Sushi Salad and Beer

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Kirin. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

It’s no secret that I love beer… and especially trying new-to-me beers. I’ve even dabbled in the arts of brewing my own beer, which I need to get back to doing. So when the opportunity to try Kirin Ichiban beer presented itself, I jumped at the offer. I mean, what could be better than getting some Japanese beer and pairing it with some Japanese inspired food? Not much if you ask me!

I was sent both the Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light to sample, and really enjoyed them both. Kirin Ichiban is a 100% malt beer and only uses the first strain of malt liquid, which results in a crisp, clean, and refreshing taste. Kirin is one of the oldest breweries in Japan, and their mascot is the mythical Kirin beast (which is on their label), which is believed to bring serenity and prosperity. Since I’m currently in taper mode for my half marathon in two weeks, I’ll take all the serenity and prosperity I can get! I had the first beer pretty much as soon as the package arrived, but saved some to serve as inspiration (and as a pairing) for a light and delicious dinner.

My original plan was to make a noodle dish, but after receiving some goodies to help with sushi making (sushi rice, nori sheets, and some wasabi paste), I figured I could put them to good use with some veggie sushi rolls. As I was cooking the rice, though, I had another thought… what if I turned the sushi rolls into a salad?! Serving all of the sushi ingredients deconstructed over a bed of lettuce was genius; it really cut down on the labor (I’m not exactly skilled when it comes to rolling sushi), and was just as delicious. I really can’t believe I haven’t thought of making a sushi styled salad before – it was wonderful! I definitely plan on making this salad a lot more… and paired with a beer it was perfect.

Sushi Roll Salad
– Serves 2 –

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup cooked sushi rice
4 cups spring mix or chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 sheet nori, roughly chopped

Dressing Ingredients:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp chili oil [or sesame oil if you don’t want any heat]
2 tsp wasabi paste

Directions:
1. Add all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk to combine.
2. In a large bowl, add the spring mix, carrots, avocado, cucumber, cooked rice, and shredded nori. Toss the salad with the dressing.

Meatless Monday: Southwestern Pierogi Bake

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central for Mrs. T’s Pierogies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I’m aware that the title of this blog post may seem a bit confusing; pierogies are typically Polish… so how could I use them in a Southwestern dish?! Well, I’m completely obsessed with Southwestern and Mexican food, so I’ll make it any chance I can. When I was selected to participate in this Mrs. T’s Pierogies campaign, I knew I wanted to do more with them than just serve them as-is with dipping sauce, or with sautéed cabbage. And with 11 different varieties, there’s something for (almost) everyone. Being that I love bakes (who doesn’t like to throw everything into a dish and put it in the oven?) and Southwestern flavors are my favorite, I decided to run with it.

I had visions of this meal the entire time I was running my 15 miler on Saturday, and couldn’t wait to put it all together. It was easy to prepare, and really hit the spot for dinner. Of course I was pretty wiped out after my long run, so I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the couch; though I may have even taken a pancake induced nap in the early afternoon. Conveniently, Mean Girls was on (can you believe the 10 year anniversary is coming up?!), so I enjoyed my pierogi bake while watching one of the greatest movies of all time (yes, I said it).

This Southwestern Pierogi Bake is perfect for any night of the week, and can easily be transported for a potluck dinner or party. Plus, it can be made with real chorizo or soy chorizo, so it’s easily adaptable to everyone’s meat preference. I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to think outside of the box when it comes to pierogi meals. While I love a good pierogi and cabbage mix, this may be my new favorite way to enjoy Mrs. T’s Pierogies!

Southwestern Pierogi Bake
– Serves 4 –

Ingredients:
1 box Mrs. T’s Pierogies, any variety [I used potato + cheddar]
1 red onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, diced [you can use less/de-seed it if you don’t like spice]
6 oz. (soy) chorizo [I used soy chorizo to make it vegetarian, but you can use the real-deal, too]
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup of chunky salsa
1 cup shredded cheese blend
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
salt + pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, and cook the pierogies for 10 minutes
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion and peppers for 10 minutes until they begin to soften.
4. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until combined and fragrant.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, add the chorizo and beans, and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. In a 9×11 baking dish, pour the salsa and layer the cooked pierogies, followed by the sautéed mixture. Top with shredded cheese.
7. Bake an additional 12 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Feel free to check out Mrs. T’s Website, Facebook, or Twitter for more information and to see all the different kinds of pierogies they offer!

Tell me…
Are you a pierogi fan? What’s your favorite combination?

Pierogi Party

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central for Mrs. T’s Pierogies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Today’s post is just in time for that little football game scheduled for Sunday. You know the one I’m talking about, right? The SUPERBOWL! It’s in my home state (New Jersey, not to be confused by all of the advertisements that reference New York, which ironically is the state I was born & grew up in, at least the first few years), and while I’m not a huge football fan, I am a big food fan, and the Superbowl is the perfect excuse to indulge in some of my favorites. One thing I hadn’t thought about including in my Superbowl spread until recently, though, is pierogies!

