Tag Archives: quinoa

Beer Pairing: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Welcome to the second edition of pairing food and beer! This recipe is compliments of my mumsie who threw a bunch of random things into a bowl and made delicious magic!
[gmc_recipe 5635]

Deliciousness marinating!
Spread in one layer so all the vegetables are cooked evenly.

This is a hearty, filling meal with a lovely tangy sweetness. I’d recommend pairing this dish with a rich nut brown ale or any other sweet malty beer to really emphasize the caramelized sugars that form as a crust on the pineapple after it’s baked in the oven. If possible, drink local!
Enegren Brewing’s Valkyrie California Alt – rich, malty and a smooth finish. The residual sugars in this match perfectly with the marinated chicken and vegetables.
Island Brewing Company’s Nut Brown Ale – this one is a little drier, but still has enough malty sweetness and roasty back-end to enhance the sweet marinade reduction. If you want to be blown away, throw a handful of roasted peanuts on top, combine with a nut brown and let your taste buds go crazy!

Some mainstream beers that would pair well with this dish:
Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale – rich malts and a toasted nutty finish with just a touch of hops.
Chimay Premiere (Red) – sweet dried fruits and a relatively dry end.
Sierra Nevada’s Tumbler – hints of chocolate and toasted nuts with medium high carbonation and light sweetness.

I’m sure there are plenty more! If you make this, share your beer pairing choices!

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The Meal of my Dreams!

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day! It started out with a hike the national park, in 68 degree weather.
Followed the hike with half of an icy cold Green Monsta and a half serving of Kitchen Sink Salad. Half-back to the classics!
I’m practicing this newfangled concept of eating smaller portions and stopping when I’m satisfied. No idea how my roommate convinced me to go on this crazy journey, but I’m in for a ride!

Dinner was a beautiful mish-mash of different eating concepts. I made Angela’s Cranberry, Apple and Almond Quinoa, but added in a stalk of chopped celery to the onion and carrot saute, cut the salt in half, and used raisins instead of cranberries. I tried this recipe a few weeks ago, force-fed it to my roommates (who first tried my terrible, mushy Lemony Quinoa and swore to never consume quinoa again) and created quinoa-lovers! They actually requested it to be on tonight’s menu!

I also made Chicken with Pineapple Salsa from the Sonoma Diet Cookbook one of my favorite cookbooks ever! The combination of the acidic, tart fresh pineapple with the smoky spice of chipotle peppers will knock your socks off!
Roasted broccoli rounded out the meal, which we ate slowly, taking our time to chat and actually taste and enjoy the food! This concept is just so INNOVATIVE! Who woulda thunk? We even went so far as to use pretty placemats and tapered candles to make it feel like an event. Try this! It makes the meal so much more enjoyable!
This may, in fact, be the best healthy meal I’ve had all year. Hooray for leftovers!!!

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Filed under Dinner, Sonoma Diet, Uncategorized