Goodbye Gut: Third Place Takes the Cake

What any good contest needs is a little competition, and I found that to be especially true of the Goodbye Gut contest. We got more submissions than expected (a good thing) and it took longer than anticipated to cook through all those recipes (also fine by me!). Today's recipe will be the last featured recipe from those contest submissions. It comes from our friend Racheletto, who we told you about back in January when she was doing a project called G.U.L.P which involved eating a very restricted diet and donating her grocery money to charity!

She writes, "I love spinach and I have to admit that I don't really care for pork bacon (call it un-American if you must)." Her recipe, which "I've adapted it from a recipe I found here," she tells, calls for turkey bacon, but I used the real deal in mine (upping the fat content a little, but still keeping the recipe within healthy limits).



Bacon Spinach Cakes
--12 oz fresh baby spinach
--1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
--1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese, plus a pinch more for garnish
--2 large eggs, beaten
--4 strips turkey bacon, crispy and chopped
--1 clove garlic, minced
--1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Equipment:
1. Regular muffin tin ("I've also used single serving size ramekins too with similar results," she says)
2. Food processor



Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 400*F.

2. In the food processor, pulse the spinach in three batches until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add cottage cheese, parmesan, bacon, eggs, garlic, and pepper.

3. Coat 9 of the 12 muffin tins (or the ramekins) with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 9 cups evenly. They will be very full. [Editor's note: We, um, clearly aren't great at taking direction and filled all 12 of the muffin tins. Oops!]

4. Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes (this could be as long as 30 if you use ramekins). Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out to serve, sprinkled with a bit more parmesan. (Alternatively, you could serve them in the ramekins).

Racheletto guided us to eat these "on top of a toasted English muffin with perhaps a tomato or egg on top, like a benedict! They're luscious and very cheesy, but still good for you too!" Yes ma'am. Definitely something nice and different for breakfast!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 9 spinach cakes
Calories: Turkey bacon, 82 calories per cake; Pork bacon, 113 calories per cake

Goodbye Gut Contest: The Runner Up!

Our runner up submission in the Goodbye Gut Contest was from Erin F. who got extra points for including bacon in her recipe. This one is great for summer as beets are in season and easy to find. I know people who have been trying to give the ones in their garden away...so if you are gifted some beets, here's an easy thing to make with them.

Another highlight of this recipe is how little hands-on time there is. So if it's hot-hot-hot in your house, this guy uses only a bit of power from the stove so as not to heat things up too much in there.

Erin F. writes, "Goat cheese is another optional addition." Maybe in her mind, but in mine it's necessary.

Beets N' Bacon Salad
--2 red beets, cubed

--2 golden beets, cubed

--4 slices of bacon

--1/2 cup pecans, chopped

--4 cups mixed greens

--2 TBSP olive oil

--2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
--4 oz. goat cheese (optional)

Steam the beets and place them in fridge to cool. (I steamed mine in the microwave for faster steaming time).

Cook the bacon until crisp, retaining the drippings. Dice the bacon and set it aside.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, and 2 TBSP of the bacon drippings. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with mixed greens in large bowl. Erin F. warns, "You may not use all of the dressing, so add it slowly." This is great advice and a way to make sure the salad stays on the healthy side of things by not going overboard with dousing on the dressing.

Divide the salad into 4 portions. Top each salad with 1/4 of the beets and add pecans to each; if you're using it, add 1 oz of goat cheese to each salad. Serve!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 12 minutes
Serves: 4
Calories: 271 per salad

Goodbye Gut Contest: Our Winning Recipe!

Once upon a time, way back in June, we told you all about our Goodbye Gut Contest. Thanks to those of you who entered! It was a difficult process that took a bit longer than expected to cook our way through all your recipes--but a problem I'll gladly take!

Entries were scored on the following requirements, beyond taste of course:

• Total calorie count per serving
• Ease of preparation
• Accessibility of ingredients and tools to prepare the recipe

Entries were also given extra points if the recipe included bacon or a bacon-inspired product. This winning recipe didn't need those extra points--it was delicious, easy to make, and much more low-cal that you would expect from such a rich tasting recipe.

