Micro-pigs and Coconut Bacon
**Preface: I’m embarrassed to publish this blog post, but I’m putting it out there because we all get hair-brained ideas that won’t quit, BUT lead us somewhere great. Mine lead me to Coconut Bacon. We could all use a little more meat-alternative recipes in our lives - amirite?
Can somebody from somewhere please share a similar “what was I thinking?!” moment so I know I’m not alone?! **
Bacon
I love bacon. Not that weird millennial love where it's in everything from cupcakes to hair products. I have a straight up breakfast love of it with a side of eggs, potato patty, toast and a nice hot beverage. Love starting my weekend like that.
I'm also in love with the idea of a micro-pig. For a pet. I’ve been checking out Instagram #hashtags and micro-pigs are ADORABLE. Go check them out for yourself. They’re cute, super smart, mirror human emotions (pigs cry when they’re sad!) and they’re a non-threatening pet that would allow our kids to stop begging for a dog. People are afraid of big dogs, but not many people are afraid of a little piggy out for a walk.
We couldn’t have a pig and then eat bacon/ham/pork chops, etc… So, we were going to need to find a bacon alternative. That’s when Coconut Bacon entered my life.
Not only would I have a super cool pet (Pig Floyd is what I’ve named him/her), but we’d eat Vegan Bacon too(!) and not support industrial farms, etc... OMG - pass me my trendy overpriced latte and paint my living room the Pantone Colour of the Year 2018 - I’m feeling soo gaul-darn hip right now.
I referenced two recipes to make Coconut Bacon:
Cookie & Kate https://cookieandkate.com/2014/how-to-make-coconut-bacon/ These are two trusted recipe sites I use so I knew it was going to work out. And it worked out amazing! The recipes say to bake the coconut for about 15 minutes total, but mine took closer to 22 minutes. I used 3 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes (the really fat, inch long pieces) and now have enough bacon for many meals. I store it in the freezer and take out enough to sprinkle into whatever I’m making or I’ll just eat a handful as a snack.
I love it, the hubs likes it, two oldest kids had a strong dislike, but our youngest LOVED it! So, I’m calling that a win.
Feeling super pumped about the Coconut Bacon success I immediately started typing this blog post and then thought “hmmm, better do a little more googling to make sure I’m nailing all my micro-pig intel”.
This is where the wheels fell, Flew, EXPLODED off my bus.
Did you know that micro pigs are not a thing?!!! (Insert 100 more exclamation points here.) Talk about being disappointed. This micro-pig was supposed to be my dream pet that was coming on all family adventures and be everyone’s best friend for the next 20 years. (Insert crying emoji face.)
Micro-Pig is an actual term, but refers to pigs that are smaller than 300+ lb farm pigs (see picture above); they’re still 75-100 lbs (or more)! Here is the excellent, real-world website that lays out the good with the bad. Many people say a lot of good things about having a pig, but I was especially grateful for the honest day to day descriptions of what a pig pet is actually like. https://www.minipiginfo.com/what-is-a-mini-pig.html
I’m not going to list the myriad of items or potential issues that turned me off from pig ownership - you’ll have to check out the website for yourself - , but turns out I’m in love with the IDEA of a micro-pig….not an actual pig.
I’ll keep my coconut bacon though.