bacon Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Instant Pot Bacon and Sweet Potato Chili

September 21, 2018 By Becky 8 Comments

Instant Pot Bacon & Sweet Potato Chili (Paleo, Whole30)

This paleo & Whole30-compliant Instant Pot bacon and sweet potato chili is an old favorite made twice as fast in the pressure cooker. Make a big batch and freeze some for later!

I’m kind of a chili purist. I don’t like beans in my chili and I don’t want any tomatoes in there, either. I also don’t like it to be too soupy. Over the years I’ve tried many chili recipes, but my bacon and sweet potato chili is the only one I come back to again and again. Many of my friend have made it, too, and it’s always a hit. It freezes really well, so it’s a perfect make-ahead meal. I’m definitely planning to stock my freezer with some to have on hand once our baby arrives!

Whole30 Breakfast Nachos

January 30, 2017 By Becky 36 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

These Whole30 breakfast nachos are ideal for game day or anytime you’re craving a decadent plate of nachos but still want to stick to paleo ingredients. They take just half an hour to make!

Where have breakfast nachos been all my life? They’re a million times better than any nachos I’ve ever had before, despite being free of gluten, grains, and dairy. They’re super fast to make and just as welcome in the evening as at breakfast time. What’s not to love?

For these Whole30 breakfast nachos, we’re using thinly sliced potatoes cooked to a crisp in bacon grease instead of tortilla chips. This is one of those healthier substitutions that just so happens to taste way better than the original. The potatoes get really nice and crunchy around the edges, but still retain a little toothsome chew near the middle. I’d happily eat a sheet pan full of them with no adornment whatsoever.

I can’t say no to any of these toppings, though. We’ve got crispy bacon, eggs cooked to your liking (bring on the runny yolks for me!), rich avocado, thinly sliced scallions, crispy bits of radish, fresh cilantro, tart lime, and some salsa on the side. And once you break that yolk and let it mix a bit with the potatoes and toppings, I swear to you it will taste like these nachos have cheese in them! You just have to try it to believe it.

Persimmon Bacon Bites with Rosemary Goat Cheese

December 16, 2016 By Becky 32 Comments

These persimmon bacon bites with rosemary goat cheese are the perfect festive appetizer and only require four ingredients! This post is sponsored by Cavit in partnership with Honest Cooking.

If you’re looking for a craveworthy appetizer to keep your family happy while you finish cooking Christmas dinner or to pass around at a New Year’s Eve party, I have totally got you covered. These persimmon bacon bites are the best app I’ve eaten in recent memory, and are super cute to boot. They pair perfectly with a chilled glass of Cavit’s crisp Pinot Grigio, and the combination is pretty much guaranteed to put even the grinchiest of grinches in the holiday spirit. When you’re snacking on fruit with bacon and herbed goat cheese and sipping on tasty Italian wine, there’s just no way not to feel festive.

I just discovered persimmons this year and they’ve quickly become my new favorite fruit. They taste kind of like a delicious mashup between a mango and a papaya, and I find them incredibly addictive. I used fuyu persimmons here and haven’t had a chance to try other varieties yet, so I recommend finding fuyus for this recipe. They’re the ones that are kind of squat like little pumpkins and are not pointed at the bottom.

When I’m eating a persimmon plain, I like to let it get nice and soft so the insides are custardy and smooth. However, when you’re making persimmon bacon bites, you want to choose persimmons that are still a bit firm so the slices will hold together well. Once roasted, they’ll have that smooth texture of a perfectly ripe raw persimmon with an even deeper sweet flavor. The hint of rosemary in the goat cheese makes these bites taste fresh and seasonal, and the bacon ties everything together both literally and figuratively.

Butternut Squash and Potato Soup

October 25, 2016 By Becky 13 Comments

This comforting butternut squash and potato soup is ideal for a cool fall evening. The scallions, pomegranate, and bacon on top make it colorful and extra tasty.

My fiancé doesn’t like winter squash, pumpkin, or anything with cooked apples in it, which as you can imagine makes fall a lot less fun. This year I’ve been on a mission to sneak as much of these things into him as possible, all the while making sure he thinks whatever he’s eating is really delicious. I believe I’m making progress, because several of my recent attempts haven’t been subtle at all and have still gone over really well.

First I hid some apple in this stuffed squash with sausage, and he gobbled it up. He did not even realize there was any apple until I mentioned it (after he was done eating two helpings, of course).

Next I got a little bolder and offered him these baked pumpkin custards with maple mascarpone whipped cream. Those were a hit, too!

Maple Balsamic Chicken and Bacon Skewers

June 10, 2016 By Becky 26 Comments

Chicken and bacon skewers are sure to become your next grilling obsession! These easy skewers feature chicken with a maple balsamic glaze, zucchini, summer squash, and peppers woven together with bacon. This post is sponsored by Santa Rita.

