Pork Fat Rules!

I heart bacon. I really do. And yet, I also attempt to eat healthy on a semi-regular basis. Until recently, I never thought it would be possible to indulge my love of pork products with conscientious eating habits. But then I discovered the beauty that is Cooking Light's online recipe search. They have tons of recipes that include judicious amounts of your favorite naughty foods, but do not contain obnoxious amounts of fat, calories, etc. Here are a few of my absolute favorites:

Pasta Carbonara Florentine - this recipe is the ultimate comfort pasta dish. Carbonara is an egg and cream based sauce (minus the cream in this case). Lots of nummy bacon, drained, with just a touch of the bacon grease reserved to sautee the onions and spinach. I use pecorino romano instead of parmesan, it has more of a bite, and I up the black pepper a bit. Heavenly.

Herbed Fish and Red Potato Chowder - I make this when David brings me back a mess of trout and redfish from his fishing trips with his brothers and dad. It's rich and tasty.

Pork Saltimbocca with Polenta - My Italian food expert friend Ryan informs me that this is a traditional Roman dish, but it usually calls for veal which I don't eat. So this is a double win for me, it's relatively easy to prep and the flavor of the prosciutto (I recommend jamon serrano - the Spanish version of prosciutto) with the sage is just wonderful.

Wasabi and Panko-crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce - Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb. Used correctly, it adds a crunch more reminiscent of battered fried food than Italian breadcrumbs. This recipe is super easy, really delish, and the same techniques can be applied to the alternate meat or fish or your choice with equally good results.

Finding these and other recipes seriously makes me feel like I've won the food lottery. If you're interested in more naughty-healthy recommendations, leave me a comment or email me, I have a whole list of them, including some decadent desserts.