Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (AIP, Paleo)

This simple salad combines some of my favorite flavors to make a delicious and light salad to go with any meal or make it a full meal by topping with your protein of choice.

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon
• ½ a bunch of large leaf kale (about 5-6 leaves), chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• ½ cup grapes, halved
• ¼ cup bacon fat (reserved from cooked bacon)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. In a medium frying pan, cook bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on a paper towel lined plate. Pour drippings into a medium glass bowl.
2. Add kale, grapes, carrots, and avocado to a large bowl to combine or distribute between plates for fancy plating.
3. Add  the vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and garlic powder to bacon fat and whisk together
4. Drizzle dressing over salad portions and enjoy! To make it a meal, top the salad off with some grilled chicken, salmon, steak, or your choice of protein.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brussel Sprouts (AIP, Paleo)

Sometimes it's fun to try your favorite foods in different ways. Usually I just bake my acorn squash in halves and stuff it with meat or other veggies. However, this time I decided to ditch the shell, chopped up the squash it in to bite size pieces and mix in some brussel sprouts. I coated them all with bacon fat, because, I mean it's bacon fat, but you can use your favorite fat of choice. This is a delicious side to go with your favorite protein and a fun new way to try this versatile squash.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, peeled and diced
• 1 lb fresh or frozen brussel sprouts, halved or quartered if really big
• 2 tablespoons warmed bacon fat (or your fat of choice)
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Add prepped acorn squash and brussel sprouts to a cooking sheet.
3. Drizzle veggies with bacon fat and top with spices. Toss until completely covered.
4. Place in preheated oven for 30 mins, stir once, half way through.
5. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Bacon Fat Roasted Cabbage (AIP, Paleo)

This recipe was just too good not to share with you asap. It is now my favorite way to eat cabbage.
On a completely different note, I've made a few changes to the blog, hope you like it.

Bacon Fat Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients 

1 head of cabbage 

2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat, melt
A pinch of sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F.

2. Cut cabbage in quarters, then cut 1/4 thick slices. Try and make the slices as similar as possible so that some won't cook faster than others.

3. Place cabbage slices on a Silpat or parchment paper lined cooking sheets (you will probably need two).

4. Brush cabbage slices with melted bacon fat. If you don't keep a mason jar of bacon fat in your house like I do, you can chopped up 2-3 slices of uncooked bacon and sprinkle them over the cabbage. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.

5. Cook cabbage in oven for about 45 mins or until the edges begin to brown.

6. Enjoy!

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable