Tag Archives: entertaining

August 27, 2011

Beer Marinades

By DarrenSavery

Here is a triple hit of some of my recent adventures marinading meat while back on Vancouver Island. By marinading meat for several hours before grilling you get to infuse it with delicious flavour without much work at all, just whip up the marinade in a large zip top freezer bag, toss your meat into it and throw it in the refrigerator. Make sure to drain and discard all the marinade before bbqing and preheat the grill on high heat for at least 15 minutes to make sure you get a nice seer on your meat.   Another tip for perfect BBQ is giving your meat five minutes to rest after cooking, put your grilled meat on a plate and cover in a double layer of aluminum foil so the juices can calm down and redistribute throughout the meat. Enjoy the last days of summer with these BBQ marinades! Let me know what you think of them by commenting on this post!

Spicy Sesame Maple Marinade

  • 1/2 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup
  • 1 bottle of beer, Domestic Lager
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp pure toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp sambal oelek
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • Optional: 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish.

Mix all ingredients in a large zip top bag. Add your meat and marinade 8 hours or overnight. Discard the marinade, grill your meat and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Honey Tequila Jalapeno Lime Marinade 

  • 1 shot of tequila, stay away from the blanco use the aged stuff for more flavour.
  • 1 bottle of beer, use a Mexican lager
  • juice and zest of one lime
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 jalapeno pepper sliced thinly
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Course ground black pepper

This one is a favourite of mine for grilled chicken. Mix the marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Add chicken and let marinade 4-6 hours.  Discard the marinade and grill the chicken. I like to leave some of the jalapeno on the surface of the chicken to char up on the grill.

Habanero Molasses Marinade

  • 2 thinly sliced Habanero peppers
  • 1 bottle of beer, domestic lager
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp molasses
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • Course ground black pepper
  • Optional: Freshly chopped ginger root

Mix ingredients together and marinade meat for 8 hours. Discard marinade and cook meat as desired on the BBQ.

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July 9, 2011

Slow Cooked Baked Beans

By DarrenSavery

Slow Cooked Baked Beans

Beans, beans the magical fruit… okay so maybe this isn’t the best way to start of a post on baked beans. However, the soaking process helps to release the sugars that cause bloating and gas. Make sure to discard the soaking liquid and replace it with fresh water. You’ll love this recipe for bake beans, it makes a great side dish for any kind of BBQ. You can also make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon. It also makes a great dish for entertaining, BBQ’s and Picnics and the residual heat keeps these beans warm!

  • 2 cups Dried Romano Beans, soaked overnight (yields 4 cups)
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 sliced of thick bacon, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp chile powder
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp dried ground chipotle chili
  • 2 bay leaves

In a slow-cooker, add ingredients and cover, cook over high for 4 hours.

  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 196 ml tomato paste
  • 2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir brown sugar, red wine vinegar, tomato paste and salt into cooked beans. Transfer beans carefully into a large baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet to catch any potential spillage. Bake for an hour and check to see if they are to your desired consistency, they should be fairly thick. When they are done take them out and let them sit for at least ten minutes before serving. Beans get very hot and stay hot! The last thing you want is to burn your mouth before you get to taste them!

A side note : If you want to avoid the baking aspect, Just leave the beans in the slow cooker and cook on low for four hours longer. I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work! This recipe also freezes extremely well, so make up a large batch and have baked beans ready for any occasion.

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July 6, 2011

Best Hummus EVER.

By DarrenSavery

Hummus has been steadily gaining popularity in the food scene over the last several years. It’s a quick and healthy alternative to all the high fat dips on the market and it’s versatility is endless. I have even used it to replace mayonnaise in recipes! Use this recipe as a base and experiment from there, you can change it up to create different flavoured dips.

This method takes a little bit longer, but it isn’t very much work. It is definitely worth the effort. You can use rinsed and drained canned chick peas if you are in a rush.

Best Hummus EVER.

Adapted from Alton Brown’s Hummus For Real Recipe.

  • 2.25 litres of water
  • 2 cups dried chickpeas
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

In a slow cooker add water, chickpeas, and baking soda. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours, or on low heat for 8. Drain and let cool.

  • 3 large cloves of garlic (Add less if you don’t like garlic, Add more if you do!)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup of lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • 1/3 cup of tahini
  • 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, blitz the garlic with the salt for 10 seconds. Add the cooked chickpeas and process for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and add the lemon juice and water. Process for 20 more seconds. Scrape the sides of the down down add the tahini. Process for 20 more seconds. Turn the processor on and gradually add the olive oil.

Some extras you might like to add in, either stir them in or pulse 5 times!

  • 1/4 tsp cumin and orange zest
  • Roasted Garlic
  • diced Roasted Red Peppers
  • Chipotle puree and fresh cilantro
  • diced Black Katamala olives and 2 tbs feta cheese
  • Sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil
  • 3 tbs Pesto

What is your favourite flavour of hummus and how do you like to eat it?

Comments are always welcome!

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