Steak & Gorgonzola Flatbread – New Belgium Trippel

Steak & Gorgonzola Flatbread

Weight watchers – 3/piece

Servings – 8 (2 pieces/person)

Roll of thin pizza crust from refrigerated section

2t minced garlic

2t onion powder

1 c reduced fat cheddar & jack

1/3 c gorgonzola cheese

5 ounces of grilled filet mignon (rare)

Spray olive oil

1.      Cook pizza crust according to package

2.      Take pizza crust out of oven

3.      Preheat oven to 350

4.      Spray crust with olive oil

5.      Spread garlic & onion powder over crust

6.      Slice filet into strips and sprinkle across crust

7.      Sprinkle both cheese over steak and crust

8.      Heat for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted

9.      Cut into 16 rectangles

Made this for a paring party and it was a big hit.  So delicious.  I now love making flatbreads, refrigerated crusts make it so easy. I paired this with a New Belgium Trippel, one of Mike’s and my favorite beers.  New Belgium is overall one of our favorite breweries.  This tripel is lighter than most tripels and can be a everyday beers.  It’s malty with a strong coriander flavor.

Bean Dip - Witbier

I have no excuse, but I have completely dropped the ball on the blog lately.  This is one of those recipes that have been in my family for ages.  We have it just about every party.  I believe my mom started it and my brother in law Gage perfected it.  It’s a really simple recipe and most the time I have all the ingredients on hand, so its an easy appetizer to put together for an unexpected party.  This is a basic bean dip and you could add dozens of different ingredients to it, but this is always my favorite.

Bean Dip

Weight watchers – 4/serving using baked tortilla scoops (1/2 cup dip with 5 chips)

Servings – about 20 people

1-16 ounce container light cream cheese

1-16 ounce bag 2% milk Mexican cheese

2-15 ounce cans fat free refried beans

1 packet taco seasoning

*These are the amounts I general use, but adjust to your liking of beans/sour cream/cheese ratio.

1.      Preheat oven to 350

2.      In bowl mix together beans and taco seasoning

3.      In baking dish spread a layer of beans

4.      On top of beans add a layer of sour cream (should be about half as thick as bean layer)

5.      On top of sour cream add layer of cheese

6.      Repeat layering, finish with a cheese layer

7.      Heat in oven about 10 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted

8.      Serve with tortilla chips (baked scoops are great for a healthier choice)

This actually pairs really well with a lot of different beers.  It’s not too bold so you do want to stay away from anything too strong in flavor.  It still being summer, I like this with a witbier.  Mike and I both love witbiers especially in the summer.  Shock Top Belgian White, is pretty good is widely available.

Shock Top is another one, like blue moon, done by the big beer companies, Anheuser-Busch.  If I am craving a wit and I am out a bar and they don’t have blue moon, this is often your only other option.  It’s not the best witbier out there, but it will indeed satisfy the craving.  It is brewed with orange, lemon, lime and coriander.  I always love the coriander spice in a beer and the citrus flavors really come through.  This is refreshing and easy to drink.  It’s a good beer for people who don’t typically like beer.

Hoisin Pork Lettuce Wraps - Dunkelweizen

Hoisin Pork Lettuce Wraps

Weight watchers – 1 point/wrap

Servings – 12 lettuce wraps – 4 people – 3/person

1/3 c of hoisin sauce

1 T lime juice

1 T water

1 c shredded carrots

1 c shredded cabbage or lettuce

1 c shredded cucumber

1 c fresh cilantro or 1 T dried cilantro (I don’t always have fresh on hand)

12 ounce pork tenderloin cut into 24 thin strips

12 Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves

1.      Combine hoisin, lime juice and water

2.      Combine carrots, cabbage, cucumber and cilantro

3.      Cook pork on stove top about 3-4 minutes until browned

4.      Mix pork with sauce

5.      Top each lettuce leave with 2 slices of pork and handful of vegetable mixture

I got the idea for these wraps from weight watchers magazine and there is a similar recipe they go over.  By the way if you are on weight watchers I highly recommend the magazine for recipe ideas.

This will probably go into our regular rotation.  It is filling, but without any carbs it’s so low in calories and points.  This would also be great with chicken and equally as healthy.  If you want to add some carbs, some rice noodles or rice would be good in it as well.  The hoisin provides tons of flavor for minimal points and so easy to open a jar.

I paired this with a dunkelweizen which typically do well with substantial salads and pork.  Dunkelweizen is a southern German wheat beer.  Most of these beers are out of Germany but there are a few good American ones.  One of my favorites is a seasonal beer, so unfortunately is not available right now, but watch for it during Christmas time.  I am giving you a heads up to watch for it in the coming season.

