Bacon Explosion Recipe - Heart Attack Waiting to Happen

A big hit on the internet is a heart attack waiting to happen!

Photo Credit: BBQ Addicts

Superbowl 2009 is a couple of days away, so I totally get that some appetizer recipes are going to be circulating around the internet right about now. But the New York Times took note of one that's over the top. The big one this year comes to us from the BBQ Addicts website and it's so fatty it makes the Bloomin' Onion from The Outback seem like diet food. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but when I saw the picture of this Bacon Explosion appetizer with layers of bacon and fatty Italian sausage all rolled up, it really did look like an artery filled with plaque to me. I may not have been so far off...

Photo Credit: BBQ Addicts

There are 4 ingredients to this recipe, half of which are two of the fattiest, highest saturated fat foods you could put on your plate-bacon and sausage.

I figured the 2 pounds of bacon, 2 pounds of Italian sausage; jar of barbeque sauce and jar of barbeque rub would make 16 appetizer servings which means each appetizer serving contains:

506 calories
43.5 g fat
15 g saturated fat
82 mg cholesterol
15 g protein
13 g carbohydrate
1263 mg sodium

But if you are interested in making a lighter mini version of the Bacon Explosion (let's call it "Bacon - Save Your Life- Appetizer"), check out the following recipe that you can make in your oven and that contains half of the calories and 2/3rds less fat, and saturated fat compared to the Bacon Explosion.

Mini Bacon-Save Your-Life Appetizer

Ingredients:

12-ounce package Louis Rich turkey bacon (or similar)
1 tablespoon favorite
barbeque rub or spice blend
12 ounces Jimmy Dean Reduced Fat Pork Sausage
(or similar)
1/2 cup favorite barbeque sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with foil.
2. Create a square of woven turkey bacon slices by laying 5 slices of turkey bacon on a flat surface from north to south and 5 more from east to west then create a tight weave of turkey bacon.
3. Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of your favorite barbecue seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Fry up the remaining turkey bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels then crumble the slices into smaller pieces; set aside.
4. Unwrap your package of light sausage and stretch out the sausage to create layers so it covers the bacon weave, leaving one row of bacon uncovered at one end.
5. Take the crumbled pieces of bacon and sprinkle them evenly over the layer of sausage. Drizzle the barbecue sauce all over the bacon pieces. You can sprinkle some more barbecue rub (a teaspoon or two) over the top of this if desired.
6. Carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling up the sausage with the bacon filling, Once the sausage is all rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside. Now roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the turkey bacon weave. Set the rolled up turkey bacon and sausage roll into the prepared loaf pan (it will just barely fit).
7. Sprinkle some barbecue seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave roll if desired. Cover the loaf pan with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue to bake until the sausage is cooked throughout and the bacon weave on the outside is dark brown (about 10 to 15 minutes more). Let the bacon roll rest for 10 minutes. You can brush a couple of tablespoons of barbecue sauce over the outside of the roll if desired.
8. Cut with serrated knife into 8 or more slices. Serve this by itself as an appetizer or serve it with whole wheat crackers or sliced baguette bread.

Yield: This mini version makes about 8 appetizers.

Nutritional Analysis per serving: 220 calories, 12 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat, 4.4 g saturated fat, 59 mg cholesterol, 930 mg sodium.

Photos reproduced with permission from the BBQ Addicts.

Related Topics:

• Super-Fast and Easy Appetizer Recipes
• 10 Foods that Are Health Horrors
• Get the Healthy Recipes Newsletter delivered to your inbox!

Taste Test Tuesday: My Favorite Find - Frozen Diced Fresh Herbs

I love using fresh herbs in my cooking but I don't love having to run out to the store to get them (because they aren't something I always have in my kitchen) and I don't love paying top dollar for them either.

Then I found these cute little 1.75 ounce boxes of frozen diced herbs at Whole Foods Markets. They are a product of Italy and imported by a company called White Toque, Inc. They had all sorts of different herbs, but I decided to pick the ones I thought I would use the most first and see how that went.

I bought a box each of:

• Frozen Diced Parsley
• Frozen Diced Basil
• Frozen Diced Chives
• Frozen Diced Shallots
  

They have been working excellent in everything I've added them to. My only problem is remembering that they are there! I particularly like that they are already diced and chopped so all I have to do is dip my measuring spoon in the little box (after opening the handy dandy flip up lid) and I'm good to go.

Fresh herbs (and shallots) and all the flavor and nutrition they provide, but as convenient as dried herbs! The price wasn't unreasonable either as I remember.

It's a win, win, win!

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• An Herb Guide to Keep on Hand
• Herbs, Spices and Other Speedy Taste Boosters

Technorati Tags: herbs, healthy cooking

Barbecuing? Don't Forget the Vegetables

If you are a vegetarian, you probably have already discovered the magic of grilled vegetables. The rest of us probably need to be reminded of this wonderful way to cook veggies!

There's something about the grilling, whether on an outside or indoor grill, and those tasty grill marks, that takes the flavor of vegetables to a whole new level.

Once you grill vegetables, you can serve them tossed together and served over pasta or rice (as a main dish) or you can serve them as a side dish on a kabob, as garnish on the plate, or toss together in a bowl.

Here are some tips for grilling some of my favorite veggies (these work great served over pasta too)

* Grill bell pepper over direct medium heat until evenly charred on all sides (10 minutes). Turn every 3 or 5 minutes.

* Coat small zucchinis (cut in half lengthwise), asparagus spears, mushrooms (cleaned and dried), and vine ripened plum tomatoes (cut in half), lightly with canola or olive oil -- brush lightly or use a light spray of olive oil cooking spray. Season with salt if desired. Grill over direct medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning after about 3 or 4 minutes.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: No Excuses: Eat your Fruits and Veggies, Spice Up Your Summer BBQs and Picnics

Baby Boomers Watch Your Sodium

I admit to being a member of this distinguished group of adults (albeit a young member). But here's some preliminary research that baby boomers need to know:

* People seem to be more sensitive to sodium/salt as they get older and likewise their blood pressure is more likely to drop when they cut back on salt in their later years.

* Sodium may increase the risk for stroke beyond its affect on blood pressure, according to research reported at the 2005 American Stroke Association International Conference. Stroke risk was higher in people who ate more sodium, regardless of their blood pressure, reported researchers. Their results also found that people consuming more than 4,000 milligrams of sodium a day almost doubled their stroke risk compared to those getting 2400 milligrams or less.


If you use the recipes I develop, you know I aim low on the salt threshold. I figure people can add salt at the table if they need to but I want them to see the milligrams of sodium per serving cooking it my way. The thing about salt is that if you cook lower sodium for 6 weeks or so, your taste buds will eventually adjust. Things will taste better and more flavorful than when you started cooking lower sodium. So hang in there and keep reading those labels if you are buying processed foods. Aim for 1400 milligrams of sodium or less per day and you could dramatically reduce your risk of stroke!

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Baby Boomers: A New Way to Grow Old, The Baby Boomer Heart: Healing Fitness

Technorati Tags: babyboomers, stroke, sodium, bloodpressure