Bean and Bacon Soup with Spinach Salad

As I mentioned earlier I decided to incorporate bacon in to The Carnivore's dinner this week since he's been so great during the transition to a more plant based diet.

Therefore, I made a bean and bacon soup for him. I think it smelled great but I didn't taste it since I'm eating entirely vegan for May, June, and July to see if I can make it work for me.


Step 1: I soaked a bag of navy beans over night and then added them to our slow cooker with enough chicken broth to cover the beans. I cooked them alone in the broth for about 90 minutes before adding the other ingredients.




 

Step 2:  I placed 12 strips of maple bacon on foil lined cookie sheets. I then covered the cookie sheets with a second piece of foil to prevent splattering. Then I put them in a cold oven set to 425 degrees. Once the oven reached temperature I cooked the bacon for about 25 minutes to get it crispy. I did drain the grease halfway through cooking.


Step 3: I chopped up a few carrots, some celery, half a white onion and a few cloves of garlic. I sauteed the veggies in some of the bacon grease until the onions were transparent.






Step 4: Add veggies and bacon to the slow cooker. Continue to cook on low until beans are done. Season as you wish. I added some additional salt and pepper.








This recipe made 5 2 cup servings.

The Carnivore gets a serving of soup with a spinach salad that contains spinach, feta, craisins, a few squares of a mixed nut block and a honey balsamic vinaigrette.