Green Beans n' Bacon

This fall, an alert released by the World Health Organization (WHO) warned consumers against eating hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats such as cold cuts. It didn’t take a declaration by WHO to let me know that these foods are bad for you – just read the list of chemicals on the labels – it’s an awful list of known carcinogens.

Meat lovers have a better option, however, because there are organic, uncured, non-GMO products available on the market. One of my favorites is Applegate Naturals Uncured Sunday Bacon. This bacon is made without adding nitrites or chemical preservatives. It’s important to note that the bacon does include salt and celery powder which act as a natural preservative. This has become our go-to bacon of choice.

For a delicious side-dish, all you need is Applegate Sunday Bacon, some fresh green beans, a small red onion and a little olive oil. Sound too easy to be true? Read on…

Green Beans n’ Bacon

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
3 slices Applegate Sunday Bacon, diced
Olive oil
1 small red onion

In a small frying pan, quickly blanch the green beans in a little water until lightly cooked but still crisp (about 3 minutes). Drain the beans and immediately put them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and so that they remain bright green.

Wipe the water out of the pan to avoid splattering. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pan along with the diced bacon and cook until crisp. When done, remove the bacon and set aside. Keep the oil and bacon drippings in the pan. Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook until soft and slightly browned.

Pat the green beans dry with a paper towel and add them to the pan drippings, stirring to coat all the beans. Heat until the beans are warmed through. Return the bacon to the pan, add a little salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

These green beans and bacon are so delicious that I could eat an entire bowl of them!