It is Shiner’s holiday cheer.  I have talked about Shiner before and greatly appreciate it.  Even though I am not a native Texan, I have lived in the state for 8 years so while it’s not home like Chicago is, it is a close second.  When I tried this for the first time, I was shocked how good it was.  This is brewed with peaches and pecans and you can definitely taste them.  So it’s definitely fruity for a beer, but for a holiday beer, I like it.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings – Abbey Dubbel

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Weight Watchers points – 3/chicken wing

Servings – 15 people (about 3/person)

5 lbs chicken wings, disjointed

1 c soy sauce

½ c Splenda brown sugar mix

¼ c lemon juice

1 T garlic powder

1.      Heat oven to 300

2.      Combine last 4 ingredients

3.      Place chicken wings in a greased pan in a single layer

4.      Pour sauce over wings

5.      Bake 2.5 hours, turning wings every 20-30 minutes

6.      Wings become very dark in color

Although I don’t know where this recipe originally came from, my mom taught it to me and I just love it.  I can eat pounds of these wings all by myself.  They are great as an appetizer or even as a main dish.  Chicken Wings aren't healthy even when baked, they aare 3 points just for one, but these are a far better alternative then deep friend.  A plain chicken wing has a good amount of fat and thus should be a treat rather then a regular choice.  When I eat them, I always make them or order then grilled or baked and "naked" without breading.  I also pair with a salad or lots of veggies so I have just a handful of wings.

I paired these with an abbey dubbel.  I don’t generally drink many dubbels, but Mike loves them.  One we both like is the New Belgium abbey ale.  Almost every single beer out of New Belgium is awesome.  One of the things we were most upset about cancelling our wedding in Denver was not being able to tour the New Belgium brewery.  If you ever plan to go you need to register at least 6 weeks in advance. 

Abbey Dubbels are also called Belgian dubbel. Traditionally abbey dubbels are trappist ales.  Meaning they were brewed by Trappist (a Roman Catholic religious order who follow rule of St. Benedicct) monks.  They have mild hoppiness without a lingering hop flavor.  They have fruit aromas and caramel flavors due to crystal malt used. 

The New Belgium Abbey Ale has won a lot of recognition and awards at the Great American Beer Fest.  It is brewed with 6 different malts and a Belgian yeast strain.  It has a sweet flavor reminiscent of banana and is well balanced.

Strawberry Salad with Raspberry vinaigrette- Hefeweisen

Strawberry Salad with Raspberry vinaigrette

Weight watchers – 2 points/serving

Servings – 4

2 cups romaine or butter lettuce

2 cups baby spinach

2 cups sliced strawberries

3T sunflower seeds

.5 cup low fat feta

Dressing –

1.5t reduced sugar raspberry jam

1T balsamic vinegar

1T water

1t splenda

Pinch of paprika

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

1.      Whisk together all ingredient of dressing

2.      Place lettuce & spinach into large bowl

3.      Top with dressing and mix

4.      Top with strawberries, feta and seeds

This is an easy and delicious summer time salad.  You can do it with all different types of fruit, different jams, different seeds or nuts & different cheese.  Really whatever you have on hand.  There is no oil in the vinaigrette saving you a lot of fat and calories.  Adjust if you prefer more dressing, but I prefer my salads mores on the drier side.

I paired this with a hefeweizen, a light, summery, citrusy beer.  I chose a Texas classic, Spoetzl Shiiner Hefeweizen.  Spoetzl Brewery is located in the small town of Shiner Texas, founded over a hundred years ago.  The hefeweizen is one of their year round, active beers.  It has flavors of orange, lemon and honey.  A perfect compliment and pairing to a light summer salad.

Spinach & Canadian Bacon Grilled Cheese - IPA

I have been so behind on my postings.  To get back on track....

Spinach & Canadian Bacon Grilled Cheese

Weight watchers – 8 points

Serving – 1

1 Whole wheat Bread bread thins

2 T (3/4 slice) Hot pepper muenster cheese

2 T (3/4 slice) 2% sharp cheddar cheese

 1.5 slices of Canadian bacon, cooked

1 t light butter

Handful of baby spinach

1.      Put .5 t of butter on each outside of bun

2.      Flip over buns

3.      On each side place half of each type of cheese

4.      On top side, put handful of fresh spinach

5.      On bottom side, put Canadian bacon slices

6.      Put sides together

7.      Heat in non-stick skillet, under medium heat, a few minutes on each side until cheese is melted and bread is toasted

I was craving a grilled cheese.  A grilled cheese is normally at least 14 weight watchers points and possibly more.  Plus it’s not very well rounded.  I decided to see what I could make with what was in my fridge, add some more protein and a vegetable.  It was amazingly delicious and satisfying.

