Bacon Jam - Keto Remakes of Old Favorites

I've been eating Keto for a little over two years now.  I'm pretty happy with this way of eating and there isn't anything that I miss so much that I want to "cheat" so I can have it.  There are enough substitutions that work for me that I'm good.

We do have some favorite dishes that I am working on making them Keto so they fit into our new eating habits.  The first one I tackled was this shrimp and tomatoes with feta.  This is one of Dave's favorites and one of the few ways that I will eat shrimp, and I really love bacon jam but this recipe is full of things I no longer eat.  So I've been planning on making it Keto compliant.

I was making the menu for dinner this week and noticed the  high for Thursday was supposed to be in the 40's...that is 40 above and I am so excited!  Spring is really here, everything is melting, puddles are everywhere, the sun is shining and I am ready to grill.  I thought I would start easy and just planned burgers for dinner.  I like to make a big batch of them, form them, freeze them and then I just have to pull out the number I need for dinner.  It is also a very easy dinner if someone drops by unexpectedly, burgers are always good and homemade, pre-made makes it easy and delicious.

Well, I was really craving some bacon jam for my burger.  I decided it was time to see what I could do to keto-ize it and make it "safe" for me to eat again.  I had to practice a bit, so we have been eating a lot of bacon jam.  Good thing it is delicious on everything; eggs at breakfast, keto bagels with cream cheese, almond bread, chicken, pork chops, sautéd cabbage, green beans, maple keto ice cream...the list goes on!

I'll be keeping batches of this in my freezer for quick additions to meals.  I love it on my burger too.  This was a total success.

My grilled burger with cheese, avocado and bacon jam.

Sugar Free Bacon Jam
2 lbs. bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
zest of one orange
4 Tbsp. brown sugar substitute, I like Sukrin gold
1/2 tsp. maple extract
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup bourbon

In a frying pan over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.  Remove all but 3 Tbsp. bacon fat from pan, saving it for another use.  Sauté onions in bacon fat for 3-5 minutes until translucent.  Add garlic and stir for 1 minutes.  Add coffee apple cider vinegar, orange zest, brown sugar substitute, maple extract, ground ginger and bourbon and add bacon back into the pan.  Stirring often and over low heat,let mixture reduce until thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes or so.  Carefully transfer mixture to your blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Return to pan (if needed) to further reduce.  It should be the consisitency of slightly chunky jam.  Place in jars and refrigerate for 5 days or freeze for future use.

3 years ago:   Strawberry-Kiwi Sangria and Spring Snow
5 years ago:   Bahn Mi for a Quick Dinner
7 years ago:   Protein Balls and Fairbanks Fit Body Bootcamp

March 21, 2019  Sunrise 7:47am  Sunset 8:09 pm  Temp. H 48/ L 30°F