Bacon Wrapped Dates
The Bacon Wrapped Date with Bleu Cheese: The last appetizer you will ever make to earn all of the love from every friend and family member you have ever wanted to please (unless that friend is on a diet). Easy, affordable and... Healthy?? Okay, lets answer this question now before we continue- bacon: Healthy in moderation when practicing a primal diet combined with a significant amount of activity, otherwise, quite unhealthy. Dates: high in antioxidants, potassium and magnesium but also fairly high on the glycemic index, opening the door for a quick insulin spike and another fat cell expanded full of new stored energy. And lastly- Cheese: From paleo to primal to atkins and zone diets there seems to be a consistent opinion about cheese and that is- we all have one! Whatever you have found to be true about cheese and dairy is and should be unique to you. I personally have little problem with most dairys when used in loving moderation, so lets jump on in to this gluten free, high fat, medium protein, higher than normal carb pupu (pupu for all of you non-hawaiian speaking folk is the same as appetizer, or tapa).
What you will need:
- 12oz grass-fed organic bacon
- 1 box or about 18 organic dates
- 1 small tub crumbled bleu cheese
Play by Play:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Pit dates (I usually use 20)
- Cut your bacon strips in half width-wise
- Stuff dates with about 1-2 teaspoons of bleu cheese (more if you desire)
- Wrap a cheese stuffed date with bacon strip and secure with tooth pick
- Chuck them all onto a cookie sheet with as much of the bacon surface on the sheet as possible
- Cook for 18-22 minutes flipping dates once half way through to brown both sides equally
- Enjoy. Share. Make more friends :)
So, as stated previously; this is not the pupu you want to be indulging in on a regular basis. In fact, if I know I am going to be making these I often aim to get a hard workout in prior to eating. This allows for the dense amount of calories to help nourish and rebuild while my glycogen storage levels are low. This however is still not compliant with a low carb, high fat diet in which keeping your glycogen storage low is beneficial. More on this here in my blog Why You should Go Primal. With all that- go enjoy a treat meal and make some friends! Enjoy. And stay elevated! ;)