White Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp honey

1Tbsp Dijon mustard 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper 

1 large garlic clove, pressed in garlic presser

1/4 cup while balsamic vinegar 

3/4 cup EV olive oil

Mix all ingredients except oil in a jar or measuring cup. Slowly drizzle oil into the mixture, stirring rapidly with a tiny whisk until emulsified. This will keep in your refrigerator for a week or longer. If you put it in a mason jar, you can shake it to reincorporate the ingredients. 

This recipe works with any vinegar, including dark balsamic vinegar. It’s quick, easy and delicious! 

Chimichurri

1 small bunch flat leaf parsley (about 1 cup), finely chopped 

3 large cloves garlic, minced (adjust if you want less garlic flavor)

1 Fresno chili, small dice

1 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano 

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 

1/2 cup good olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl at least 15 minutes before eating. Make sure all ingredients are submerged in olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Make up to 24 hours before eating. The sooner you eat it, the fresher it tastes. No need to refrigerate unless storing longer than 24 hours. Bring to room temperature if you refrigerate it.

Use as a condiment for meats, especially grilled steak/beef, but also good on any meat or fish or as a topping for a Buddha bowl or as a dressing for pasta or rice. 

This isn’t spicy, but if you want some spicy hot flavors, add a few pinches of red pepper flakes or some cayenne pepper. Do not chop in a food processor. Hand chop/dice all ingredients for best results.

Buddha Bowls

 Although there are hundreds of ideas and combinations, this on is a tried and true winner. The marinade is on of the best I’ve ever had! Try it. You’ll like it!

Makes 4 Buddha bowls

16 oz extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to release most of the moisture, cut into 4 slices

2 large Garnet sweet potatoes, diced

1 large purple or sweet onion, cut into small wedges

2 cups broccoli crowns, cut into bite sized pieces

2 large garlic cloves, pressed

2 Tbsp olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

1 recipe of my hummus, click here for recipe 

Small box of baby kale or spinach (any leafy greens)

Shredded carrots (about 1 cup)

2-3 cups cooked tri-colored quinoa

2 green onions, sliced thinly, including whites and greens of the onion

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and cut in half

2 small sheets of nori, cut into small strips 

1 recipe of Tahini sauce, recipe here

Marinade for Tofu

1/4 c neutral oil such as canola oil

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp+ siracha 

3 tsp dried thyme or 5-6 tsp fresh thyme 

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp sweet paprika 

1 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

Prepare hummus and quinoa ahead of time. 

In a large flat bowl, mix marinade and place tofu in marinade, covering all sides. Marinate for at least a half hour, turning a halfway through time. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While tofu is marinating, prepare the sweet potatoes, purple onion, and broccoli. Place on a large baking sheet, mix garlic with oil and drizzle over the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste. Roast in oven 20 minutes, turning halfway during baking time. Keep veggies warm.

When tofu is done marinading, heat a large pan. Place all 4 pieces in the pan with the marinade and cook for about 8 minutes on a side or until both sides are browned and crispy. 

 

Buddha Bowl Assembly 

 

In a large bowl, put 1/2 cup of quinoa, then in small sections add, roasted veggies, a scoop of hummus, carrots, greens, one piece of tofu (cut up if desired), a half avocado, sliced or cubed. Drizzle tahini dressed all over, then sprinkle with green onion and nori. 

Serve with additional tahini sauce if you doubled the batch and hummus and pita chips on the side, if desired.

Any roasted veggies work! Try Brussels sprouts, eggplant, zucchini or tomatoes. 

Instead of hummus, serve with roasted chickpeas.

The possibilities are endless! 

 

 

Pickled carrots and Daikon

 For Buddah bowls and Bahn Mi sandwiches or anything else you enjoy having with these or just eat them right out of the jar!

1 pint carrots, julienned or shredded

1 pint daikon radishes, julienned or shredded

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/2 c. rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

Stuff carrots and daikon into clean mason jars -- you can use small amounts of each if you want.

