Spinach & Artichoke Dip - Hefeweizen

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Weight watchers points – 3T/point with veggies, 1T or 2T with chips

Servings – serves 6

1 box frozen spinach

1 can quarted artichoke hearts (drained)

4 cloves garlic

¼ c light sour cream

¼ c light cream cheese

2T ranch seasoning

¼ c parmesan cheese

¼ c part skim mozzarella

1.      Preheat oven to 350°

2.      Mix all ingredient together

3.      Place in oven for 20 minutes

We loved this.  Generally spinach artichoke is full of mayo, sour cream, or cream cheese with tons of fat.  With some minor modifications I was able to eat a lot of this for few points or calories.

I would pair this with a Hefeweizen, Lake Placid from New York.  It has a slight clove vanilla taste that gives a sweet, smooth hefeweizen a little more depth and character.  I personally love a little spice in the background of a beer, especially a light beer like a hefeweizen.  The revised version of the spinach artichoke dip has a little more spice to it so it melds well with this beer.

Fajita Chicken Nacho Bites - Blonde Ale

Fajita Chicken Nacho Bites

Weight watcher points – 1/bite

Servings – 30

1 Chicken Breast

1 cup fat free refried beans

1 cup shredded 2% milk sharp cheddar

2 T fajita seasoning

30 Baked tortilla scoops

Light Sour Cream

1.      Preheat oven to 450

2.      Cut chicken breast into small chunks

3.      Cover chicken in fajita seasoning

4.      Cook chicken on stove top 3-4 minutes, until chicken is cooked through

5.      Fill scoop with dollop of refried beans, 1-2 pieces of chicken, top with cheese

6.      Place in over for 5 minutes

7.      Serve with light sour cream to top

There are so many variations you would do with these once you get the idea of doing a mini taco in baked scoops.  They are delicious, filling, sharable and healthy, what’s not to like.  I paired these with a blonde ale.  The flavor of the food is rather mild, so we needed a mild beer as to not overwhelm the flavor.

 I chose Choc Beer Summer Belgian Style Blonde Ale.  I have to say one of the best things I ever decided to do was get Mike a beer of the month subscription for Christmas.  It has been a gift to me as well.  They choose great beers and we have gotten to try breweries throughout the US we would not have known about otherwise.This Blonde Ale has great slightly sweet and honey flavors.  Very refreshing for the summer and pairs great with these bites.  This is a beer Mike and I can agree on!

Oven-fried Zucchini - Pilsner

Oven-fried Zucchini
Weight watchers – 2 sticks/point
Servings – 24 sticks – serves 4 people

6 T whole wheat flour
6 T all purpose flour
6T cornmeal
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
3 Zucchini, cut each zucchini into 8 pieces (sticks)
2 egg whites
Spray Olive Oil

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Combine flours, cornmeal, salt and peppers in bowl dip
3. Dip zucchini sticks in egg white and then dry ingredients
4. Spray zucchini sticks with spray olive oil
5. Place on cookie sheet and cook 10 minutes. Turn, spray and cook 10 more minutes

Ranch

2 T light mayo
1 T skim milk
1 T light buttermilk
1 T light sour cream
1 t hidden valley ranch packet seasoning

1. Mix all ingredients together


This is pretty light even though it’s a mock fried food. For this I have actually picked a style of beer that I generally don’t like, a pilsner. I am actually going with 2 Pilsners here. My favorite is Leinenkugel’s original. I have already recommended another Leinenkugel and happen to be a big fan of the brewery. The other is Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) one of my brothers favorites. I still think it’s odd that he likes enough to know where it’s on tap.

Pilsners are very light in color have a hoppy flavor and aroma. Some styles tend to be rather bitter. For the Leinenkugel there is a malty and slight sweet flavor that’s very refreshing. Now PBR is known as a cheap beer and many of us in the Midwest drank it in our early days as it was what you could afford. It’s brewed in Woodridge, IL essentially where I grew up. However, it really grows on you. It has an oaty smell, is very smooth and refreshing. It has a good balance between hops and malts. I can say pilsners are will definitely quench your thirst and are a great beer in the summer.