Food on a stick is just more fun, right? Especially when there’s bacon involved. These skewers will be the star of your next cookout. Maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and spices add flavor to the chicken, and the chicken and vegetables are super succulent because they’re nestled in between waves of bacon while they cook. The end result is a skewer with a perfect balance of sweet and salty, with plenty of protein and colorful pops of veggies.

Together with a glass of chilled white wine, these skewers just scream summer, and I recommend Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc. I absolutely love a good wine that doesn’t break the bank, and this one is perfect. All its citrusy notes make it super refreshing, the perfect counterpoint to a smoky skewer of grilled goodness. I also feel good about this wine because of Santa Rita’s commitment to sustainability–they’re working hard to measure and reduce their carbon footprint and implement technologies that reduce pollution and wasted water. Cheers to that!

Quiche Lorraine with Leeks

April 29, 2016 By Becky 6 Comments

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This gluten-free quiche lorraine with leeks is perfect for Mother’s Day brunch! The crisp cassava flour crust and custardy filling studded with leeks and bacon are both total crowd pleasers.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and if your mom is anything like mine, she would love this quiche. I’ve been working on it for weeks, playing with the proportions to make a crisp but sturdy crust with my new favorite grain-free flour, Otto’s cassava flour, and balancing the flavorings of the filling so that they’re just right. After more tries than I care to count, I’ve finally nailed it. This gluten-free quiche lorraine is good enough for your mother, skeptics who raise their eyebrows at the thought of grain-free pastries, and just about anyone else. Don’t tell your gluten-eating family members and I bet they won’t know there’s no wheat in here.

Quiche is a bit of a process, so setting aside my recent burst of quiche-testing mania, I don’t make it often. A frittata is quicker and easier and does just fine for a regular meal, but when the occasion is special or you want to treat yourself, a quiche is 100% worth it.

Despite the many recipes that try to bill a frittata as a crustless quiche, the absence of crust is not the only difference between the two. The fillings of quiches and frittatas, even when made with similar ingredients in similar proportions, are totally different in texture. In addition to the quiche crust being delicious and satisfyingly toothsome in its own right, it plays a vital role in ensuring that the filling is delicate, light, and custardy instead of chewy and overcooked. The crust shields the egg and cream mixture from getting too much direct heat, which allows it to bake into an impossibly smooth and irresistible sensation that’s worlds better than an omelette or frittata.

Spinach and Bacon Soufflé from Paleo Planet

January 18, 2016 By Becky 10 Comments

Did you know you can make an amazing soufflé without cheese? This spinach and bacon soufflé is gluten free, paleo, Whole30-compliant, and an ideal way to treat yourself to a decadent breakfast or brunch that’s still super healthy.

Big news! Paleo Planet was nominated for Best New Specialty Cookbook as part of Paleo Magazine’s Best of 2015 awards! I’m so happy and excited to be nominated, and so grateful for all your amazing support. If you’re a fan of Paleo Planet, would you take a minute to cast your vote for the book here? Voting is open until January 31st, it’s super quick (you only have to vote in the categories you want to vote in, so you won’t be forced to choose if there’s a category you don’t have an opinion on), and there’s a special discount on the magazine as a reward for taking the survey in case you’re interested in becoming a subscriber.

The nomination is actually perfect timing because I was already planning to share a recipe from Paleo Planet with you today, along with a free download of a special table of contents I put together that lists all the Whole30-compliant recipes in the book (there are over 80 of them!).

So today I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes from the Breakfast & Brunch chapter: Spinach and Bacon Soufflé. Soufflés are notorious for being kind of a pain to make, but I disagree with that: I think they’re relatively easy, super fun, and so worth it.

If you haven’t tried one, you need to add it to your list: the fluffy, airy texture is like nothing else. Plus, this one is packed with spinach and bacon–how can you go wrong?

My first time ever making a soufflé was in April of 2013, and it was actually one of the very first recipes I posted on this site, back in the days when I spent 2 minutes on each photo shoot and hadn’t discovered paleo yet. (If you want to see it, here it is, but you have to promise not to judge!) That one had spinach and parmesan in it, and planted the inspirational seeds for the paleo spinach and bacon soufflé I’m sharing today. I also shared a pumpkin and pecorino soufflé later that year that’s gluten free and grain free but still contains cheese.

When I was developing recipes for Paleo Planet, I challenged myself to make a delicious soufflé with no dairy other than ghee, and lucky for me, it was quite easy! A bit of nutritional yeast provides a hint of cheesy flavor, and bits of bacon interspersed throughout ensure that each bite has textural interest, too. It’s a perfect breakfast or brunch to make when you want to treat yourself to something fancy and a little off the beaten path but still really nutritious.

Bacon-Wrapped Potato Wedges

September 28, 2015 By Becky 39 Comments

You only need two ingredients to make these bacon-wrapped potato wedges, and they’re perfect paleo football food!

It’s football season! Are you into it? I have no idea what’s going on, but my fiancé Ben is a big Broncos fan and is also in a fantasy football league. It’s my job to complain about how much the TV is on and to make delicious snacks, like these bacon-wrapped potato wedges.