This does have a little kick to it with the hot pepper muenster.  An IPA always stands up great to spicy rich food.  My husband asked around and researched and found an IPA everyone was recommending.  Yes, we are now married now.  We had a surprise wedding at our Bar Food Pairing wedding a few weeks ago.

The IPA is Abita Brewing Company’s Jockamo IPA.  The brewery is located in Abita Springs, Louisiana.  The Jockamo IPA is a year round beer.  It has a strong piney hoppiness to start with and finishes with a more mild caramel maltiness.  There is also some background orange citrus.  

Tilapia with Mustard Cream Sauce – Cream Ale

Tilapia with Mustard Cream Sauce

Weight Watchers points – 7 points/serving

Servings – 4

Spray olive oil

4 (4 oz) trout fillets

½ t salt

½ t black pepper

1 T onion powder

½ cup white wine

½ cup fat free half and half

2 T Dijon mustard

½ dried tarragon

1.       Spray olive oil on skills over medium heat. 

2.       Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.

3.        Add fish to pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. 

4.       Remove fish

5.       Add wine, half and half, mustard, onion powder, tarragon.

6.       Cook about 2 minutes until reduced and thickened.

7.       Serve sauce over fish.

8.       Serve with roasted or grilled vegetables.

This fish was delicious.  I typically don’t like mustard, but Mike loves it so I try to cook with it more often.  This was flavorful and rich.  I paired this with a Cream Ale.  Cream Ales are American beers similar to a German Kölsch. It is related to blond lagers.  It’s a very smooth beer, with limited malt and hoppiness flavor.  It goes well with light foods and seafood.

I chose the Lagunitas Sirius Ale.  Lagunitas Brewing Company is in Petaluma, California and has a great mix of beers.  The Sirius Ale has great citrusy notes, that pair well with the seafood. 

Basic Spicy Shrimp – IPA

Basic Spicy Grilled Shrimp

Weight watchers – 2 points to 1/4 LB

Servings – 4

1 lb raw peeled, deveined shrimp

2 t garlic

2 t lemon juice

1 t cayenne pepper

Spray olive oil

Salt/pepper

1.       Spray skillet with olive oil

2.       Add garlic, sautee for 30 seconds

3.       Add shrimp

4.       Sprinkle with cayenne, salt, pepper

5.       Cook until no longer pink

6.       Add lemon juice

I made this for dinner one night with rice from a packet and frozen mixed vegetables.  It was a 5 minutes, healthy dinner.  These are delicious as an appetizer as well.  They do have some kick to them, so they would be great with a cooling sauce.

Spicy food always goes greater with IPAs.  The spice and hops balancing well.  One of my all time favorite IPAs, is Dogfish Head’s 90 minute IPA.  Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales is located in Maryland.  This is usually ranked as one of the top American IPAs.  The strongest flavor is definitely the hops, as is with most IPAs.  It’s a very complex flavor with notes of fruit and citrus.  I love this with seafood and of course for the summer.

Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps – Strong Ale

Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Weight watchers – 1/wrap

Serving size  - 8 wraps, 4 people, 2/person

Spray vegetable oil

2 T minced garlic

1 pound ground chicken breast

4 Serrano chilies finely minced

2 T soy sauce

2 T fish sauce

1 cup fresh basil leaves or 1 T dried basil

About 8 Lettuce Leaves

1.       Heat wok or large skillet.  Spray pan with oil, add garlic and heat for about 20 seconds.  Add ground chicken and cook through, about 2 mins.

2.       Stir in chilies, soy sauce and fish sauce.  Cook about 20 more seconds.

3.       Add basil, cook another 20 seconds.

This was delivious and so easy.  It does have a good kick, so adjust the amount of chilies to your spice level.  You can also add some rice or rice noodles to the lettuce wraps.  Adding a little bit will about about 1 point per wrap, but it will make it more substantial and well round.  I served with brown rice, but I do think it would be delicious with rice noodles.

To pair with this I would pick a strong ale.  I chose the Ubu Ale from Lake Placid Craft B.C. in New York.  Mike loved this beer.  He loves strong ales though but this one exceptional.  It has fruitiness on the front end and a chocolate nuttiness on the finish.  This pairs really well with the chicken due to the big intense flavor of both.  They can stand up to each other.

