Bacon Date Fennel Salad with Grilled Peaches

I love bacon.  I do.  It’s so yummy.  It makes everything better.  I buy large amounts of humanely-raised, naturally-cured bacon from a local farm and freeze it for when we get a craving.  This week, I had a bacon craving.  This is what I made:  Bacon Date Fennel Salad with Grilled Peaches.

I pretty much outdid myself with this salad. (sorry, I had to say that!)  It was the perfect balance of savory and sweet.  The dressing is flavored with bacon and dates, giving just the right salty/sweet combo.  The fennel adds a bit of crunch and a slight anise flavor.  And the grilled peaches are amazing.

My peach tree is so abundant this year.  It’s about 5 years old now, and is starting to really produce.  The peaches all come in at the same time, so I am making lots of peachy things right now.

When it comes to any meat, I always recommend buying the best quality that you can afford.  Humanely-raised, organic, and local is always the best.  Check out this definitive guide to pork by Food Renegade to learn more about choosing pork.

Bacon Date Fennel Salad with Grilled Peaches

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• Author: Katja from the Savory Lotus
• Yield: 4-6 1x

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Ingredients

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For the dressing:

• 5 TBS olive oil
• 2 TBS bacon fat (reserved from cooking bacon)
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar (like this)
• 1 piece of cooked bacon
• 4 dates, dried and pitted
• 1/4 tsp celtic sea salt (I use this one)

For salad:

• 1 cup fennel bulb, chopped into small pieces
• 3-4 peaches, ripe but not too soft
• 4 pieces of bacon, already cooked, chopped into small pieces
• mixed salad greens (I used a little less than a 1/2 LB)
• 1 TBS coconut oil, butter, or ghee for cooking
• 1 TBS coconut oil, butter, or ghee for peaches, melted
• pinch of celtic sea salt

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Instructions

For dressing:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or small food processor and process until smooth and dates are all incorporated.

For fennel:

1. Melt fat of choice in a medium skillet. Saute chopped fennel for 4-5 minutes with a pinch of sea salt, until fragrant but still crunchy. Remove from heat and allow to cool. I place mine in the fridge to cool them faster.

For grilled peaches:

1. Cut peaches in half and pit them. Lightly brush peach halves with melted coconut oil, butter, or ghee.
2. Grill peach halves cut side down over medium heat (with grill lid closed) until tender but not falling apart. Timing varies with the ripeness of your peaches. Mine took about 12-14 minutes. Check them periodically until done. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To assemble salad:

1. Toss salad greens with dressing until well coated. Place into a large bowl. Pour cooled fennel pieces and chopped bacon on top. Arrange grilled peaches along the side.
2. Serve immediately. Enjoy!!

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Notes

This recipe calls for already cooked bacon. I bake my bacon at 400′ F on a big baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until crispy. It makes a much smaller mess and tends to burn less. You can also cook it in a pan on the stove top.

Either way, reserve a bit of the bacon fat for the dressing.

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