Combine vinegars, sugar and salt into a saucepan and heat just until sugar and salt are dissolved, but not boiling. Pour liquid into jars of filled veggies. Place cover loosely on each jar or cover with plastic wrap with a rubber band.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until veggies are cold and pickled. Keeps for up to a month in the refrigerator, but I advise you eat them up within 2-3 weeks.

Quick Pickles (Quickles)

Want to pickle something and eat it right away, well, here's your recipe!

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 fresh dill blossom (or fresh dill leaves)
4 medium pickling cucumbers, sliced thinly on the diagonal
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced with some of the greens

Mix vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to boil until sugar and salt dissolve. Add dill. Cool slightly in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, slice cucumbers and onions and place into a dish or clean canning jar with a lid. Pour cooled vinegar mixture over the cucumber and onions, making sure they are all submerged. Weight the cucumbers down if necessary.

Place in the refrigerator until ready to eat. You can eat right away or keep for a week (if they last that long). You can add more sugar for a sweeter version. You can also pickle any other veggies you like using this recipe. Keep refrigerated.

Jamaican Jerk Marinade for chicken or pork

I grew habanero chiles this year and needed some recipes to use them. I combined a few recipes I saw on the Internet to come up with this deliciously spiced marinade that can be used for either chicken or pork. We used it on boneless skinless chicken breasts that we then made into kabobs and grilled. Don't let the number of peppers scare you, it's got some heat, but it's not over the top crazy hot like you would expect. Of course, when handling the peppers, wear gloves. They can burn your hands and you definitely don't want to get any of it in your eyes or around your face.

3 green onions, roughly chopped (include tops)
6-8 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup - 1 cup chopped onion
3-4 fresh habanero chiles, (or Scotch bonnet) stemmed and seeded, chopped slightly
1/3 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2 Tbsp olive oil or any neutral oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce (you could leave this out and add more salt)
1 tsp kosher salt
1-2 tsp ground black pepper
1 heaping Tbsp fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp allspice, ground (I used whole allspice and grind mine in a mortar and pestle)
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients into a blender. Make sure the top is on tight. Blend until smooth - about a minute in a Vitamix. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Cut about 3 pounds of chicken or pork tenderloin into chunks and place into a gallon plastic bag. Pour all but about 1/4 cup of the marinade into the meat and gently massage the marinade into the meat until it is all covered. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. The longer you marinade the more it will infuse the meat. Do not marinade more than 24 hours.

While grill is heating, take out chicken/pork and skewer it. Grill, turning frequently, until chicken or pork is done to your likeness. Chicken should be cooked completely. Use reserved marinade to baste meat if needed or serve it for extra dipping if desired.

Serve with yellow rice and beans and maybe some plantains for a fun Jamaican dinner. Here's an Instant Pot Yellow Rice Recipe if you need one. Be sure to cook rice on low pressure setting!

Shish Taouk (Lebanese Chicken Kabobs)

These are some of the tastiest chicken kabobs you'll ever make. It takes a bit of time, many great ingredients, and lots of garlic, but when you make and eat these, you'll always want more! Serve these with Naan or pita and some traditional Middle Eastern side-dishes if you'd like. I suggest you make a cucumber yogurt sauce and a little spicy Zhoug Sauce.

Marinade
1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt (Fage is best)
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 lemons, juiced
2 Tbsp double-strength tomato paste
6-8 large garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press
1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp Za'atar seasoning (if you can't find that use sumac)
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks (about 2- 2 1/2 pounds)

Combine marinade until smooth. Place chicken in a large glass dish. Combine chicken with the marinade until well covered. Cover dish and refrigerate. Marinade anywhere from 2-8 hours. I find that about 3-4 hours is good.

Place chicken on metal skewers with no space between the chicken. This should make about 8 skewers or more. If you don't have metal skewers, use bamboo ones that have been soaked in water for about 15 minutes.

