Valentine's Day: Like a Boss

As you can see from the above menu, last night was Valentine's Day and my boyfriend and I celebrated with culinary style! However, the menu lies a tad bit. I could not find fresh parsnips, so I used a combination of rutabaga+turnip root+sweet potato+russet potato. This was such a lovely meal! Easily one of my favorites of all time. Right now, I am just going to post pictures of each course, I will follow up with separate blog entries for each recipe. I recommend everything about this meal, the flavor combinations were wonderful!

Citrus Salad with Mint Gremolata
(Blood Orange, Cocktail Grapefruit, and Valencia Orange)

Slow Cooked Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
with Autumn Root Vegetable Puree
and Fresh Sauteed Asparagus

Raw Vegan Raspberry Coconut Mousse

And of course... what's Valentine's Day without flowers??

Chocolate Covered Bacon w/ Almonds & Sea Salt

Right off the bat, I want to  severely apologize for two things:

1.  For not posting since before the holidays (unexcusable!)

2. For this post. It in no way belongs on a food and nutrition blog. Warning: the following recipe is NOT heart healthy. It does not belong alongside your breakfast bowl of honey nut cheerios. Eat with caution.

Having said that, I will also say that this recipe is delicious. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, and a boyfriend who adores bacon more than long walks on the beach, I thought I'd try my hand at making something I've only heard rumors about before: chocolate covered bacon.

Surprisingly, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. The balance of sweet and salty is really pleasing, and they are fun and easy to make. Give them a try, I promise you won't regret it! Just don't eat the entire batch... for God's sake, distribute these amongst your loved ones.

What you'll need:

Makes 12 skewers

• 1 package thick cut bacon (at least stay away from the nitrites)
• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used dairy-free Ghirardelli ones)
• 12 wooden skewers
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• kosher or sea salt

If you want to wrap these for gifts, you can find plastic bags and twist ties at craft stores like Hobby Lobby

*Modification: Instead of chopped almonds + sea salt, you can also use chopped crystallized ginger. It adds a nice spicy note to the bacon!

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Thread a slice of bacon onto each skewer, and place the skewers on a drainable roasting pan so the fat doesn't accumulate as they cook. Bake the bacon skewers for about 15 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon from the oven, and place the skewers on paper towels to drain and cool.

2. Once the bacon is completely cool, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Using a rubber baster (I promise it works), "paint" the bacon skewers with the chocolate, being careful to cover all areas of the bacon. Lay the bacon on parchment or wax paper to dry.

3. After covering all of the bacon skewers with chocolate, sprinkle chopped almonds and sea salt over them.  Place the skewers in the fridge so they solidify completely.

4. Once the chocolate has hardened, you are either ready to eat your chocolate covered bacon or package them for gifts. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.