bacon

Maple-glazed Corn on the Cob

GRILLED CORN ON THE COB with BACON & MAPLE MUSTARD GLAZE

3-6 ears corn + 1 tsp salt
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbls dijon mustard
Pinch of allspice (clove or cinnamon can work in a pinch)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 slices of bacon or prosciutto

Preheat grill.

Clean the corn, boil in water with salt to just soften, about 5 -8 minutes.

Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, set on a paper towel-lined plate to catch grease. When cool, finely chop and place on a shallow dish..

While bacon is cooking, stir together the maple syrup, mustard and allspice.

Drain corn and set on preheated grill for 10 minutes, turning every 5 minutes until kernels are tender.

Baste the cobs with the maple glaze- let cook another 3 minutes. Remove from grill and roll in the bacon.

5 strips bacon
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red, yellow or orange pepper, diced
1 lb ground grass-fed beef
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbls chili powder
1 tbls ancho chili powder
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper (if needing extra heat)
1 cup beef broth
1 can black beans
1 can chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tbls Worcestershire sauce
Optional toppings: minced onion, shredded cheese and Greek yogurt

Set the Instapot to sauté (or just cook in a pot over the stove). Cook the bacon, until just before crispy. Remove the bacon, keep about a spoonful of grease. Add in the diced onions and peppers, sauté about 5 minutes to soften. Add in the ground beef to brown while breaking it up with a wooden spoon.

Add in the garlic and all the spices, simmer for a minute. Deglaze the pan with the broth. Add in the black and chili beans, the tomatoes and the Worcestershire sauce. Set the Instapot to slow cook for at least 1 hour; or if making on the stove, cover with a lid and simmer on the lowest setting.

Taste and adjust salt or seasonings as needed. Top with any toppings and enjoy!

Bacon-wrapped Pumpkin

Pumpkin is certainly the theme right now. Here’s the interesting thing about pumpkin- it’s really a vessel. Alone it doesn’t have a huge amount of flavor. Mixing in sweet, salty or creamy ingredients is really when pumpkin flavors come alive.

I wanted to have a little fun with my pumpkin and I wanted it to be savory rather than sweet. Bacon also added that great fat level which also cuts the slightly sweet acidity of the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup in the dressing.

Give it try and let me know what you think.
Happy Eating,
~Monique

Bacon-wrapped Pumpkin Salad

1 small pie pumpkin
4 slices bacon
Fresh arugula
Pomegranate seeds
3 tbls olive oil
1.5-2 tbls balsamic vinegar
1 tbls dijon mustard
1 tbls maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small shallot, minced
good pinch of salt and pepper
Flaky sea salt to top

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper

In a jar with a lid, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, lemon juice, shallot, salt and pepper. Shake well to combine.

Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds (try our roasted sesame or express seeds recipes). Slice a pumpkin half in half, and then in half again- so you have 4 quarters. (Save the other half of the pumpkin for another use.) I recommend removing the pumpkin skin; it’s comes off fairly easily with a vegetable peeler plus it give you the added bonus of not trying to avoid it when you’re digging into it.

Place the quarters in a bowl, add a few tablespoons of the dressing and toss well. Sprinkle each quarter with salt and pepper. Then wrap each quarter with a slice of bacon, set on the sheet pan, brush the bacon with the dressing. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft and bacon reaches desired doneness. Turn the bacon-wrapped pumpkins once during roasting.

Place a few handfuls of arugula on a platter, drizzle with the dressing (you may not need it all.) Arrange the pumpkin quarters on top. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and flaky sea salt.

Coconut Bacon

Ingredients
1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp maple syrup

2 Tbls tamari

1 tsp smoky paprika

Pinch of sea salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss all the ingredient, except the salt, in bowl; be sure to coat all the coconut. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 7 minutes, flip and bake until crispy, about another 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, they will crisp some as they cool. You may need to take some pieces out sooner than others, keep a close on on them.

Notes
These super fun coconut bacon pieces are so similar to little bacon bits- toss them on your salad, in a wrap or just pop them into your mouth!