Bacon Granola!

The other night, I was watching Chopped yet again. And there was an expedition chef named M.B. who stuffed a grilled hot dog with bacon granola. As soon as she spoke the words "bacon granola" my head began to spin and I couldn't think of anything else but how awesome and fabulous this must be. And WHY have I never even heard of this concoction before???

Well, first thing the next morning I began googling. And apparently I'm the only food blogger who has never heard of bacon granola. It seems such an obviously awesome combination, I'm surprised I've never thought of it. I once made a Bacon Maple Cheesecake with an oat crust that used bacon fat. And that crust was delicious. So I already know how fabulous bacon granola is going to be.

There are already MANY recipes for this dish online. The very first recipe I found was created by Honestly Yum: honestlyyum.com/10916/savory-bacon-granola
Since I already had almost all of the ingredients on hand, I decided to give this recipe a try first. Although I think pecans sound like the best nut to combine with maple syrup and bacon, walnuts are what I had on hand. I substituted shredded coconut for the sunflower seeds. And I used bacon fat instead of vegetable oil. My version is not overly sweet. In fact, it tastes pretty salty, but I think it will be great with Greek yogurt and fresh sliced peaches. Here's what my granola looks like:

If you wanted, you could make a completely Paleo version of this granola simply by omitting the oats. Adding a few different kinds of seeds and more apple pieces could make up for the missing grain.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup of rolled oats
• 4 slices of thick cut bacon
• 1/2 cup of flax seeds
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup of walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup of dried apples and pears
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 egg white (I omitted this because we were low on eggs!)
• 1/4 cup of rendered bacon fat (or coconut oil)
• 3 tablespoons of maple syrup

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 325 degrees F.
• Cut bacon into small cubes and cook in a pan over medium heat until fat renders and just begins to brown around the edges. Turn off heat and set aside.
• Combine oats, nuts, flax seeds, coconut, dried apple, and salt in a large bowl and toss to combine.
• Whisk an egg white in a small bowl until frothy. (Optional)
• Add maple syrup to the bowl of the oat mixture and add egg white. Toss to coat.
• Pour into pan with bacon and rendered fat. Stir. Spread in an even layer on baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned.
• Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

Enjoy this granola for breakfast on top of yogurt or as a snack by the handful. You could even use it as a topping for your next peach crisp. I hope you love it as much as I do.

#hocofood