Month: January 2015

One of the biggest advantages to renting a beach house for your vacation instead of staying in a hotel is that you get a full kitchen to cook in (and can therefore save some money on going out to eat every night). In order to avoid having to buy a bunch of groceries that will just end up going to waste at the end of your vacation, we’ve come up with these recipes that use all the same basic ingredients and can be thrown together really quickly and easily!

Ingredients You’ll Use:

1. Proteins: Chicken, Salmon, White Fish, black beans
2. Vegetables: Broccoli, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, lemons
3. Basics: olive oil, salt and pepper, Cornmeal, flour, butter, chicken broth, garlic
4. Carbs: Tortillas, Rice, sweet potatoes
5. Dairy: Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan, sour cream
6. Condiments: Mustard, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, salsa

Meal #1: Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Parmesan Broccoli – Cut chicken breasts into chunks and then toss in cornmeal & season with salt and pepper. Pan fry in olive oil for 6-8 minutes. While chicken is cooking, steam broccoli in boiling water for 3 minutes. Top broccoli with parmesan cheese. Serve nuggets with mustard for dipping and broccoli on the side.

Meal #2: White Fish Tacos with Spanish Rice – Saute ¼ cup of chopped onion & 1 clove of minced garlic in olive oil in a pot. Add 1.5 cups of rice, 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 can of chunky salsa and simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is gone. While rice is simmering, season fish with salt and pepper and then grill or pan fry until flaky. Microwave tortillas for 10 seconds until soft. Add some fish to each tortilla and top with a little mayonnaise, tomatoes, chopped onion, sour cream and any other veggies you desire. Serve with Spanish rice.

Meal #3: Grilled Chicken with Cucumber Salad – Let chicken marinate over night in mixture of olive oil, garlic, and lemon zest, salt and pepper, and for 6-8 minutes per side or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Mix together juice from a lemon, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Thinly slice cucumber and onion and dice a tomato and add to the lemon-olive oil mixture and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve chicken with BBQ sauce and cucumber salad.  

Meal #4: Mustard Crusted Salmon with Mashed Sweet Potatoes – Peel and chop sweet potatoes and boil for 20 minutes. While sweet potatoes are boiling, mix equal parts mustard and sour cream, with 1 tsp of lemon juice. Season salmon with salt and pepper and coat thoroughly with mustard mixture and roast salmon in oven for 10-12 minutes. Once sweet potatoes are soft, mash and add sour cream, salt, and pepper and serve with Salmon.

Meal #5: Chicken and Broccoli Sauté with Rice – Boil 1.5 cups of chicken broth and add 1 cup of rice and simmer for 20 minutes until all liquid is gone. While rice is cooking, add olive oil to a pan and sauté diced onions, broccoli, and chicken breast cubes. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove pan from heat and add diced tomatoes and stir. Serve chicken and vegetables over rice.

Meal #6: Loaded Quesadillas with Sweet Potato Chips – Thinly slice sweet potatoes and toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, flip, and then cook for another 10 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, melt ½ tbsp of butter in a pan and place a tortilla in the center of the pan over medium heat. Layer with cheese, chicken, black beans, tomatoes, onions, more cheese, and a second quesadilla. Cook until the bottom tortilla starts to brown and then carefully flip over so that the second side browns and the cheese melts thoroughly. Cut into quarters and serve with sour cream.

What are your favorite easy recipes for cooking at the beach? Leave your suggestions in the comments!