Thursday, March 24, 2011

Getting ready for fish friday

I'm big on leftovers for lunch. But now that it's lent, I have to be careful not to make a meat dish on Thursday night or I won't be able to eat it for lunch. This added rule has actually be nice - it's helped us eat healthier and keeps me thinking of creative seafood dinners.

Tonight we had: Shrimp and wild rice in lemon-white wine broth

This was incredibly easy to make. I cooked the wild rice according to package directions (it took about 25 minutes). Meanwhile, I cooked the shrimp on my large frying pan with a little bit of chicken broth. Once the shrimp was mostly pink, I added the zest of one lemon some baby spinach (gotta get some veggies in there). Once the spinach was wilted, I added 2 splashes of white wine.

I finished it off by combining the shrimp mixture with the wild rice and topped it with a little bit of Parmesan cheese. And, of course, I poured some of that wine in a glass to enjoy with this fabulous meal!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Low-fat Fat Tuesday

With all of the traditional Mardi Gras foods out there - King Cake, Paczki - I was surprised to find out that my favorite Creole classic - Jambalaya - isn't so unhealthy. That's why I made it tonight in honor of Mardi Gras.


After looking at a few different recipes, I came up with my own that worked best with what I had in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c instant brown rice
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups chicken broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 links andouille sausage, cooked and thinly sliced
1/2 pound raw shrimp

Heat oil in a dutch oven or large sauce pot. Add onions, peppers and celery and cook for about 5 minutes. Add rice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and oregano and stir well, allowing to cook for about 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and hot sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes or until rice is cooked and sauce thickens. Add sausage slices and shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes or until shrimp is pink.

Enjoy!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Review: Buckeye Beer Engine

Beer Engine is a place I've been meaning to visit for years now. I'm a huge craft beer fan, and this place boasts one of Cleveland's beer lists. I finally made it there last night, and I'm glad I did.

On a Saturday night, the 20-minute wait for a table was a nice surprise. And it went by even quicker thanks to the friendly staff. By the time we read through their extensive beer list and placed an order, we were minutes away from being seated.

We started with one of our favorite Hefewiezens - Franziskaner - and one of Buckeye's house brews called Witless, which was a light Belgium White Ale.

The menu included some classic bar food options, as well some unique twists on the traditional. The also offered a nice selection of classic Cleveland ethnic food (chicken paprikash, cabbage and noodles and pierogies).

We choose two burgers:

The Westside - a cheeseburger topped with a pierogie and sour cream, served with Buckeye chips and a breaded pickle.

The Mammoth Patty Melt - A burger with cheddar and swiss cheese, topped with sour cream on grilled marble rye. I substituted a side of cabbage and noodles for the chips and pickle.




With dinner, we ordered more beers: Ommegang Witte (a Belgian White Ale) and Ayinger Brau-Weisse (my new favorite Hefeweizen). In case you aren't seeing the pattern, we really love certain types of brews.

Now that I've finally been to the Beer Engine, I can definitely say I'm a fan. Cheap burgers and great beer are always a perfect combination!

Check it out: www.buckeyebeerengine.com

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