This actually was the result of some leftover Roasted Garlic, Pepper & Goat Cheese Dip that I had made for a dinner at friends.  (I finally got to meet baby Jackson and see new parents Carissa & Andrew) He is the most precious thing I have ever seen. And now I have a major baby obsession. I like babies.

baby jackson

So back to the bagel, although I’d rather talk and think about Jackson….I needed a lunch to take to work and I had just enough of the dip and some spinach in the fridge to come up with something that I knew would feel like an indulgent lunch while keeping it on the healthy side. You can read about my love of Hemp Bagels here but basically they have 13 grams of fiber and 19 grams of protein. Add some veggies and totally satiating goat cheese? It made for a perfect lunch that kept me satisfied until cheese hour I got home.

picture by Robert S Donovan

I forgot to tell y’all about one of my favorite parts about New Orleans! Our last morning of the trip was spent at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Our teacher was New Orlean’s version of Paula Deen. Butter included. My parents had been there before and we actually had one of the dishes (Artichoke & Shrimp Soup) last year for Christmas! The soup is amazing by the way, chock full of butter and cream. I’ll try to make it for y’all real soon

Anyway, our teacher was discussing the uses of butter and lard and when to use it in which roux, etc. etc. and she happened to mention that lard has less saturated fat than butter. My Mom and I vowed to look it up as soon as we got to a computer. Wait, that is what iphones are for. No need to wait. Which is a good thing because I have zlitch patience. She was right. Can you believe it? The old pig wins again. Then I was browsing the October Bon Appetit and they were comparing fats:

So there you have it. Now everyone can make an educated decision on butter vs lard vs duck fat and in the words of Nina Elder “Go ahead and order those duck-fat fries- every once in a while.”

What do you guys think about this? Which fats do you use and prefer? My fats of choice are olive oil and butter for cooking – straight up consuming? Hemp and Avocado.