Hot Chicken Wings - IPA

Grilled Hot chicken wings with blue cheese sauce

Weight watchers points – 1/wing - 2/wing w. sauce

Yield – 10 wings

1 lb chicken wings

1/2 c season salt

¼ c  Louisiana hot sauce

¼ c  chicken stock

¼ c  apple cider vinegar

1.       You make them even healthier by remoivng the skin or getting skinless but I keep it on, separate at joint and discard tip

2.       Cover wings with half of the season salt

3.       Mix season salt, hot sauce, chicken stock, and vinegar together

4.       Put wings and sauce together in zip lock bag, marinade at least 30 minutes

5.       Heat outdoor grill

6.       Grill for 5 minutes, dip back in marinade, place back on grill turned

7.       Repeat 4-5 times until crisps on the outside

Sauce

1/3c low fat buttermilk

¼ c (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola

1T light mayonnaise

1T red wine vinegar

1t Worcestershire sauce

½ t salt

¼ t pepper

1.       Mix all ingredients together

This is a slightly modified version of my Dad's chicken wing recipe.
                                                                                                                    -Kate

NOW we’re talking. When it comes to bar food, nothing captures my imagination more than some delicious buffalo wings. Now, I’m no coward when it comes to the spicy stuff (and I’ve gotten the chemical burns to prove it), however, when it comes to wings, my favorite spiciness is notch down from blister-inducing. I love a wing with good heat, that doesn’t overpower the flavor. After continually being disappointed in restaurants after ordering “Medium”, I’ve learned that this is what most people call “Hot”.

Katie’s wings were perfect. We both agree that good wings don’t need breading – a perfectly crisped skin can add all the crunch you need, while keeping the juiciness of the chicken inside. Additionally, as opposed to being lathered in hot sauce, I thought the wings tasted more like they were in a spicy rub. I knew there was hot sauce on there, but the texture and flavor from the spices really popped more in my mind. Together, the hot sauce that was on there combined with the other spices worked really well.

To go with the wings, I chose an IPA. IPA’s are known for being a cooler, crisper beer, and their hoppiness can complement the heat and spice of the wings, while staying out of the way of the flavor. The wings should be center stage here, and with the IPA, they stay that way.

 If you’ve read this blog, or know me in real life, than you know I have one strong opinion on beer: I don’t like IPAs. The irony, of course, being: Katie loves them. She had a plethora of favorites to choose from, but I knew there aren’t many that I can say I honestly like; let alone enjoy. The Samuel Adams “Latitude 48 IPA”. Katie’s not as big a fan of Sam Adams as I am, but even this is one she likes. Like all their beers, it’s jam-packed with flavor. The biggest plus for me, is, the hoppiness doesn’t overwhelm the beer, as can happen in other IPAs, and the other flavors can come out and play a bigger supporting role. To me, this beer went really well with the wings, and I didn’t mind having  another after I was done eating, either.

Sláinte! - Mike

Ginger Shrimp - Witbier

Ginger Shrimp

Weightwatchers – 1 point/2-3 shrimp

Serving – 20 -25 shrimp

1 lb of medium peeled, deveined and tail removed shrimp

4 T chopped ginger

2 T soy sauce

1 T honey

1 T white wine

1 t peanut oil

1.       Heat ginger on stove in peanut oil for 2-3 minutes

2.       Add shrimp to skillet and cook 2 minutes on each side until cooked through

3.       Add remaining ingredient to pot

4.       Place each shrimp on a toothpick and add to serving bowl

This also goes great with Witbier .  Witbier's go great with seafood.  A witbier I love is Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat.  Leinenkugel is from Chippewa Falls, WI.  You can find their beers all other the midwest but are sometimes more difficult in other parts of the US.  This has a fruity flavor of lemon and blueberry.  You will also taste more of a slight wheat flavor.

Summer Rolls with Thai Peanut Sauce - Hefeweizen

Summer Rolls w. Thai peanut sauce
Weight watcher points – 1/roll, 2/roll w. sauce
Servings – 8 rolls

Summer Roll
1 ounce rice noodles, cooked based on instructions on box
4 circle or square rice papers
1 c chopped romaine lettuce
3 T chopped mint
3 T chopped basil
3 T chopped cilantro
½ c shredded carrots

1. Mix together lettuce, herbs and carrots
2. Soak one rice paper in warm water for 30 second until soft and pliable
3. Place flat on clean working surface
4. Place ¼ of the rice noodles near bottom of paper, keeping 2 inch border at bottom and 1 inch of each side
5. Place ¼ of lettuce, herb and carrot mixture on top of noodles
6. Fold sides in and then starting at bottom roll up rice paper into roll
7. On angle cut summer roll in half

Thai Peanut Sauce
1 t garlic
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 T onion powder
4 T Water
1 T light natural creamy peanut butter
½ T hoisin sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and heat for 2-3 minutes until combined.



