I wish I was publishing healthy traditional Thanksgiving dishes this week in preparation for the holiday. Once again, though, my diet had to be narrowed. On the bright side of the most recent restrictions, my symptoms are 80% improved. What didn’t make the cut this time was FODMAP foods (aka, foods that have fermentable properties in the gut). So while I wait for testing next week, I’ll be trying to get creative with what I can still eat.

A big downside to this season of health is that it’s tough to be honest with people about the diet I’m following for medical reasons while being a nutritionist. I don’t want to give people the impression that they should be eating like this too unless their health calls for it. Luckily, though, I think this recipe can be enjoyed by everyone without the connotation that it’s therapeutic for someone on low-FODMAP.

I can’t imagine anyone turning down a vegetable dish that contains bacon at Thanksgiving dinner. The butcher I use in Denver cures her own sugar-free bacon from pastured pigs and it’s divine to cook with. For this recipe, you cook the bacon first to render the fat and use that to sauté the bok choy in. A squeeze of lemon and some lemon zest add some brightness as a finishing touch.

Ingredients

• 4 heads of bok choy

• 2 slices pastured bacon, sugar-free

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Method

Heat a large cast iron skillet or pot on medium-high heat. Chop raw bacon into 1” pieces. Add to heated pot and cook until crispy.

Clean and slice the bok choy heads to be 1/2” - 1” thick. Add to the pot and sauté in the bacon fat until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat, garnish with lemon juice and zest to taste.