Cabbage, Onion, Bacon, and Avocado Salad (Paleo)

Bacon might as well be a museum artifact in my house. Why? My dad has a very strict “you can look, but not touch” policy towards the stuff.

Consequently, we have a lot of “untouchable” bacon buried in our freezer.

For some reason, he believes that if he gives us free reign with the bacon, it’ll all be gone by the end of the week. I’m actually not a big bacon person, but when denied, the desire for it tends to grow…

Which is why, when my dad leaves town for a few days, I sneak a pack down from the freezer to add to meals and whatnot. Shhhhhhhh! 

But hey- I don’t feel guilty because I know he makes some for himself when my brother and I are out of town.

Another family quirk to talk about in future family therapy…

Anyways, I had to dispose all of my contraband before my dad returned, and this was an effective and yummy way to use some up!

Cabbage, Onion, Bacon, and Avocado Salad (Paleo)

Ingredients:

3 strips of thick, organic bacon

1 onion, chopped

1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped

salt and pepper

1 avocado, diced 

Directions:

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and blot off the extra fat on the bacon. Set aside.

Without removing any of the liquid fat, add the onion to the skillet. Let cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.

While the onions are cooking, crumble your bacon into small pieces.

Once the onions have had their 10 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl, and set aside.

Add the cabbage to the bacon skillet (depending on the bacon you use, you may need to add extra fat at this point- I didn’t need to though) and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. Afterwards, take off the lid, add salt and pepper, and sauté for another 5 minutes, until the cabbage has shrunken down sightly. 

Add the onions and bacon back into the skillet and mix around for another 2 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Transfer contents to a serving platter and gently stir in the avocado chunks. Serve.

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Broccoli Salad with Avocado Dressing

I always feel weird sharing a salad recipe as it’s more of a suggestion list than an actual ingredient list. For me, salads are pretty much whatever you have on hand tossed together.

However, I am sharing this “recipe” as I really liked how the idea of using a broccoli base turned out. Just a bit different from the usual lettuce or spinach base. Plus, with Memorial Day outdoor BBQs coming up, you don’t have to worry about the broccoli becoming soggy and whatnot 🙂

Broccoli Salad with Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 of an avocado

3 tbsp plain yogurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

lemon zest

salt

______

2 heads raw broccoli, cut into very small florets

1/2 of a red onion, finely diced 

1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon

1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds

1/2 cup carrots, grated

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

In a food processor, blend together avocado, yogurt, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Place dressing in fridge to chill. Add remaining ingredients into a large bowl and toss. Before serving, mix in avocado dressing.

Coconut Flour Bacon and Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits

When I was little, I never looked forward to Thanksgiving. To me, it was just an early dinner with my family. And since I didn’t really enjoy eating (I just wanted to go play), Thanksgiving dinner was just boring. Except for the biscuits.

I ate those biscuits like it was my job. And would then get in trouble for eating too many

However, times have changed and I have come to love Thanksgiving (and obviously food!). While turkey and sweet potatoes have replaced biscuits as my favorite Thanksgiving food, I still have a soft spot for biscuits.

In case you haven’t noticed, more and more of the recipes on my blog are grain-free. After much research, I have eliminated grain from my daily diet. HOWEVER, this does not mean I will never have a slice of cake again (I’ll save it for special occasions). I’ve just decided to stop making recipes that use flour. Since I often cook for myself, my grain-intake has automatically dropped.

Anyway, this decision led to my urgency to create recipes that can be substituted in for recipes using grain. Which leads us to these biscuits.

True, the bacon and jalapeño are not part of a traditional Thanksgiving, but I think it adds a nice and complex taste to the meal!

Happy Turkey Day!

Coconut Flour Bacon and Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2 and 1/2 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled into small pieces

1 tbsp jalapeño pepper, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the egg and water. In another bowl, combine the shredded cheese, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, bacon, and pepper. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together. Let sit for 3 minutes for the dough to thick. With a spoon, scoop up the dough and drop it onto an oiled baking pan. Repeat process of each biscuit. Bake for 15 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before eating. 

Spinach and Artichoke Bars (Grain-Free)

It’s only the day after Valentine’s Day, so you’re still allowed to show some love, right? And, as mentioned before, a new found love of mine is the combo of spinach and artichokes.

Know what’s not love? When that love in the form of a dip spills in my car

Now that’s just a waste of dip. And a mess to clean 😦

So this got me thinking: spinach and artichoke dip + concentrated form = snack on the go and no mess = Spinach and Artichoke Bars

And I served these at a family game night with success, so they work as a nice appetizer too!

And now, to pass on the love…

Spinach and Artichoke Bars (Grain Free)

Ingredients: 

1 cup coconut flour (other flours CANNOT be substituted in)

1/2 cup organic bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp grounded flaxseed

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

pepper, to taste

3 cups finely chopped fresh spinach, (measure after chopping)*

2 (14 oz) jar/cans artichoke hearts (rinsed, drained, and chopped)

1 and 1/3 cup water

1 cup plain whole milk organic yogurt

2 eggs

* To do this, place spinach in a food processor and pulse a few times 

Directions: 

Combine and whisk together coconut flour, bacon, cheese, flaxseed, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, paprika, baking soda, salt and pepper.

Mix in spinach and artichokes until evenly distributed.

Stir in water, yogurt, and eggs.

Stir well to make sure all coconut flour is incorporated!!!

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

IMPORTANT: Let sit to harden!!!! You’ll take it out of the oven and think it’s nowhere near done. Trust me though, it will solidify- just let sit for 30 minutes!  In my opinion, it tastes better the longer it cools, so I always wait an hour before eating. Store leftovers in the fridge.