When I was given the opportunity to try out Mrs. T Pierogies, I jumped at the offer. I absolutely love pierogies and have enjoyed Mrs. T’s for years as a convenient and easy addition to weeknight meals. My favorite way to prepare them has been with some sauteed onion and cabbage, but before I was a vegetarian I also loved them alongside some kielbasa! I’m yet to meet a combination I don’t like, though the classic potato and onion is my favorite. They’re really quick and easy to make; you can bake, boil, or pan-fry them which gives you a lot of different options. I try to keep some in my freezer just in case I can’t come up with a weeknight meal idea, a recipe doesn’t work out, or I just don’t feel like cooking. I’m even in the process of trying to come up with a pierogi bake of sorts for a later post. But back to Superbowl snacks…

In addition to making (veggie) chorizo & caramelized onion cheesy dip, Irish nachos, and buffalo cauliflower, I’m also planning on baking some Mrs. T Pierogies that will basically act as stuffed chips – perfect for dipping into the chorizo dip, guacamole, mustard, or just eaten on their own. I know they’ll be a great addition to a wine and cheese night I’m planning later in the month with a bunch of my girlfriends, too… everyone needs foods with sustenance when they’re sampling wines, and these will be perfect. Who knew that pierogies could be so versatile?!

Feel free to check out Mrs. T’s Website, Facebook, or Twitter for more information and to see all the different kinds of pierogies they offer!

Tell me…
Are you a pierogi fan? What’s your favorite combination?

What I Drank Wednesday: Budweiser Project 12

Disclaimer: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Budweiser. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Remember back when I did two “What I Drank Wednesday” posts and thought it would be great to continue doing them? Well obviously I failed at that part, but I’m back with my third installment today! This particular post is all about beer, and specifically, Budweiser’s Project 12 beers; Vanilla Bourbon Cask Batch 23185, North Pacific Lager Batch 94534, and Beechwood Bock Batch 43229.

What is Project 12, you may ask? Well, simply put it’s Budweiser’s innovation platform, where brewmasters have the opportunity to try new things and create new beers. Their Black Crown beer is actually a product of this project as well. These particular beers (mentioned above) are all named after the zip codes where they were brewed (Virginia, California, and Ohio)!

As mentioned above in the fun little FTC disclosure, I received these three beers to try at no cost to me on behalf of Millennial Central. I’ll be honest – I was really skeptical about new Budweiser beers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a beer loving gal, but these days I gravitate towards beers with more complex and varied flavor profiles and I wasn’t sure if Budweiser would be able to deliver. If you are my friend on Untappd, you know what kind of beers I like (and subsequently don’t like).

I brought the beers with me to my parent’s house for a fun little tasting since my sister and her boyfriend were there for Thanksgiving. My sister isn’t much of a beer drinker but her boyfriend is, so I knew I could count on some good thoughts and opinions on the beers from him. I also thought it would be fun to get my parents to try them! So, what did we think of the beers? I decided to give each beer a rating out of 5, based on not only taste, but also what the taster’s notes mentioned (i.e., could I actually taste a hint of the chocolate it was brewed with?).

North Pacific Lager Batch 94534: This was your most “typical” beer tasting beer. Lagers are the types of beers that most people are familiar with (at least around here), so it definitely gets that “yup, this is a beer” taste recognition. It’s light and crisp, and would pair well with just about any food; especially if you’re having a dish on the heavier side, since this beer is rather light. I gave this beer a 3.5.

Vanilla Bourbon Cask Batch 23185: I was the most excited to try this beer, but liked it the least. It’s aged on bourbon barrel staves and vanilla beans, and you can definitely taste the vanilla. It’s a smooth amber lager, but left a bitter aftertaste, which was a little too much for me. My sister’s boyfriend, however, loved this beer. So obviously tastings are all relative! Obviously this beer would pair well with sweeter foods (bacon wrapped dates for my carnivore friends, perhaps). I gave this beer a 2.

Beechwood Bock Batch 43229: This was my favorite! Brewed with chocolate and caramel malts finished on beechwood chips, the beer had the most complex and palate friendly (for me) taste out of the three. In addition to sampling it with my parents, I also had it with a sweet potato chili earlier last week, and the pairing was spot-on. I actually think this would be a great beer to use in a chili! I gave this beer a 4.

Out of the three beers, as I mentioned, the Beechwood Bock was my favorite. I would definitely purchase it on my own and I’d also grab the North Pacific Lager for someone that likes a more traditional tasting beer. While the Vanilla Bourbon Cask was my least favorite, different beers appeal to different people, so I’m sure there are plenty of people that would really enjoy the flavors (my sister’s boyfriend included). I’ll definitely be on the lookout for these next time I head to the liquor store.

This was such a fun way to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving – sampling beers, noshing on appetizers, and just enjoying each other’s company (after an afternoon of shopping, of course)! The idea of doing a little “beer tasting” get together has really sparked my interest, and I’d love to do a beer & cheese night (think of wine and cheese, only in my opinion, better) with friends where everyone brings either their favorite, or a new beer to try. I definitely need to plan one of those for the future!

Tell me…
Are you a beer drinker? What’s your favorite?

Again, the beer and promotional items were sent to me on behalf of Millennial Central, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Additionally, I feel the need to mention that everyone who tasted the beers was over 21, of course.