Bacon Roasted Grape Salad (gluten-free + dairy-free w/ vegan option)

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Bacon Roasted Grape Salad (gluten-free + dairy-free)

This Bacon Roasted Grape Salad is life-changing in it’s simplicity. Smokey, savory and a little sweet – this salad will forever change how you look at grapes!

Red Grapes

I am not one that is necessarily good with rolling with the punches and going with the flow. In many ways I am very easy going and able to just pick up and go, deal with what is handed to me and make lemons out of lemonade. On the other hand, when it comes to my work and the things I am most passionate about, it can be hard when things don’t go exactly as I planned.

This seems to be the theme of my life right now. Whether it’s rethinking my publishing schedule and the few weeks of recipes I had planned to make, due to 20+ lbs of fresh grapes coming from our grape vines or realizing the trip to San Francisco I was meant to go on with my hubby for work, just wasn’t going to happen and that he would be going alone and I would have to stay behind.

Bacon Roasted Grape Salad (gluten-free + dairy-free)

The recipe was originally meant to be shared on another website, a big time foodie site that had asked me to put together a recipe for an ongoing gluten-free column they were interested in. After working away on my pitch and this recipe, I found out that they had VERY different ideas and expectations than what I had. What they wanted and what they were willing to offer me, just didn’t add up. It meant a great deal of work for me and from their end I would barely be compensated for the groceries I would be buying. Rather than getting caught up in the glitz and glamour of their name, forgetting about the bragging rights and what it would feel like to have their name on my resume – I decided to respect myself and my work enough to say “NO!” One of the very hardest things to do, especially when my pride is concerned. So, originally this recipe wasn’t going to be shared here on Tasty Yummies today, I was saving it for a this fun new column I thought I was going to have.

So yeh, it’s 5pm on a Monday and I am just now putting a post up, a post that I thought was going to be somewhere else. And right this very minute I should actually be in the car driving back from San Francisco with my husband, but I’m not. And guess what – it’s all good! Life goes on and in the grand scheme of things, none of this will matter, regardless if this is how I thought it would all go, or not!

Bacon Roasted Grape Salad (gluten-free + dairy-free)

OK, so back to why this salad will change your life! Roasting grapes brings out and highlights their inherent sweetness, if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly suggest you step to it. Sure you could simply roast the grapes in a little olive oil, which I have done plenty of times myself now, but when you roast them in the bacon grease – OH MY! The bacon roasted grapes themselves become a salsa/dressing of sorts. Adding them atop of your favorite greens, with the crispy toasted almonds and the crumbled bacon – it’s just magic.

Grape, Parsley and Lemon Infused Water

Oh and since I am swimming in grapes over here, literally – why not infuse some water while I’m at it. Halve some grapes, add some lemon slices and fresh parsley – voila! An amazingly refreshing summery drink!

Bacon Roasted Grape Salad (gluten-free + dairy-free)

[print_this]Bacon Roasted Grape Salad – Gluten-free and Dairy-free w/ Vegan Option
serves 2 to 4

  • 4 pieces pasture-raised bacon
  • 2 cups red grapes, removed from their stems
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp whole grain mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 cups organic mixed baby greens of your choice
  • 1/4 cup toasted almond slices
Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Place the 4 pieces bacon in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Cook the bacon for 15 minutes or until crispy and brown. When done, lower the temperature of the oven to 375ºF and place the bacon on a paper towel lined plate.

Add the grapes to the baking sheet, with the bacon grease, add a little salt and pepper! Toss them around to get them evenly coated and place the pan back into the oven. Allow the grapes to roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the grapes have started to burst and are tender, their juices all over the pan.

While the grapes are roasting, whisk together the lemon juice, whole grain mustard, minced garlic and olive oil. Once the grapes are done, add them and all the lovely baconey grape juices from the pan to the bowl with the dressing. Give it all a good mix, season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Divide the greens up amongst the plate. Top the greens with the roasted grape mixture, crumble the bacon up and divide it evenly among the plates and top each with some toasted almond slices. Enjoy! [/print_this]

NOTES: for those that are vegan or vegetarian, simply skip the bacon, roast the grapes in a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil and instead of the bacon, top the salad with some coconut bacon, smoked almonds and/or some smoked sea salt! Easy.

 

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13 Responses

  1. I loved roasted grapes. Never thought of roasting them in bacon grease before. Holy crap-o-la! YUM!

  2. Bonnie Sanders says:

    Thanks for the recipe. I am sure you already know this but everything happens for a reason. I am going thru some similar experiences. We may never know why things happen tbe way they do but we are where we are suppose to be. Now I better head to the grocery for some grapes! Take care!

  3. I’m also obsessed with roasted grapes….but I’ve never added BACON GREASE! I’m sold.

    I’m sorry your column and SF trip didn’t work out! Next time you’re up this way, I’d love to grab coffee or lunch with you! And bacon.

  4. Mmm…the salad and water both look delicious! There must be something in the air, testing us all lately…I too, just had to cancel & miss out on some plans and a trip I had been looking forward to, due to….circumstances…but like you said, in the grand scheme of things, life goes on! Bonnie above me is right, everything happens for a reason. Good for you for sticking to your guns and staying true to yourself! 🙂

  5. Kim says:

    Congratulations on honoring yourself. So many of us probably need this kind of modeling. Thank you.
    I love your site and will give this new recipe a go soon!

  6. I’ve been following your grape adventures on instagram, and I love finding the recipes here. Even if the recipes aren’t touted on some site that verifies that you know what you’re talking about when it comes to food 😉

    I say ‘no’ a whole lot more than ‘yes’ when it comes to my blog space. I think it’s served me well?

    xo

  7. Cheryl Wood says:

    Dying to try your creation, it sounds marvelous and I have a pound of bacon that needs cooking. Your outlook on life is refreshing, along with the tall infusion water – I make some every day! Lotsa love xxx …

  8. Megan says:

    This looks so awesome!! I’m doing a cleanse right now and can’t have bacon yet, but this is one of the first things I want to have when I’m done! What do you think about using green grapes? Have you tried roasting them yet? I think this needs to be made for girls night….
    Thanks,
    Megan

  9. Gaby says:

    Perfect summer salad!!! Looks delicious!

  10. I have never roasted grapes before, but now I really want to try them – they sound wonderful paired with salty bacon! Good for you for turning down that column…I’m a violinist who has had to turn down low paying gigs, and it was the right thing to do. You have to be paid what you’re worth!

  11. Good for you for standing up for yourself! This salad looks incredible and thank you for sharing it here!

  12. Fantastic salad and kudos for standing up for what you believed in. I bet there’ll be more opps down the line 🙂

  13. WHAT. WHERE WAS I WHEN THESE ENTERED THE INTERNET. I think I’m having some kind of excitement spasm that triggers capslock yelling. Send help immediately. Or salad. Definitely send this salad. xo!

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