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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

[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

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]