Bacon is good!
I’m sure you never thought you’d hear a nutritionist say that!?
Now you know I’m all about quality. When I say bacon, I don’t mean the generic kind you buy at just any grocery store that is loaded with nitrates and sodium.
I’m talking bacon that is free of all chemicals, preservatives, pesticides and herbicides. That kinda bacon. Go get your hands on that kinda bacon and get to cooking up this delicious recipe!
You will love the blend of salty and sweet in this delicious mix! Fall provides us with such an array of amazing, nutrient rich vegetables and not to mention, a variety of incredibly tasty apples. This recipe helps you utilize all that goodness into one pot!
I served this up with some roasted chicken thighs for a delicious and nutritious dinner.
Now…a quick note on bacon, and fat! You see, our bodies NEED fat. I don’t advise eating bacon everyday, as it is a saturated fat but still a GOOD fat as saturated is NOT the enemy! Fat and ‘high’ cholesterol foods, such as eggs, are needed for hormone development, cell membranes and most importantly, your brain!
In the paleolithic era, dating back tens of thousands of years ago (caveman styles), their diets were comprised of 75% fat (from fatty fish, meats, wild vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds), whereas today, our fat intake is a mere 20%! Thats a huge difference.
Fatty fish and fish oil, coconut oil, hemp seeds or hemp oil, nuts, seeds, grass fed meats and grass fed butter; these are all superior choices of fat! I highly encourage you to include them in your diet.
Now…let’s eat some bacon! (although the picture may not do this recipe justice, I swear it’s delicious!)
- 3 slices organic nitrate-free bacon
- 3-4 cups Brussel sprouts, cut into 4
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced and skin left on
- 1 apple, diced (I used a fuji apple)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large cast iron pan, cook bacon slices over medium-high heat. Once bacon is cooked, set aside. Reserve grease.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, sauté sweet potato for 5 minutes in bacon grease. Transfer sweet potato to a large baking dish, add in chopped brussel sprouts, sprinkle with dried herbs, chili flakes, sea salt and pepper and roast for 25-35 minutes, until sprouts are slightly golden.
- About 10-15 minutes into roasting, add in chopped apple. Make sure not to overcook. In the last minute, dice bacon and stir into pan. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- *Alternatively, if your cast iron pan is large enough, you can add your brussel sprouts to the pan and roasted them with the sweet potato in the oven.
- Serve immediately on it’s own or along the side of a main dish.
*recipe inspired by multiplydelicious.com