Grill on high heat for 10-15 minutes, turning to char all sides. Chicken should be tender and well done. This is a very tenderizing marinade, so it should be fall apart tender and not dry.

Serve hot with grilled veggies like peppers zucchini, and onions. Serve with cucumber, tomatoes, hummus or whatever you like. It also is good on top of a bed of rice or couscous.

Leftovers are delicious too!

Bulgogi (with Kiwi)

We found this recipe on the Internet and after making it once, we decided to modify it. I think we've almost perfected it. This is an amazing Korean dish that promises never to leave leftovers. In fact, you'll probably want to lick your plate clean and lick the serving dish too!

We served this with rice and stir-fried bokchoy, onions, and peppers. It's good with kimchi too - as the sourness of the kimchi really compliments the sweetness of this sauce.

Meat
2 pounds thinly sliced beef tenderloin (you can use almost any beef, but tenderloin is delish)

Marinade
6 Tbsp  soy sauce
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp Mirin (rice) wine
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2-3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp chopped green onions (including tops)
1 whole ripe kiwi, pureed
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Make the marinade. place in a large bowl and add the beef. Use your hands to massage the beef and marinade together. Be sure it is well mixed and beef is completely covered. Let stand on countertop for at least 1/2 hour. If you use a tougher cut of meat, you should let it marinade longer.

Heat wok to very hot. Add oil that has a high smoke point (grapeseed oil, coconut oil, canola oil). Make sure oil and pan are very hot. Add beef a little at a time. Cook just until done and remove beef to a warm dish. Add more beef and repeat. Drain any sauce that collects on the bottom of the pan, adding more oil and heating the pan to very hot before adding the meat. It's okay for the beef to get a little crispy. Always cook in small batches so the beef is stir-fried and not boiled. It should sizzle when it hits the pan.

You can also cook beef on a charcoal grill with a fine steel mesh or tin foil so beef doesn't fall through the grate. You don't want to burn the meat or it becomes bitter. Also when using beef tenderloin, you want to cook it lightly so it stays tender. Remember the meat will continue cooking even after you remove it from the pan.

If you stir fry veggies, do that first in the wok and set aside with them covered to stay warm. You can use any kind of veggies - try mushrooms, pea pods, julienned carrots and napa cabbage in addition to onions, bok choy and colorful sweet peppers.

Serves 4-6 people

Copy Cat Panera Mediterranean Chicken Salad

3 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 cup dry quinoa
4 stalks kale, washed and chopped into smaller pieces
1-2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped into smaller pieces
1 medium tomato, chopped (no need to seed)
2-3 green onions, sliced, including green part
1 cup English cucumber, sliced into half moons
1/2 cup kalamata olives (whole or sliced in half)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3/4-1 cup feta cheese (divided)

Rinse quinoa and place in a medium pan with 2 cups of water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, then put on simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Place quinoa in the freezer to cool down to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, pound the chicken and make the marinade/dressing (see recipe below). Place raw chicken and about half the marinade in a gallon bag and marinade on the counter while preparing the rest of the salad.

Heat grill to high.

Dry kale with paper towels and place in a large salad bowl. Add 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and massage the kale until it turns a bright green and becomes a little limp. This will take out the bitter flavor of the kale.

Place the romaine in the bowl with the kale and mix thoroughly. Add chopped tomato, green oinion, cucumbers, olives, almonds and 1/2 cup feta cheese on top of the greens.

Remove chicken from marinade and toss the marinade. Grill chicken on medium until juices run clear (about 15 minutes or so). Cut up chicken into think slices.

Remove quinoa from freezer and put about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the quinoa on top of the salad. Top with chicken.

Just before serving add the salad dressing (should be about half left) and toss salad gently. Top salad with additional feta cheese and serve in large salad bowls.

Makes 4 generous dinner salads with possible leftovers.

Greek Marinade and salad dressing
1/2 cup good red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 larger cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp evaporated cane sugar
1-2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil slowly to emulsify the dressing. It should come together easily, but if it looks oily, it means you're pouring the olive oil in too quickly. SLOW DOWN!