These summer rolls are great as a patio snack. There is a little heat in the peanut sauce, but generally these are a nice light summer appetizer, snack or side dish. Lighter foods go great with Hefewiezen which are great summer beers. I recommend Pyramid Ales Hefeweizen, their brewery is out of Washington. Its refreshing, smooth and light. A great beer for a hot day on the patio with light foods such as salads, light seafood and vegtables. It has a wheat and subtle fruity taste.

French Fries with a Trio of dipping sauces – American Pale Ale

French Fries with a Trio of dipping sauces – American Pale Ale

French Fries
Weightwatchers – 1 point/serving
Serving Size – 8

2 Idaho potatoes
1 t olive oil
Few shakes of Salt
Few shakes of Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Peel potatoes and cut into fresh fries using mandolin
3. Dry potatoes off
4. Place into bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
5. Place on non stick cookie sheet, cook 10 minutes
6. Flip and cook 5-10 more minutes depending on browning


Parsley & Garlic French Fries
Weightwatchers – 1 point/serving
Serving Size – 8

Same as above
+ 2 t garlic
+1 T chopped parsley

1. Same steps as above, add garlic and parlsey in step 4


Fire French Fries
Weightwatchers – 1 point/serving
Serving Size – 8

Same as French fries
+ 1 T red pepper

1. Same steps as French fries, add red pepper step 4

Fry Sauce
2 T Mayo
2 T Ketchup
2 T BBQ Sauce (I used that from the chicken BBQ bites)
1 T Louisiana Hot Sauce
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper

1. Mix all ingredient together
Mustard Sauce
2 T Mustard
2 T light sour cream
2 T Ranch
2 t prepared horseradish
Dash of salt
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of onion powder

1. Mix all ingredient together


Loaded Backed Potato Sauce
3 T sour cream
1 piece of turkey bacon cooked crispy and chopped
1 t onion powder
2 T light sharp cheddar shredded
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper

1. Mix all ingredient together

American Pale Ale – these are traditional citrusy and have a pine taste to them. Flying Dog – Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale – Delicious. This is a very well balanced beer with hints of caramel and citrus. Flying Dog is Maryland based brewery.

BBQ Chicken Potato Bites - Amber Lager

Servings – 20 bites
Weight Watchers points – 1/bite

2 Idaho potatoes, peeled
1 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shreddedBBQ sauce
1/2 cup light sharp cheddar cheese

BBQ Sauce:
1/2 c ketchup
1,5 T Splenda brown sugar blend
1.5 T apple cider vinegar
.5 T worchestershire
.5 T lemon juice
2 t Dijon mustard
Dash of louisiana hot sauce
Dash of onion powder
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450°
2. Cut each potato into 10 pieces creating about ½ inch disks
3. Boil potatoes on stove for 10-15 minutes (potatoes should be soft but not mushy)
4. Place potatoes on baking dish in single layer, spray each side with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Cook potatoes 15 minutes
6. Flip over and cook another 15 minutes
7. Mix ingredients for BBQ sauce
8. Combine BBQ sauce with shredded chicken
9. Top potato with spoon full of chicken and sprinkle cheese on top8. Cook another 5 minutes

This goes well with an Amber Lager. I recommend Sprecker Special Amber Vienna Style Lager. I grew up in Chicago on Sprecker rootbeer and am embarrassed today I found out about their beers only through a beer of the month club. This is a mild, smooth beer. It has a balance of sweetiness, malts and hops. There are caramel tastes with medium body. I loved this beer and wish I saw it more stars in Dallas.

Traditional Potato Bites – Amber Ale

This is a lighter version of traditional potato skins.

Servings – 20 bites
Weight Watchers points – 1/bite

2 Idaho potatoes, peeled
8 pieces of crisp turkey bacon, chopped
1/2 cup light sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup light sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 450°
2. Cut each potato into 10 pieces creating about ½ inch disks
3. Boil potatoes on stove for 10 minutes (potatoes should be soft but not mushy)
4. Place potatoes on baking dish in single layer, spray each side with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Cook potatoes 15 minutes
6. Flip over and cook another 15 minutes
7. Top each potato with cheese and bacon
8. Cook another 5 minutes
9. Remove and top with a small dollop of sour cream


This goes great with a Pale Ale or an American Amber/Red Ale. Recommend Fat Tire Amber Ale. Fat Tire goes with variety of foods and is a good casual drinking beer as well. Pale and amber ales are very popular worldwide. They have medium body, low to medium malty, and bitterness and aroma of hops. It does not have the after taste you may know of from IPAs. People who don’t like IPAs may like these beers as the bitterness is more mild and balanced with the malt.