We moved this past weekend–we’d been staying with Ben’s sister and her family, and now we’re renting a little guest house from some friends of ours while we look for a house to buy. The guest house is just two rooms plus a bathroom, but it’s really cute. The kitchen and living area are in one room, but it’s a pretty good size and I’m really happy with the kitchen area. Unfortunately, the TV is right nearby, so I have to listen to football while I cook.

Since things have been pretty hectic with our move from Boston to Chattanooga last month and our mini move into the guest house more recently, I’ve been on the lookout for easy recipes. I was assigned Rebekah’s blog, Making Miracles, for this month’s Secret Recipe Club, and found so many great possibilities in her recipe index. Her blog is full of fast, easy, family-friendly recipes, and I highly recommend you check it out!

I was planning to make her baked paleo chicken tenders, since I loved chicken fingers as a kid and haven’t yet tried making a paleo version. In fact, I’m still planning to make them–I have all the ingredients and everything–but once I saw these bacon-wrapped potato wedges, they jumped to the top of my list. I had to have them right away.

Paleo Breakfast Casserole with Bacon, Sausage, Sweet Potato, & Kale

June 22, 2015 By Becky 63 Comments

Breakfast Casserole with Bacon, Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Kale | acalculatedwhisk.com

This paleo breakfast casserole is so packed with flavorful ingredients that no one will notice it’s dairy free and Whole30 compliant. It’s great to make ahead and reheat on busy mornings, too!

Looking for more delicious paleo recipes? Check out my cookbook, Paleo Planet!

When I make a recipe, I always expect it to turn out great. Of course, sometimes it doesn’t, but if I weren’t expecting delicious results, why would I bother making the recipe at all?

On the other hand, sometimes there’s a qualifier. I might say to myself, “These cookies will be great–for sugar-free cookies.” Or in this case, “This will be wonderful–for a dairy-free, paleo breakfast casserole.”

Kale and Bacon Quiches with Hash Brown Crust

April 1, 2015 By Becky 42 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kale and Bacon Quiches with Hash Brown Crust | acalculatedwhisk.com

It’s my second blog birthday! I feel like I’ve come a long way since my very first post, but last year’s blogiversary feels like it was just yesterday. Time flies when you’re eating well!

At the risk of sounding sappy, I want to say thank you for stopping by my site. Reading your comments and connecting with you on social media makes my day, and turns the often solitary activities of cooking, photographing, and writing into something that’s actually meaningful.

To celebrate the occasion, I made grain-free kale and bacon quiches with hash brown crust. They’re like little crispy nests of savory goodness. This was my first time making a potato crust, and I’m totally hooked. I’m even thinking it might work in some sort of a dessert pie (is that too radical?). Here, the crunchy potato tangles hold a filling of eggs, kale, shallots, crisp bacon, and crumbled goat cheese. These are perfect for Easter brunch or any weekend morning (or a blogiversary, of course).

As I embark on my third year of blogging, I’d love to hear from you. What would you like to see more of here on A Calculated Whisk? For example, are you looking for quick and easy recipes, Whole30 meals, desserts, vegetarian meals, or something else? Would you like to see more non-recipe posts (reviews, giveaways, perhaps travel stories)? Whatever it is, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Crispy Chicken with Spring Vegetables

March 13, 2015 By Becky 2 Comments

Remember when Dorothy threw a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch of the West? And the witch screamed in agony: “I’m melting! Melting! Oh, what a world!”

As I walked to the train station yesterday afternoon, I could almost hear my city’s dirty snow screaming the exact same thing. Boston is not free of snow yet, but we sure have a lot less of it.

The thaw seemed like my cue to start celebrating spring in the kitchen by making a dish with bright green veggies. For the protein I went with crispy chicken thighs, because truly crispy chicken skin is the best thing ever. Ben only likes skin-on chicken when it’s as crunchy as possible and not moist at all, so I practiced and practiced and now have my routine for chicken-crisping down pat.

Here’s how you do it: sear the chicken skin side down in a very hot skillet for a little longer than it seems like you should, and then flip it over and finish it in a 450 degree oven. While the chicken roasts, you’ll have just enough time to fry some bacon and chop your veggies. Then, while the chicken rests, the vegetables cook in the fat from the chicken infused with a bit of lemon.

Galician Greens

August 11, 2014 By Becky 7 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My mom is from Texas, and I lived there for four years, so I am a bit of a Southern girl at heart. I like fried okra, really hot weather, and smiling at people I don’t know (not as much of a thing here in Boston, unfortunately).

As a true Texan, my mom gets really excited about greens, but I was never able to share in her excitement until now. When I was a kid she often worked to recreate the greens my grandmother used to make, which started with salt pork and reportedly ended up as a fabulous and memorable side dish. I never had the chance to try my grandmother’s greens, so I can’t really say how my mom’s versions compared, but as a child I felt exasperation and dread whenever my mother picked up those gargantuan leaves at the store. I just didn’t like collard greens.