bacon bakin'

Bacon bakin', as in making bacon and baking with it.

We are getting into baby mode over here and to prepare, one of the things we are trying to do is eat healthier by eliminating bad chemicals from our diet. This seems easy, but what are bad chemicals? which ones are they? what do they do to you? etc.

To start, we thought we would cut out bad plastics (no disposable water bottles, no microwaving in plastic containers, etc.), artificial dye chemicals like yellow 40, and "nitrates" from processed meats...until we found a small bag of bacon in the freezer, which I decided we should cook and eat it now (before I get pregnant), as opposed to after I get pregnant. I have no idea if nitrates from cured bacon would have any affect on my pregnancy, but oh, well.

Since this could be the last bacon I have for a while, I wanted to make it count and try out some bacon recipes I've had my eye on.

First, chocolate covered bacon:

3 years ago I fell in LOVE with the $8 bacon chocolate bar from Vosges chocolates. Adam had the idea to make our own, here is the first prototype:

Does NOT photograph well....but it tastes really good. We dipped these in two layers of chocolate (mild and dark mixed). I think a third or fourth layer would have been great, too.

Second, bacon in two otherwise vegan soups:

French Lentil Rice soup (known around here as "ration" soup. I pack it in jars for lunches and when we pass them out in the morning to take to work, it really does feel like you are getting your daily ration!)

and Potato Leek soup never tasted so good! (I cooked the leeks in the bacon fat and then used pieces of bacon as a topping. Also perfect for taking to work.)

Third, bacon shortbread!

I saw this recipe online and really want to try it, but haven't yet. I saved the bacon fat, so I'll keep you posted.