Our winner is Chandra M. and her Pesto & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts! Congratulations Chandra M., your prize is on its way!

The recipe is below--try it, you'll love it, I guarantee it!

Pesto & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

--4 cleaned boneless, skinless chicken breasts

--2 TBSP goat cheese

--2 TBSP cream cheese (I used this "better than cream cheese" vegan version because cow dairy products make me a sad girl)

--1 serving of your favorite pesto mix (You don't need a mix, use your own pesto)

--1 egg yolk

--1 tablespoon of olive oil

--flour

--plain bread crumbs ("I use Panko because they are crunchy," she wrote so that's what I did too and recommend!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

"Clean the chicken breasts and set aside," writes Chandra M.  I took this to mean wash and dry the chicken breast pieces and slice off any remaining fat or skin.

Prepare the pesto mix as directed (or use your own pesto for more homegrown deliciousness) and mix with both cheeses.

"Butterfly the chicken breasts and stuff with the cheese/pesto mix," she says are our next steps.

Butterflying is a simple slicing technique you can use on whole chickens or on chicken breasts or pork chops. It is a great method if you are stuffing the meat with anything (in our case, the pesto mix). Using a sharp short knife, you'll start on one edge of the chicken breast. Insert the knife into the middle of the thickest part of the chicken breast. Slice along the side until you reach 180 degrees (or the other end) of the length of the chicken breast.

Dip the chicken breast in flour, then in the egg yolk, and finally in the bread crumbs. "Use Leah's wet hand/dry hand technique," she writes and we love. Way to be an avid BaOBH reader!

Heat the olive oil in a pan on the stove top and sear one side of the stuffed chicken until the breadcrumbs are a light/medium brown and crunchy.

Place the chicken in a glass baking dish browned side up and set in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken's juices run clear.

And how should you eat this? Take Chandra's advice and "Enjoy with some fresh steamed veggies or a light salad. I like sauteed asparagus!"

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Calories: 460 calories

Operation Goodbye Gut: A Contest!

Hello June. Hello swimsuit. Hello pool parties. Hello gut.

Grrr. Gut.

I know it could be worse. People don't (often) ask me if I'm pregnant. (I'm not, and yes, there have been one or two who have looked at my little round belly and asked). I have what is known as a "First World Problem."  I am happy, healthy, and well-fed. I have many options open to me as far as food is concerned and my little Buddha isn't so large that it's unhealthy. And I don't look like this guy:

But I'm tired of the chub-rub, where the top of my jeans digs in to my tummy.  Perhaps you've noticed some tweaks to the Bacon & Other Bad Habits site? There have been more vegetarian choices (because I'm not eating much meat minus the chosen pork product) and I've added nutritional content to all new recipes.

Okay, I love bacon. I know that it isn't the most health-conscious choice, but seriously, what is a life without things you love?  There IS a way to enjoy things we like in a way that is still good for us (and bad for our guts!) so.... It's CONTEST time!

I've got fun prize packs thanks to the folks at BIGS™ Sunflower Seeds (the makers of delicious summertime treats that feature J&D's Bacon Salt). These prize packs have everything you need to enjoy an afternoon at the baseball game or a bbq--including beer coozies!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

From now until June 15th, submit a recipe that is secretly healthy but sure doesn't taste like it!

You will be scored on the following three items*:

--Total calorie count per serving
--Ease of preparation
--Accessible ingredients/tools

*Extra points if your recipe includes bacon or a bacon-inspired product!

Winners will be chosen by June 30th and the winning entry will be posted here (clearly) with recipe credit of course, and perhaps a big fancy photo of you.

Email Your Recipes!

Federal Trade Commision, this fine print is for you:

Winners will receive one prize pack courtesy of BIGS™ valued at $50.00. Bacon & Other Bad Habits does not receive any funds from the fine folks at BIGS™. They were just nice enough to give us some super cool schwag that our fellow bacon-lovers could win because they're nice people and they love bacon too.