Bourbon Glaze for Salmon, Chicken, etc.

3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. bourbon
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced (about 2-3 cloves)
1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black peper

Mix together until sugar is dissolved. Place in a large ziplock bag with 1 1/2 -2 lbs. of fish or chicken (recommend cut up so marinade penetrates the meat). Marinate for 1 1/2 hours.

Heat large skillet and and coat pan with non-stick spray. Add the protein and cook for 4 minutes on a side (turning once) or until fish flakes easily or chicken is done. Add the marinade to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Marinade will reduce quickly and burn, so be sure to watch carefully. Serve fish or chicken with the glaze on top. Sprinkle with fresh green onion, sliced thinly and toasted sesame seeds, if desired.

Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce

1 cup coconut milk (we used coconut cream from Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup creamy peanutbutter
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
3 Tbsp. DARK brown sugar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 - 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 small pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds)
Oil (for grill - canola or coconut oil)

Trim and remove the silverskin of the pork. Butterfly the tenderloins and pound slightly to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Mix the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Place the tenderloins in the bowl and allow to marinade for at least 20 minutes on the counter or longer in the refrigerator.

Heat grill and clean the grate. Oil grate well. Remove the tenderloins allowing the marinade to drip off, back into the bowl. SAVE THE MARINADE!

Grill covered - turning once just until cooked through (slightly pink) for 5-7 minutes total. Transfer to the cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes.

Heat leftover marinade in a pan on the stove and add up to 2 Tbsp. water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. If sauce is too thick, add more water.

Serve the pork with the peanut sauce on top or on the side. Add Sriracha sauce for more heat.

5 Easy Freezer to Crockpot Meals

  Philly Chicken Sandwiches

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2-2 pounds)

2 Tbsp butter

1-2 bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow - your choice), sliced

1 large sweet onion, sliced and then cut into half moons

1 Tbsp + Montreal Steak Seasoning (any brand will due)

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

 

Sliced cheese or grated cheese of choice (mozzarella, provolone, etc.)

Hoagie Rolls

 

Put all ingredients except cheese and rolls in a gallon freezer bag and freeze and label. If you want, you can leave out the onion and pepper and add those when you make this.

 

Cooking Instructions:  Put chicken into crock pot (add fresh ingredients if you didn't freeze them with the chicken) and cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to crock pot and stir with a slotted spoon.

To serve, drain the chicken with the slotted spoon and scoop into hoagie buns lined with the cheese of your choice. If you don't drain the chicken, your bun will get soaked and it will be too slopping to pick up and eat. You can also toast the buns under the broiler and then top with chicken and then cheese, return to broiler to melt the cheese on top.

These taste great with sweet potato chips or roasted sweet potatoes and a side of fresh tropical fruit.

Note: you can also cook this on the stove in a covered sauce pan. Be sure chicken is not frozen for best results.

Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn and Black Beans

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Limes, juiced (1 oz)
1 cup cilantro
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 chopped onion
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp Mexican seasoning
½ tsp ground cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
12 oz bag frozen corn

Put all ingredients except frozen corn into a gallon freezer bag. Mix bag by shaking, seal, label and put in the freezer.

Cooking instructions: Put chicken mixture and frozen corn into a Crock pot on Low for 6 hours or High for 3 1.2 hours.  Serve with warm tortillas or serve over cooked rice, and dress with sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese.

Makes 8 1 cup servings - 381 calories per serving without rice or toppings.

Honey Garlic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup soy sauce (use reduced sodium to lower saltiness)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey

Add all ingredients to gallon freezer bag.  When you are ready to cook this, put all ingredients into a crockpot and let cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Serve with your favorite sides.

BBQ Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 bottle (about 1 1/4 cups) your favorite BBQ Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays Honey Chipolte)
1 green pepper and white onion (when ready to cook)

Combine above ingredients in a gallon freezer bag.When you are ready to cook this, put into a Crock pot and add 1 chopped green pepper and ½ cup chopped white onion.

