Creative and Healthy Bacon Recipes

Healthy baconThere’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned slice of bacon!  Sadly, sometimes bacon gets a bit of a bad rep for being ‘unhealthy’ but as long as it is cured properly, then bacon can most definitely be included as part of a healthy, low fat diet.

At Hugh Phillips Gower Butcher, our qualified butchers prepare our bacon using top quality loins of pork sourced from our nearest local farm in the Gelliwen Valley of Carmarthenshire. With just the right amount of fat covering each piece, the meat is left to cure for 2 -3 weeks, with each slice of bacon cut to order, guaranteeing a lean bacon with no added water and very low in salt.

To help you to integrate our delicious bacon into your healthy diet, we’ve come up with two easy to make recipes courtesy of Fit Foodie’s recommendations.

 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Salad

Healthy baconSalads aren’t always a popular choice for a family meal as they’re considered not to be filling.  We’ll change your mind with this tasty and satisfying Bacon Wrapped Chicken Salad recipe.

All you need are four of our skinless chicken fillets, and eight slices of smoked streaky bacon.  Just wrap the chicken pieces in bacon making sure to place the ends of the bacon on the bottom of the chicken. The great thing about this bacon-wrapped chicken is that it stores well in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can prepare the meat in advance.

Preheat oven to 400ºF and spray a baking sheet with non-stick coconut oil spray. Place chicken in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked to 165ºF (which depends on how thick your chicken breasts are cut).

For the salad, use a hard-boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, silvered almonds, red onion, blue cheese, and a super simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette (or any dressing of your choice).  Serve the bacon wrapped bacon on top of the salad with the dressing on the side.

Pasta Primavera with Bacon

Healthy baconWe love pasta as it’s so easy to make and can be cooked and served in so many different ways.  This Pasta Primavera with Bacon recipe ticks all the boxes when it comes to creating a full serving of veggies, combined with bacon and whole grains for the most perfect spring pasta dish EVER.

What you will need is:

  • 2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
  • 4 pieces of Hugh Phillips traditional short back bacon
  • 1 cup asparagus, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup broccolini, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cups kale, packed, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced (~1 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Parmesan cheese for the topping

Cook the penne pasta by following the directions on the pack and set aside. Prep the vegetables by coarsely chopping the asparagus, broccolini, kale, and cherry tomatoes. Set aside.

Prep the bacon by chopping into large chunks. Then, place on a large skillet and turn to medium/high heat. Cook bacon for around 5 minutes, or until cooked. Remove from heat.

Clean the pan and then add in olive oil, butter, and minced garlic. Turn to medium/high heat. Once the minced garlic begins to bubble, add in onion and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until almost fully cooked.

Add in white wine and spices and sauté for a few more minutes.

Finally, add cooked penne pasta and bacon into the vegetables and mix. Serve topped with the Parmesan cheese.

Hugh Phillips Gower Butcher

For all of these meat ingredients, you can either purchase them from our shop in Swansea Market or from our website, www.bestonlinebutcher.co.uk.

Orders need to be placed for despatch on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Healthy bacon

 

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