"Honey, stop baking" (Chicken, Kale, & Quinoa Salad)

I've been trying to be a little more health conscious, lately. As Chris Pratt put it upon being cast in Guardians of the Galaxy: "honey, stop baking, I have to lose 75 pounds!" I'm not quite so far gone yet, but I think it's a truth universally known that most Americans (or residents of developed nations, in general) could stand to be a little more mindful of what ends up on their plate. Of course, growing up with a food pyramid that's heavily influenced by lobbying from America's agribusiness conglomerates, it can sometimes be hard to divorce oneself from a craving for 11 servings of grains a day. Through use of other full-flavored ingredients and the selection of lesser evils, however, delicious, healthy, and satisfying meals are still an achievable goal. This month, I offer a chicken, kale, and quinoa salad, punched up with apples, bacon, and avocado.

For your approval

Good Gravy (Bacon Shallot Herb Gravy)

Thanksgiving is all about tradition, but it's also nice to change things up. Since the stakes are too high to chance an untried recipe, however, my friends and I have taken to a pre-Thanksgiving tradition: hosting a small dinner party to vet new entries to the menu before they have a chance to end in tears. I headed to our test kitchen last week, camera in-hand, to pick the best recipe for this month's article, and this bacon shallot herb gravy was the undisputed star of the evening. I think gravy is an unsung hero on the Thanksgiving table. Certainly most people have a favored recipe, (I have very fond memories of my aunt always making ours with the turkey drippings in the roasting pan, itself), but it's a humble condiment. I'm not sure anyone would cite it as their favorite thing on the table. I aim to change that with this recipe, a simple but stunning offering adapted from Justin Chapple that should please even the most discriminating gourmand. Conversely, if you're the type of person to always prepare gravy from a can, jar, or (God bless you) packet, you need to knock that off immediately and try this recipe, instead.

All aboard the gravy train

Nomsense (Maple Bacon Buttermilk Doughnuts)

In a recent imessage chat with my friend Laura, I typographically described something as "nomsensical." Never ones to shy from coining new terminology, we agreed to use it to describe delicious but overwrought and unusual items, like deep fried Mars bars and bacon-crusted doughnuts. Hungry to test our new linguistic creation with a culinary counterpart, I settled on the latter for experimentation. Plump, cakey baked doughnuts are a sweet treat that invite any variety of toppings, but there's some breakfast magic to be found in the fusion of smoky bacon and sweet maple syrup. The resulting flavors amplify each other in a harmony so perfect it's nomsensical.

Nomsensically delicious

Mysterious Origins (Fried Green Tomatoes)

Vacation is over! About a month ago, Aaron and I were conversing with our friend Kristin over our shared love of fried green tomatoes and, wonder of wonders, she recently presented us with some gorgeous specimens, just waiting to hit the bacon grease. Alas, much like honey is the tether that keeps me from veganism, bacon makes any contemplation of full vegetarianism impossible for me. Extra virgin olive oil has its own rich, fruity store of flavors to contribute for those who are less meat enthused, but I'm fairly certain rendered duck fat would taste amazing, too.

Guilty pleasures

Breakfast of Champions (Breakfast Kebabs)

At the beginning of the summer, J and I decided to purchase a new grill, and ended up with a large Weber charcoal grill. Something about grilled food, especially on natural charcoal, really makes my mouth water, so I was anxious to put it to use. Even more so, I didn't want to put myself within the limitations of standard thought and focus solely on lunch/dinner dishes, so I planned for a grilled breakfast.

Now THAT'S breakfast

Turkey Lurkey No More (Turkey Soup with Spinach, Fennel, and Bacon)

The time has come for clearing out Turkey Lurkey. No, not the character from Henny Penny, though he did always give me an unsavory vibe. I mean the Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past possibly now dwelling in the back of your refrigerator. Sarah and Dar stopped by on Sunday with the boys for some post-Thanksgiving family time and we all had big turkey sandwiches, but it wasn't really making a dent in the reserve. Sarah suggested I post about ways to repurpose lurking turkey, and my first entry, though on the nose, is turkey soup.

Covered in bacon!