemed the right thing to do for a Holiday! If you enjoy bacon (and I haven't met anyone who doesn't) then I promise you will love this!

The bacon-wrapped asparagus spears make a great appetizer, too! (I know what I'm bringing to my next Paleo party!)

Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients

1 large Salmon filet (wild-caught)

1 T spicy stone ground mustard

1 T capers

1 package bacon, uncured (reserve two slices for the spinach)

1 bunch asparagus (on the thicker side)

1 T olive oil

1 bunch fresh baby spinach (or 9oz pre-washed bag)

2 cloves garlic, minced

(2 sliced cooked bacon)... chopped

ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush mustard on fish and top with capers and black pepper. Bake salmon for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn on Broiler. Cut bacon slices in half and wrap around a piece of asparagus. Place on a broiler pan. Broil for about 10 minutes, or until bacon browns. When bacon is browned, turn asparagus over and broil for another 10 minutes (or so) to brown the bottom side. Set aside. Put salmon back under the broiler for just about 5 minutes to brown the mustard topping. Serve with bacon-wrapped asparagus spears and sauteed spinach.

Spinach~

I cooked up a couple extra pieces of bacon to add to the spinach! Heat olive oil in a pan and saute garlic. Add spinach and toss until it cooks down. Toss in the bacon pieces!

Absolutely yummy!

Flank Steak with Bacon Balsamic Sauce & Sauteed Kale

This was a totally Google inspired meal. I had very limited ingredients in my refrigerator as I'm in dyer need for a trip to the grocery store. I pretty much google searched available ingredients and chose my recipe accordingly! I found this great bacon balsamic glaze on the Food Network (Robin Miller) and the sauteed kale recipe from Bobby Flay (also Food Network). It was delicious! With very minimal ingredients I had a spectacular feast! Yum... hope you enjoy.

Flank Steak Recipe:

2 lbs. flank steak

fresh ground pepper

sea salt

4 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 C balsamic vinegar

1/2 C beef broth

2 T parsley flakes

1 tsp. arrowroot powder

Preheat grill pan or grill. Season flank steak with pepper and sea salt. Grill steak for about 5 minutes on each side. While steak is cooking, add bacon to skillet over medium heat and cook until crisp. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid reduces. Mix arrowroot powder with beef broth and add to skillet. Add parsley flakes. Slowly bring to a boil and then reduce heat for about 2-4 minute, until sauce thickens. Pour over sliced flank steak and enjoy!

Sauteed Kale:

About 1 lb kale, coarsely chopped

1 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

2 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 c beef broth

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute garlic and shallots until soft (careful not to burn). Add broth and kale and toss really well. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid evaporates. Add balsamic vinegar. Toss well and serve!