Drunken Sauerkraut

3 strips bacon, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 (2 pound) package sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 (12 ounce) can beer or apple cider
3/4 cup grated carrot
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Saute bacon in medium size heavy pot or Dutch oven until all fat is rendered, but bacon is not browned.

Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until softened.

Stir in the sauerkraut, sugar, caraway seeds and beer. Bring to boiling. Lower heat; simmer, partially covered, 1 hour.

Add carrot. Simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes longer. If mixture is too wet, raise heat slightly; cook, uncovered, a little longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Microwave Instructions: Reduce beer to 3/4 cup. Do not chop bacon. Microwave bacon on grid in microwave safe dish about 13 x 9 inches, uncovered at full power 3 minutes. Remove bacon and grid; crumble bacon. Add onion to dish. Microwave at full power, 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Mix in sauerkraut, sugar, caraway, beer, carrot and bacon. Cover with wax paper. Microwave at half power for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley.

116 calories per serving, 3 gm protein, 6 gm fat, 14 gm carbohydrate, 1,124 mg sodium, 7 mg cholesterol