Cook for 3-4 hours on high or low for 6 hours.Shred to make sandwiches or serve with rice or potatoes or however you enjoy BBQ chicken!

Italian Dressing Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup or so of Zesty Italian Dressing

Place chicken in a gallon freezer bag. Pour Italian dressing over the top just until the chicken is covered. Seal, label and freeze

Cooking Instructions: Add frozen chicken to crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. When finished, cut up chicken for pita sandwiches, for salad topping, or eat with rice and Italian green beans.

 Alternate Cooking Method: This is a great one to grill! You can pound the chicken breasts to flatten slightly before freezing. Then just put them on the grill frozen and grill until juices run clear. Otherwise, you can thaw and grill these using the same method.

Fall off the Bones Baby-Back Ribs with Sweet Hot BBQ Sauce

I won't lie. To make ribs, you must start the night before and allow a minimum of 5 hours for cooking them to perfection. The photos below prove it is well-worth your time and  effort.

3 full racks of baby-back ribs, silver skin removed
3-5 Tablespoons Emeril's Essence

About 12 hours before, cut ribs into half racks and generously coat with Emeril's Essence (recipe or buy it in the store). Rub this into the ribs and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Take ribs out and bring to room temperature. Put ribs on a single sheet and cover with foil and place in 250 degree oven for 2-3 hours until you smell them and they are beginning to get tender, but not completely.

Meanwhile soak 1 1/2 cups of hardwood (we used hickory) chips. Preheat grill and place wood chips on the grill so they can begin to smoke. Use indirect heat method and place ribs on the grill for about 2 hours, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, make BBQ sauce (recipe below).

Slather BBQ sauce on ribs and continue cooking for about 20-30 minutes, turn up heat at the end to crisp them up. They should be fall of the bone tender.

BBQ Sauce

 

1/4 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. olive oil
1.5 cups ketchup
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. yellow mustard
2 Tbsp BBQ spice
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Saute' onion in olive oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings as needed. This is a sweet-spicy BBQ sauce.

Served with Grilled Corn on the Cob and Dilly Cucumber Salad

Greek Marinade with Fresh Herbs

3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 medium lemon)
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano (nice handful)
1/2 Tbsp. fresh mint (about 1 stem)
1/2 tsp. fresh dill weed (small sprig)
1 tsp. fresh sage (about 2 large leaves)
1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mix together in a measuring cup and pour over cut up meat (we used beef, but you could use chicken, lamb, pork). Marinade at least 4-5 hours in the refrigerator.

When ready to grill -- heat grill to high. Take meat out of the refrigerator and allow to warm up. String meat on skewers and grill for doneness.

Chicken Fajitas

2-3 pounds chicken tenders, thawed
Marinade:
1/2 c. margarita mixer (or limeade if you don't have mixer)
1/4 c. tequila
1-2 Tbsp. Mexican seasoning (I use Frontier Mexican Seasoning mix)
3-4 cloves of garlic, pressed (or finely chopped)
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper as needed

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Poblano pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1-2 Bell peppers (red, green, orange, yellow), cut into thin strips
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia), cut into wedges
Homemade pico de gallo
Homemade guacamole
Fajita-sized flour tortillas
Mexican blend cheese
Sour Cream

Mix all of the marinade ingredients and put into a gallon-sized Ziplock bag. Add chicken and mix to coat. Place in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours to infuse all flavors into the chicken.

When chicken is finished, drain marinade and save. Heat grill. Grill chicken until done, coat with marinade to keep from drying out. Keep warm -- cut up larger tenderloins as needed.

In a large stir-fry pan, heat olive oil, stir fry peppers and onions until tender crisp. Meanwhile, heat reserved marinade and stir in a small paste made of water and corn starch to thicken it. Boil until thick. You can either pour the thickened marinade over the veggies or keep separate and add as you assemble the fajitas.

