My New Fav

So Jake’s buddy Justin works for Anheiser-Busch and we’re priveleged to receive many gifts in the form of beer.

Well, we’ve got so much that often we give most of it away, but occasionally I begin to experiment with our meals.

Twice this week I’ve been able to use a bit of beer to spice up our meal. First time being an orange flavored wheat beer for a marinade with salsa on chicken. Last night it was as a jus for our steaks with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice.

So I challenge you to use the full and many flavors of beer (you can cook the alcohol out) for your next meal.

Chicken & Salsa Recipe

So this was on a whim and seemed to turn out pretty darn good.

About an hour before I wanted to cook the chicken, I marinated it in beer (Shock Top) and salsa (leftover Pace). Then I pulled it out of the marinade, and made a foil pocket where I topped it with a bit of salsa. baked it at 350 degrees for about 25-30 mins. Delicious!

For not having much in the pantry, this was a quick fix and was way better than spending the money to order out.

Spinach Recipe

Here’s an easy one for you.

3 strip of bacon, cut (optional)

1/2 Yellow onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 container baby bella mushrooms, quartered

1 bag of spinach

In a large pot, warm bacon or olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion. Add in garlic. Cook until onions are translucent*. Add in mushrooms and spinach. Allow spinach to wilt, covered for about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve

*Add a little salt to help bring out the liquids in the onion faster.

Quinoa Recipe

 

This is a great Spring/Summer recipe! Quinoa is super healthy, a little goes a long way, and it’s not so hard on the pocketbook. It also can be easily modified for a vegetarian meal!

Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

You’ll need:

1/2 c. Quinoa

1c. Water

1c. Chicken or Vegetable Stock

1/2 Red Onion, chopped

1/2 c. Scallion, sliced

1 Garlic Clove, roughly chopped

1Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 c. English Cucumber, diced

1/2 c. Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized saucepan, saute onion, scallion and garlic over medium heat until translucent. Add in water and Chicken/Vegetable Stock. Bring to a boil. Add in Quinoa and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Once all iquids are absorbed, remove from heat and stir in cucumber and tomatoes. Serve.

This is a fresh, light and simple dish to make. The cucumber is still crunchy and the tomatoes warm just enough to make their flavor fuller. If you’re looking for a vegetarian version, add in cubed tofu.

This recipe can be easily made into a 30-minute meal. Get the onions & garlic going, start the quinoa boiling and move onto the protein. Chicken will bake in 25 minutes. Use quinoa as a substitute to any starch and steam some fresh green veggies in the microwave for about 5 minutes and you have a great meal!

Asparagus Recipe

I thought it’d be a good idea to post on recipes that I’ve found successful. I mean, for crying out loud, I did get a degree in Culinary and I love, fresh, easy and nutritious ways (among others) to creating a well rounded meal.

Being that I am a total sweet tooth, I was originally attracted to the cover of this magazine. But as I started to scour over the pages, I found a wonderful grilled asparagus recipe. It goes as follows:

1 bunch of fresh Asparagus

1Tbs. Olive Oil

1tsp. Salt

1 Lime

Directions:

Cut bottoms of Asparagas spears 2 inches from the bottom.

In a square baking pan, toss Asparagus, Olive Oil and Salt together until well coated.

Place on grill, 350 degrees, for approximately 10 minutes.

Place back in square baking dish and top with the juice of 1 Lime.

This is a simple, refreshing and Summer-friendly dish that will have even the vegetable haters in the group begging for more!