Buffalo Chicken Dip & Shrimp Nacho Bites - IPAs

I decided somewhat last minute last night to try out two recipes I saw in weight watchers magazine. I am currently doing weight watchers as a means to lose about 12 pounds. I have only been doing it about a week and half and have lost 2 pounds. 10 more to go. As usual I did not follow the recipes 100%, but I'll give you the recipes as I made them.

Shrimp Nacho Bites
Serving Size – 1 bite
Weight Watcher points – 1/bite
Yields 16 servings

½ c shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
3 T chopped fresh cilantro
3 T light mayonnaise
¼ chili powder
3 oz canned chopped green chiles drained
¼ pound of cooked peeled shrimp, chopped
16 baked tortilla chip scoops (Tostitos)

1. Preheat oven to 450°
2. Combine first 6 ingredients. Spoon 1 t into each scoop. Place scoops on baking sheet
3. Bake for 5 minutes and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Serving Size – 2 T dip & 2 celery sticks
Weight Watcher points – 2/serving
Yields 8 servings

3 oz light cream cheese
½ c finely chopped cooked chicken breast
2 T light ranch dressing
2 T Louisiana hot sauce
3 T crumbled blue cheese
3 T shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
Dash of pepper
Dash of onion powder
3 T crushed baked ridged potato chips (ruffles)
16 Celery Sticks

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl.
2. Microwave 4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle potato chips on top.

We both loved the buffalo chicken dip. It was spicy and didn’t remotely taste like a diet food. I served it with celery, tortilla chips and bread. Went great with all. We felt that the chips on top did not add much dip and I would probably leave them off next time. I also want to play it with it trying some different hot sauces and maybe thinning it a bit, it seemed a bit thick to me as a dip. It would be great with a variety of veggies, crackers, bread and chips. I think it would also go well (without the chicken) as a spread on sandwiches. It would also work well in wonton or chip scoops as a single bite much like the shrimp bites.

The shrimp bites were a little less impressive. The chips actually got a little soggy. I did not feel the mayo added much and probably is what added to the sogginess. The flavors were a little dull to me. I love the concept of putting fillings into the baked scoops. I could see doing this with a variety of different fillings as well as making different types of shells such as wontons or pitas.

I had Stone IPA with my dinner. It went amazingly well with the buffalo chicken dip. The spiciness of the dip contrast well and was cut well with the hoppy nature of the beer. It did not go as well with the shrimp nacho bites as the flavor of the bites was a little more subtle and got drowned out by the strong flavors of the beer.

I have tried Stone IPA a few times. I like it very much while eating. However, not as much as drinking it alone. IPAs are my favorite kind of beer and I generally like them as general drinking beers. However, the strong fruit and hoppy flavors were a little overwhelming for me.

Getting Started

My fiancé Mike and I have decided to start this blog to combine some of our interests. We love to eat and we love beer. Nothing gives me the comfort and pure enjoyment of food like bar food. Nothing takes away a bad day better for me then cheese fries and an IPA.

We are huge sports fans. We live in Dallas and cheer for Dallas teams, but some of our primary teams are from other cities. I was born and raised in Chicago, so the Chicago sports teams are first in my heart. Mike was born and raised a Denver Broncos fan. We can't always get our games to watch at home, so we spend a lot of time at local sports bars watching games, hanging out with our friends, eating good food and drinking craft beers. When it’s not 100 degrees here, we enjoy this time on a patio.

We wanted to recreate those times spent in those bars at home with our friends and family. We want to share our knowledge of food and beer with others. Our goal is to take traditional bar food and create new recipes that are focused on sharing with others and making it a little healthier filled with lots of flavor. We want it to be something you can enjoy on a regular basis without the calories and regret that usually accompanies bar food. Also have it be something you would be proud to share at parties and while entertaining.

We will take these new recipes and pair them with complementary American craft and microbrew beers. We look forward to sharing our food, our recipes and our beer pairings with you guys.