Barbell Bacon – 6 Recipes You Have to Try

Get ready for bacon served 6 ways. But be warned. You will not make it through this post without salivating.

These recipes are extremely tasty, but I’ll be honest, they were incredibly hard to complete. Just imagine being alone in the kitchen with 4 pounds of freshly fried bacon, not to mention the coffee, chocolate, coconut and popcorn! My advice is to make extra. You’re going to be doing some snacking.

Here are 6 super easy, very tasty things to do with bacon, that most magical meat product.

Bacon.

A video posted by Chris Moore (@barbellbuddha) on Aug 17, 2014 at 10:14am PDT

Here we go…

1. Bacon wrapped sweet potatoes

This is a great snack that you can keep for a few days in the fridge. Eat them hot or cold, their delicious any way to choose. This recipe serves 2 to 3 people easily.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed into approx 1″ cubes (gives you approx 16 cubes)
• 4 slices of bacon (quartered)
• Chilli powder to sprinkle on top
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Wrap a piece of bacon around each potato cube and secure with a toothpick. Place on parchment paper. Drizzle the oil over each piece. Sprinkle on some chili powder. Bake for 20 minutes, turn each potato and then bake for a further 20 minutes until golden brown.

Try not to eat all of this at once.

2. Bacon popcorn 

This snack is dangerous. My recommendation is to store it in portion sized containers, otherwise you might eat it all at once. It should feed 3 to 4…should.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (80g) of organic popcorn kernels
• 5 slices of bacon
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan (optional)

Cook the bacon on a medium heat until crispy. Place on kitchen tissue paper to crisp. Keep thebacon fat in the pan. Get it hot, then add the popcorn kernels. Shake the pan to coat each kernel in the fat.  Leave the heat on for about a minute and then put the lid on your pan. Turn off the burner, but keep shaking the pan until the popping stops.

Pour the popped corn into a bowl. Crush the cooked bacon and on top. Sprinkle the cinnamon and cheese all over everything. I know, it sounds like an odd combo, but everyone in my family loves the cheese!

3. Bacon wrapped sprouts 

If you don’t like Brussel sprouts this dish will change your mind, I promise. They’re irresistible.

Ingredients

• Fresh sprouts ( I use 4 sprouts per person)
• Bacon strips (if you want to substitute with turkey bacon, you can)
• Coconut oil to drizzle on top
• Salt and pepper to season

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Peel the outer skins off the sprouts and cut a cross in the stalk. This will allow them to cook quickly all the way through.

Cut your bacon slices into two shorter pieces. Wrap the  bacon around each sprout and secure it with a toothpick. Place the sprouts on a baking tray. Drizzle the oil over and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sprouts go tender.

4. Bacon, pecan, coffee, dark chocolate, chili bark

I know, this recipe has a lot going on, but trust me. The bark will blow your mind. This dish will usually treat 4 people.

Ingredients

• 60g of unsweetened dark chocolate (I used Dagoba)
• A teaspoon of coconut oil
• 16 pecans
• 1 tablespoon of finely ground coffee beans
• 4 slices of bacon, fried crispy and crushed
• A few chilli flakes (optional, but sexy)

Melt the chocolate, add the coconut oil, the coffee, pecans and bacon. Mix well, then spread everything out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the chilli flakes on top and place sheet in the fridge to set the chocolate. Break the bark up into pieces and enjoy.

5. Egg muffins with bacon, cheese and asparagus

These muffins are some of my essential go-to snacks, a quick and easy meal when I need to get out the door fast. This recipe will make about 12 muffins.

Ingredients

• 10 beaten eggs
• 1 tablespoon of cold water
• 8 slices of cooked, still chewy bacon. You might also try Canadian bacon, it’s great in these muffins.
• 5 chopped asparagus spears
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded cheese (I use organic mozzarella)

Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin pan, preferably silicon or non-stick. If you don’t have that, line your pain with parchment to prevent sticking.

Add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water and remove after 1 minute. Set aside. Add the cold water to the eggs (it keeps the muffins risen and fluffy) and then beat. Add the bacon and cooked asparagus, then mix through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Portion the mixture evenly into each muffin cup. Sprinkle your cheese on top and then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the eggs are golden brown.

6. Coconut bacon

It might be hard to believe, but there are many people out there who are tired of bacon. Maybe they just don’t like it all, or they avoid pork altogether for dietary or cultural reasons. In any case, here’s a delicious alternative to bacon that still delivers crunch and tons of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (60g) of shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon of organic maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or coconut aminos (I like the aminos)
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Mix the liquid smoke, maple syrup, aminos and paprika. Add the coconut and mix though. Spread the mix on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You will need to stir this every 5 minutes or so, as it will brown very quickly.

Allow the “bacon” to cool and then enjoy. Place leftover in a jar and store in the fridge for up to a few weeks. Try it over a split avocado for an awesome treat.

When in doubt, add bacon!

Eat week,

Virginia

For more

• Want more recipe ideas? Don’t miss Virginia’s excellent blog, Moozlers. You can also follow her on Instagram.
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