Happy Labor Day, my friends! Hopefully you’ve been enjoying your smoothies after last week’s post.
Since we have two weeks of summer left, I’m sharing another recipe that’s perfect for hot days. (This is actually a year-round favorite in my house — summer, winter, or anytime in between.) 🙂
The key to keeping this recipe clean is the bacon you choose.
Most bacon you’ll find at the store is cured, meaning it has added nitrates and nitrites. While some say the research is inconclusive on these chemicals’ effects on the body, I personally choose to steer clear of them. Even if just one study shows they can cause cancer in animals*, I’m happy to find a better alternative, especially since so many tasty ones exist in the market.
As delicious as bacon is, the real secret to this recipe is the egg. When you toss the ingredients together, the yolks add a creaminess that perfectly offsets the crisp lettuce and bacon. Yum!
Feel free to multiply this recipe for the number of servings you need, and tweak the ingredients to suit your tastes. (My protein-loving husband likes to add shredded cheese and a creamier dressing.)
Enjoy!
Clean BLT Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced (optional)
- 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
- 1 slice of cooked bacon, crumbled
- Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- Apple cider vinegar, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the first five ingredients in a large, single-serve salad bowl.
- Drizzle with oil and vinegar; toss to coat.
That’s it! Super easy and sooo delicious.
To make it even simpler, I highly recommend this oven method for cooking your bacon. Turns out crispy every time! And if you’re curious what kind of bacon I use, here it is…
*If you’re interested in the technical talk behind nitrates’ and nitrites’ health effects, here’s the latest summary from the CDC.
