Day 2 of Thanksgiving real food recipe remix week. Yesterday we looked at a homemade 100% real food pumpkin hummus appetizer platter that was gluten free, dairy free and vegan-friendly.

Today, another pre-main Thanksgiving course appetizer idea before we jump into remixed main course side dishes tomorrow.  This particular appetizer I actually grew up eating with my family:  Caramelized leek & bacon dip

Traditionally this would be served with a sour cream base, the leeks would braise in butter and it would be served with chips or sliced baguette.  I remixed this one so it’s 100% Paleo-friendly by using plain coconut yogurt as a base instead of sour cream, no butter, and rather than chips or sliced baguette, we’re going to serve ours with homemade sweet potato chips to keep it 100% real food approved.

Ingredients:

3 large leeks, sliced thin (white part)

4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil (or bacon fat..see directions below)

2 cups plain, unsweetened coconut yogurt (you can also use plain greek yogurt if you prefer)

12 strips of bacon, cooked & chopped into bacon bits

1 teaspoon garlic pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

pink salt to taste (probably won’t need though if your bacon is salty)

Directions:

1. Start by pan frying your bacon.

2. Once it’s cooked, remove bacon and all but 4 tablespoons of bacon fat.  Add your leeks to the bacon fat and let them caramelize on low for about 30 minutes, stirring every so often. 

Note with bacon fat:  I’ve mentioned this before in other posts and will mention again, if you have a pastured, properly raised & fed pig/bacon source, then you have a high quality fat that your biochemistry will recognize as “fuel” based on your metabolic type.  If you use factory farmed bacon, do NOT use the bacon fat.  Fat stores toxins, so the toxic residues of factory farmed, improperly fed, drug administered and high-stressed lifestyle pigs will be concentrated in the fat…that you then eat.  When you then ingest toxins, your body will lay down new fat tissue and store those toxins in fat to protect your organs, glands, nervous system etc (the body does this as its own protection mechanism).  One of the simplest ways to lose fat fast is to properly cleanse toxic tissues from years/decades of bio-accumulation.  With the toxicity gone, the fat “holding onto it” goes with it.  And the easiest way to maintain fat loss and overall health & vitality is to eliminate as many toxins as you can from a commercial, toxic food supply and opt for local, organic sources of food with the least amount of toxic residues.  What’s the point of leading a healthy lifestyle and putting in all the work, if you’re going to keep ingesting toxins from a commercial food supply?

2a.  If you don’t want to use the bacon fat, use 4 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil and caramelize the same (if you go this route, you can start the leeks simultaneously when you start your bacon).

3.  Once your leeks are done, transfer them to a bowl and let cool.  Add your bacon bits, yogurt and spices and mix well with a fork.

4.  Taste for salt and pepper

Serve with homemade sweet potato chips or other dipping food of your choice.

Enjoy!