Spend one day in our office and you’re sure to hear a reference to “Cecily and her crazy caveman diet.” It’s true. For the past year (maybe even two now), I’ve been an off-and-on follower of the Paleo Diet. Without boring you with the details, Paleo is essentially a very “clean” diet of lean meats, fish, vegetables, some fruits and nuts. So what’s missing? Grains and dairy – a.k.a. bread, milk, cheese, ice cream, pizza … all the good stuff in life. I’ll be the first to admit that this is a tough lifestyle to adapt to and is definitely not a fit for every set of taste buds out there.
Ironically enough, however, it was when I began to eat a Paleolithic diet when the true foodie in me started to shine. Suddenly, I was forced to eat out much less, actually turn on my stove, and experiment with new foods and preparation methods. There have been failures aplenty, but the successes have been brag-worthy.
Hence, this post.
The trick to living the Paleo lifestyle is always being prepared with alternatives when you’re faced with those delicious, non-Paleo choices. So, when I landed on Pigs in a Blanket as my all-American dish of choice for the SacFoodies potluck, I knew I needed to prepare a tasty alternative to keep me far away (of course, I had to try just one!).
After a few Google searches for “Paleo-friendly pigs in a blanket” I came across these little bites of heaven: Chorizo-stuffed, Bacon-wrapped Dates. I’m proud to report that these were a definite crowd pleaser at the SacFoodies potluck and make a great appetizer to serve up, whether or not you’re following a crazy “caveman diet.” And if you’re not? I’d throw in a little bleu cheese, too!
Chorizo-stuffed, Bacon-wrapped Dates
Ingredients
1 pound Medjool dates
4 oz. Spanish chorizo
11 slices bacon, cut in half
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove casing from the chorizo and cut into bite-sized pieces. Slice open the dates and remove the pits. Stuff each date with a piece of chorizo. Wrap each stuffed date with 1/2-slice of bacon. Place bacon-wrapped dates on a baking sheet and bake until bacon is cooked through (approx. 20 minutes). You may want to turn dates halfway through baking to ensure even cooking of the bacon.
Christine says
I didn’t know these were caveman approved!! So good.