Greek Lemon Artichoke Chicken - Summer Ale

Greek Lemon Artichoke Chicken

Weight watchers points - 5/serving

Servings - 4

2 chicken breasts

1 T Greek seasoning

1 can drained and chopped artichoke hearts

4T lemon juice

4 T reduced fat feta

Olive oil cooking spray

1.       Preheat oven to 450

2.       Cut Chicken breast in half

3.       Sprinkle each side of chicken & artichoke hearts with Greek seasoning

4.       Place chicken into baking dish

5.       Pour artichoke hearts over chicken

6.       Spray with olive oil cooking spray

7.       Pour lemon juice over chicken and artichokes

8.       Bake 20 minutes

9.       Add feta over top of dish

10.   Bake another 5-10 minutes until chicken juice run clear

I made this for dinner and served with orzo.  If you are going to serve this as an appetizer or bar food serve as kabobs or in pitas.  This was simple to make and very delicious.  I will definitely be adding this to my quick week night meal list.  I considered making my own Greek spice blend, but was simply to lazy.  I decided it was good to have it on hand because we do like Greek.  The premade blends – it usually contains salt, pepper, garlic, oregano (a key component), onion powder, parsley, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme.  There are recipes online if you decide to make your own.

I am pairing this with Brooklyn Summer Ale.  I actually got the idea from another website talking about as a good pair for Greek food and they were right.  http://www.examiner.com/beer-pairing-in-new-york/beer-pairing-101-what-beer-goes-with-greek-food

Brooklyn brewery as you may have guessed is located in Brooklyn, NY.  To date Mike and I have had a lot beer from Midwest and Texas, being our home states as well as Colorado and the west coast due to vacations.  But the east has been minimal exposure.  Brooklyn Brewery is definitely one we have tried many times though.  Mike loves Brookyln Local 1, their strong pale ale which I am sure I will pair in the future.  We gave Brooklyn Local 2, their Belgian strong dark ale to a friend for his birthday and it was a big hit. 

For the Brooklyn Summer Ale, I am definitely still inspired to stink with summer beers.  It is 100+ everyday in Dallas these days and anything less isn’t refreshing enough or is simply too heavy.    This is an easy drinking beer.  It is malty with slight hops.  It definitely has a strong lemony and citrusy flavor.  This allows it to pair well with Greek food that often as that lemon flavor through it, this dish definitely does. 

Whiskey BBQ Sausages - Bock

Whiskey BBQ Sausages

Servings – depends on size of sausage

Pecan Smoked Jalapeno sausage (can substitute other sausages, but would use something spicy.  This is not one of my healthy recipes, but definitely would be if you used chicken sausage instead)

¼ cup of whiskey

1/2 cup ketchup

2 T brown sugar

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 T Worcestershire

.5 T lemon juice

1.5 T Dijon

1 t Louisiana hot sauce

1 t onion powder

1 t garlic powder

Dash salt and pepper

As I said before this wasn’t the healthiest with the pork sausage, but if you use chicken sausage you could definitely have one to two of these for a point.  I made these for a 4^th of July party and they were a hit.  I usually don’t even like sausages and I had several.  The mix of spicy and sweet was perfect.

Because these are a little spicy, I would use a strong beer to stand up to them.  Since was the 4^th of July I chose one of the most American Beers I know, while at least in Texas and that’s a Shiner Bock.  Shiner of course is made in the small town of Shiner, Texas.  Shiner Bock is their main beer.  When you visit Texas you must drink shiner.  Every time my Dad comes to visit he looks forward to having it.  It’s a dark beer that can stand up to the strong flavors of these sausages.  It smooth and malty.

Blue Cheese Mini Chicken Burgers – Fruit Beer

Blue Cheese Mini Chicken Burgers

Weight watchers points – 2-3/burger depending on size

Servings – about 8 burgers, 2/person depends on size

4-8 - Sandwich thins (depending on size of burgers and ability to cut into smaller sizes)

12 oz raw lean ground chicken

4 T blue cheese

4 T Sweet BBQ Sauce

4 T Grill seasoning

2 T hot sauce

Sweet 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.      Mix together in bowl all ingredients for BBQ sauce

2.      Heat on stove for 30-60 minutes to let flavor meld

3.      Place ground chicken into bowl, add grill seasoning and hot sauce, mix to combine

4.      Form chicken into mini patties

5.      Place on grill or in plan on stove top

6.      Cook a few mins on each side, until cooked through

7.      Cut sandwich thins into smaller buns to fit mini burgers

8.      Put ½ T of BBQ sauce on top of burger

9.      Put ½ T ofblue cheese on top of burger

10.  Place burger between buns and enjoy.

I am definitely still making lots of summer recipes.  Recipes that are great for parties and light.  I made Chicken Tikka Masala the other day and decided meals like that are better for winter.  So I am sticking with grilling and fresh ideas.  I am also still sticking with summer beers. 

My choice for this meal is Pyramid Apricot Weizen Ale.  I do not think I have talked about Pyramid before.  Pyramid is from Seattle, Washington.  Those of you who have visited Seattle or live in Seattle, know that Seattle knows how to make good beer.  The Weizen Ale has nice subtle flavors of apricots for sweetness which balances well with the hoppiness of the ale.