Tequila-Lime Cilantro Marinade

This is a recipe from Emeril that I adapted after seeing it on www.foodtv.com. The flavors sounded interesting, what with the tequila, jalapenos, cilantro and so on. I used it for legs and boneless-skinless chicken breasts. The marinade worked much better with the breasts than the legs in my opinion. I actually had 3 breasts when I started the recipe, but as I removed them from the bag after 4 hours, one of the breasts had disappeared. I keep thinking that I am going to open a drawer or cabinet later and find the missing one, lets just hope that it happens sooner than later.

Tequila-Lime Cilantro Marinade

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

4 garlic cloves,peeled

1 shallot, coarsely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded

juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tequila

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground coriander seed

Place the ingredients into a food processor and process until combined. Place chicken in plastic bag and add marinade. Let it marinate for 2 to 4 hours. Grill and serve.

Marinated Flank Steak

Last week I bought a flank steak by mistake. I thought I needed it for a recipe I was going to try, but it was the wrong type of steak. Never cooking with one before, I decided to grill it. I went through the fridge looking for something to marinate it with and this is what I came up with. It turned out really nice and flavorful and I will use it again.

Marinated Flank Steak

1 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 lb. flank steak

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large resealable bag, add the steak. Allow to marinate for 2 hours. Grill steak to desired temperature. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve.

Cedar Plank Salmon

We were at Costco the other day and found this beautiful salmon, it was just over 2 pounds and cost $14.00. I decided this would be perfect for the grill. I cut it in half and placed one half in the freezer and cut the other half in half again, to grill. I love the flavor that the cedar plank imparts on the fish along with the smoke from the grill. It doesn't get much better than this and so simple too. You can find cedar planks at Target that are cheaper than Williams-Sonoma, I've even seen them in the grocery stores. I cook our salmon through, I know that lots of places serve them practically rare these days, but Mikey don't go for that. I like my fish cooked!!

Cedar Plank Salmon

1 cedar plank
2 salmon fillets (1 to 1 1/2 lbs. total)
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper

Soak the cedar plank for 2 hours. Place salmon in a small baking dish, zest the lemon over the top. Juice the lemon and pour over fish with white wine. Add garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes before grilling, turning after 15 minutes.
In the meantime heat the grill. Place the cedar plank on the grill over hot coals and leave it there for 3 to 4 minutes until it starts to smoke. Place salmon on the plank. Cover grill and cook 20 minutes, until fish is cooked through.

Blood Orange Juice Marinade for Chicken

This is the marinade I made for chicken. I used it on boneless skinless chicken breasts and left them in the marinade for an hour.

Blood Orange Marinade

2 tbsp. blood orange juice
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried granulated garlic

Mix all the ingredients, place in large resealable plastic bag with chicken. Gently run into the chicken and set aside for at least 30 minutes before grilling. Shake off excess marinade before placing on the grill.