Naysayers Unite: Diet Dish….with Bacon?

Macaroni with Bacon and Tomato Sauce

4 slices of bacon, diced

1 onion, chopped coarsely

1 yellow pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes

4 cups of cooked macaroni

28 oz can of diced tomatoes

Salt & Pepper to taste

Brown bacon in pan until halfway cooked, adding in onion and yellow pepper until cooked through.

Season with garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper. Cook for another two minutes.

Pour in some juice from tomato sauce, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Add rest of tomatoes. Cook through. Stir in pasta.

This runs about 350 calories per serving and it serves four. I couldn’t help myself! :)

Here Fishy Fishy….

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon with Asian Spaghetti

1.5 lbs Salmon Steak, halved
3 Tbsp soy
1 Tbsp honey
Salt & pepper
2 bunches of spinach, torn
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into quarter rings
1 red bell pepper, sliced into quarter rings
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp oil
1 "quarter sized round" of spaghetti noodles, cooked

Mix soy, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. On a low broiler setting, grease a pan and lay salmon skin side down. Broil for 5 minutes. Remove and brush with soy suace mixture. Broil until done - another 10 minutes.

Saute vegetables in oil until spinach is wilted. Add noodles and seeds. Stir to combine. Serve with salmon.

The sauce does not “stay on” as much as you’d like. But it’s worth doing the first round of broiling, taking it out while you finish up the spinach and then completing the fish while you mix the side together. Meanwhile, let the fish side cut side down the sauce – works much better.

Something Simple

Spicy Pulled Pork

28 oz can of diced tomatoes
14 oz can of mexican stewed tomatoes
Small can of chipotles in adobo sauce
4 lbs - pork for carnitas
1 onion, chopped coarse
3 bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste

Place all of these ingredients in a crock pot. Turn on high for 3-4 hours.

This is great served with corn bread and black beans. Also done will as taco meat on tortillas.

Next day, remove meat and pulse a hand blender around the rest of the ingredients. Spice it up with a little bbq sauce. Hand shred the meat, fantastic alternative to bbq sandwiches!