Coming from the country, I’ve always been a huge fan of beef jerky (#lovejerky). It was tasty, filling, and easy to carry for long trips outside away from the kitchen (restaurants? ha!) I know you can picture me as a tomboy tramping through the woods in my pigtails and knee-high boots (slightly different than the knee-highs I wear today) just gnawing on a stick.
I’ve also always loved a challenge – especially in the kitchen. Krave Jerky reached out and asked if I would like to participate in their #kravekitchen recipe contest – trying to come up with a new way to incorporate jerky into everyday meals and of course, tailgating specialties! Please, being a yinzer, this sounded easy, even by introducing beef jerky into real recipes! Well, hmmmm – maybe this seemed like it could be a real challenge. But I quickly decided a great way to get started was to substitute jerky in for some of our favorite dishes instead of bacon. Krave Jerky was kind enough to send me all their different flavors so I could try and figure out what would pair best with certain foods. Who knew jerky could be so versatile and healthy (hey, even Jillian loves jerky!):
– Basil Citrus
– Lemon Garlic
– Black Cherry Barbecue
– Pineapple Orange
– Garlic Chili Pepper
– Sweet Chipolte
– Chili Lime
– Grilled Sweet Teriyaki
– Pineapple Orange
I was skeptical at first, but these two recipes below turned out delicious! I dare you to give them a try for your next football party, or just as a snack for the toddlers. Plus, kids love when you mix it up in the kitchen – it’s fun to experiment together – Max loves to help by ripping up the lettuce. Most of it ends up on the floor, but hey, we salvaged enough to make some snacks, too!
BJLT (Beef Jerky, Lettuce, Tomato)
Why re-invent the wheel? Max and myself are huge fans of BLTs – they’re easy and quick to make, healthy (if you’re not downing bacon everyday!) and full of flavor. For this one, I simply substituted in the Krave Garlic Chili Pepper for myself to give a kick, and used the Grilled Sweet Teriyaki for Maximo. These are perfect for little hands or tailgating using potato slider buns!
Ingredients:
– Krave Jerky (Garlic Chili Pepper, and Grilled Sweet Teriyaki)
– lettuce
– tomato
– potato buns
Beef Jerky Carbonara
One of our favorite fall comfort foods to pig out on is pasta carbonara. It’s still pasta, but it is packed with lots of goodies for growing bodies (or hungry football guests!) such as garlic, spinach and tomatoes.
Ingredients:
– 1lb. angel hair pasta
– 1 or 2 large handfuls of organic spinach
– 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
– 1 beefsteak tomato, chopped
– 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
– a vegetable – we love and toss in frozen corn
– 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
– Krave Lemon Garlic beef jerky
– salt and pepper to taste
– optional: pomegranate seeds
1. Start by chopping and sautéing the garlic and onions in butter until they start to brown and turn translucent. Start the pot of water to boil for the angel hair pasta.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, corn (or veggie), and handfuls of spinach. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until the spinach is fully wilted.
3. Spoon a heathy amount of the contents directly overtop of a bowl of hot spaghetti pasta. Top with shredded parmesan cheese, and chopped beef jerky (we chose and highly recommend Krave Lemon Garlic). All the head and juices will start to re-hydrate the beef jerky, making it soft and chewy and delicious!
4. As an option for fall, I also tried sprinkling pomegranate seeds on top as well. It added a crunch and pop of sweetness that was unexpected and DELICIOUS!
Beef Jerky Carbonara with pomegranate seeds
I never would have thought to cook with beef jerky, but I like the idea. That
Beef Jerky Carbonara sounds awesome.
it was definitely a learning experience! since the meat re-hydrates from the hot food, it’s much chewier and easier to eat and mix in! Loved it!
Very interesting recipes…I agree…the Beef Jerky Carbonara sounds really tasty. I am impressed with the unique flavors of Krave Jerky!
so was I – they’re all pretty tasty!
What awesome way to use jerky. I love Jerky and I never thought of doing anything like this. I am also a fan of Jillian Michaels and I have heard she likes this, but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. -Jillian Fisher
It was a first for me too and a fun learning experience!
Those are some great ideas! We’ve tried their jerky before and love it too!
it’s fun to think outside the box every now and then and also be pleasantly surprised!
My husband would LOVE these jerky flavors
yes they’re quite manly lol!
I’ve never thought about cooking with beef jerky! Interesting!!
me either – it was fun to try it out – highly recommend it!
I had no idea there were so many flavours of jerky! I’m a little afraid to tell my husband about this — there are enough flavours for a different one every day of the week!
haha – seriously i ate the entire bag of teriyaki when i opened it!
I did not know there were so many amazing flavors.. i absolutely love beef jerky..
Beef jerky is so good – we’d gobble these down in no time!
I’d love to try that carbonara recipe,and love the pomegranate seeds on top!
it’s fun to experiment with what is in your fridge and cupboard – they were an added twist at the end that added color and a fun pop of flavor!
I never ever thought to use jerky in a recipe. Only as a snack. Love the idea!
thanks! I think you’ll love it!
Totally new to me. I have never thought to use beef jerky in my dinner recipes.
That sweet chipotle flavor sounDs delicious!
My husband and I are huge lovers of beef jerky! What a great idea making a jerky BLT!
Those look like some yummy eats! It is nice because it is quick and easy and the meat already has lots of flavor.
#meatsweats i’ll eat all of the above. Throw some Krave Jerky into a food processor and make me some buffalo cheddar turkey jerky (it rhymes!) dip and i’ll buy a year’s worth of Krave jeryk right now and eat it for breakfast.
I love corn and your food photography is amazing, these bowls make me hungry.