Beer Cheese Dip

Beer Cheese Dip (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 15, Total Time: 3 hours, 5 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel cream cheese, softened

·         ¼ cup ranch dressing

·         1 cup shredded taco/nacho cheese

·         ¼ cup beer

·         2 green onions, chopped (white parts only)

Directions

1.)    Beat cream cheese and dressing in medium bowl until well-blended.

2.)    Stir in remaining ingredients.

3.)    Refrigerate until chilled.

I was a little hesitant to try this recipe after reading some of the reviews, but I’m glad that I took the plunge.  It was delicious!  I normally would have used fat-free or light ranch dressing, but I didn’t want to mess up the recipe, so I stayed with full-fat.  I also used taco/nacho cheese instead of shredded, I thought that a little Mexican-flavor couldn’t fail.  Finally, I used Yuengling Light beer to keep the dip from being overpowered by a beer taste.  In the future, I’ll probably stick with this, although I’d be tempted to try something else a little more full-bodied (maybe regular Yuengling or an Amber Lager).

The taste was mostly ranchy Mexican – a little hint of spice, a lot of cheese, and a good bite of ranch.  I couldn’t taste the beer, but it did make it very creamy and easy to spread on crackers.  I chopped the onions very small and I think that added just a hint of onion flavor – I don’t even think that I’d notice them if I hadn’t made the dip.

This went over really well with my party attendees. My mom even asked for the recipe!  Awesome!  Unfortunately, there were no leftovers.

Herbed Quinoa

Herbed Quinoa (slightly adapted from Food Network, Servings: 4, Total Time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         Quinoa

o   2 ¾ cups vegetable stock

o   ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

o   1 ½ cups dry quinoa

·         Dressing

o   ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

o   ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

o   ¾ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

o   ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

o   1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves

o   2 tsp. lemon zest

o   Salt and pepper

Directions

1.)    In a medium saucepan, add the vegetable stock, lemon juice and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.

2.)    While the quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3.)    Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

I’ll start off by saying that I am not a fan of lemon; however, I had this dish at a work lunch and learn and really liked it, so I thought I’d give it a shot.  The only change that I made was using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock (which shouldn't have affected the lemon flavor).  I also added some chopped tomatoes to add a little color.  Unfortunately, my preparation did not come out as nicely as the one that I had at work.  It tasted very much like lemons, even after I let it sit overnight to allow the dressing to really seep into the quinoa.  It was not to my liking at all. I expected the herbs to balance out the lemon taste, but that just didn't work.

Fortunately, I had a party the next day and served it there.  The people who tried it (I think that a lot of people are still scared of quinoa), seemed to like it.  Note to self – go with your instincts when you think that there is too much lemon in a recipe!

Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad

Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         3 cups wheat rotini pasta, cooked, cooled
·         1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
·         1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
·         1 cup chopped cucumbers
·         ½ cup Zesty Italian dressing
·         ¼ cup finely chopped red onions

Directions

1.)    Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Stir just prior to serving.

This one was a big hit at a recent party that I hosted.  I only had one serving left over, which my husband promptly at the next day.  I have used both regular and tri-colored rotini with this recipe.  The tri-colored gives it a little more color, but I prefer the regular wheat pasta.  I omitted the black olives from the original recipe, but feel free to add them back in if you want.

The cucumbers and onions add a nice crunch to the soft, chewy pasta (I cook to al dente).  The Feta imparts a slightly salty flavor, but makes a major impact on taste – with its cheesiness filling each bite.  I like the Italian dressing with this dish, as opposed to a Greek, probably because I started eating salad with Italian dressing when I was younger.  The Zesty Italian adds a little kick of spices that a regular Italian dressing does not.  It works nicely with the Feta and the mild cucumbers.

Fresh Vegetable Salad

Fresh Vegetable Salad (from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 6, Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 cup chopped broccoli
·         1 cup chopped carrots
·         1 cup chopped red pepper
·         1 cup chopped zucchini
·         ½ cup Red Wine Vinaigrette

Directions

1.)    Mix all ingredients together.  Refrigerate for 3 hours.  Stir just prior to serving.

This is a simple and easier side dish – I made it a few years ago for a picnic and this time for a party.  The veggies really soak up the vinaigrette, so there is not a huge puddle at the bottom of your bowl (although, there is a small one).  The veggies stay crisp and fresh and the Red Wine Vinaigrette adds a sweet flavor to them.  I use shredded carrots in this recipe rather than chopped ones – it just makes this simple recipe a bit faster to put together. 

I used some leftovers to top salad greens – the ready-made marinated vegetables were almost enough to not have to add extra salad dressing.