To assemble fajitas, heat flour tortillas, add chicken, peppers, onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, cheese and sour cream. Eat immediately.

Serve with Mexican or Costa Rican rice and black bean and corn relish or refried beans.

Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken

3 large chicken breasts, pounded slightly
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, crushed

Put all the above ingredients in a gallon Ziplock bag and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes -- 1 hour is better.

Heat grill and take chicken out of the refrigerator to warm up slightly. Grill on medium-high heat for 12-15 minutes, turning once. Marinade, but remember to always cook the chicken after applying. Check for doneness and cook until juices run clear.

"Kid-friendly" chicken -- very moist and tasty. Be sure to discard unused marinade.

 Serve with rice pilaf and sherry mushrooms and grilled asparagus.

Teriyaki Marinade

1/3 c. soy sauce (can use low-sodium)
2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil (use canola if grilling)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2 tsp. ground ginger (if you want to use fresh garlic, use 1 tsp. finely chopped)
1 tsp. seasoned salt

Mix together and pour into plastic bag with up to 1 1/2 pounds of  meat (pork, beef, chicken) and refrigerate for 4-8 hours, turning occasionally.  Brush on meat as grilling, but be sure to cook the meat for several minutes before serving, or you can boil the marinade and use as a marinade safely. Otherwise, if you want to make up fresh marinade to brush on meat, discard the one with the meat and use the fresh marinade for basting.

You can use this for fish, but marinade for only a short time since fish will become very salty if marinaded for long.

Emeril Lagasse's Jamaican-Jerked Pork Tenderloin

Marinade:
1/2 c. chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, slivered
1/2 habernero pepper or 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and coursely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 small piece of fresh ginger (about 1-2 tsp)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice (I used whole allspice and ground it in mortar-pestle)
1/2 tsp. freshly-grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. hot curry powder
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground peppercorns

2 pork tenderloins (total 1 1/2 pounds)

Place pork in a glass dish. Mix marinade ingredients in a food processor until pureed. Pour over tenderloins and coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Turn about every 2 hours. Marinade 2-8 hours. Poke holes into the meat with a knife to allow marinade to penetrate the meat.

Reserve marinade and place pork on a roasting pan or a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil, basting at least once. (At this point, we baked the pork at 450 instead). The recipe says to broil 20 minute, but we found it took closer to 35 minutes to bake. Take out when there is still a hint of pink inside (about 150 degrees on the meat themometer). Tent with foil, let stand for 10 minutes. Slice thinkly. Make sure internal temp is around 160-165 degrees.

Here's Emeril's link to the original recipe:
http://www.emerils.com/recipe/3542/Jamaican-Jerked-Pork-Tenderloins

Another Great Chicken Enchilada Recipe

To Make Enchiladas, you need to set up an assembly line, work fast and be prepared with every ingredient before you start. The key is to have a great enchilada sauce. Try Dave's homemade recipe -- it's worth the time to make your own and keep everything as fresh as possible!

1 recipe of Drunken Chicken (recipe below)
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced (include greens)
2 cups Mexican blend cheese, finely shredded (divided)
1 recipe of Dave's Red-Hot Enchilada Sauce (or 1 can of hot enchilada sauce), divided
10 corn tortillas, warmed

Spray bottom of a 8x12" glass pan with cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of pan.

Place a small amount of each chicken, olives, cheese, onions and a tablespoon of enchilada sauce on each corn tortilla and roll up.

Place seamside down in pan. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese and any other ingredients remaining.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven (until bubbly and brown on top).

Top with sour cream, pico, guacamole, shredded lettuce.

Drunken Chicken:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
Juice of 1 lime
2 jiggers of tequila
1/2 tsp. salt
handful of chopped cilantro
1-2 Tbsp. Mexican seasoning (www.frontiercoop.com)

Blend above in a gallon ziplock bag and marinade for about 1-2 hours

Grill chicken until juices run clear, then slice into strips and set aside.