You have company coming for dinner tonight and you need a delicious summer dinner that’s easy to make and doesn’t take hours of smoking to perfect. Sound good? The menu below is a perfect summer meal, especially if you’re looking for light, flavorful fare that takes full advantage of the fresh veggies available in stores and at markets right now!

The Menu

Appetizer: Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip and Crackers or Corn Chips
Side Dish: Spicy Black Beans With Veggies
Side Dish: Asparagus with olive oil and sea salt
Main Course: Kabobs with the meat, fish, or seafood and veggies of your choice!

Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip
Mix 1/4 cup (or more if you like it really spicy) of Fiesta Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip Mix (available at Backyard Bash) with 8 oz cream cheese. Eat immediately with crackers, or chill until ready to serve! Idea: shape dip into a cheese ball after it has been chilled. Place in a decorative bowl and chill until ready to serve.

Grilled Asparagus
Snap ends off of asparagus. Toss with olive oil and sea salt and set aside.

Kabobs
Use your own kabob skewers or choose your favorite flavor of Callison’s Fine Foods Seasoned Skewers from Backyard Bash, available in Thai Coconut Lime, Ginger Mango, Honey Bourbon, Garlic Herb, Citrus Rosemary or Indian Mango Curry.

If you’re using the Callison’s skewers (10 skewers per package), thread your meat and veggies and let them marinate from the inside for 10-15 minutes. (Hint: Package instructions give suggestions for the types of meat and veggies that go great with each flavor. Salmon is especially good with the Ginger Mango skewers!) If you’re using your own skewers, thread marinated meat and veggies onto skewers and grill!

Toss your kabobs on the grill and set aside left over vegetables.

Spicy Black Beans
Pour two cans of black beans (more for larger parties) into a sauce pot. Mix in a couple tablespoons of the Fiesta Bread and Butter Jalapeno Dip Mix or to taste (plain mix without the cream cheese). Throw in left over veggies from the kabobs, especially tomatoes, peppers and onions. Let the beans simmer while the kabobs cook.

Put your asparagus on the grill and cook evenly on both sides until tender-crisp.

Pull your kabobs off the grill when chicken is cooked through and enjoy with asparagus and spicy black beans!

Serves 4.