The Basics of Marinating

Do you find yourself cooking the same things over and over, with little variations to seasonings or flavors? A great way to add flavor, with the minimum amount of calories, to your favorite proteins is with marinates!

Here are some starting points:

How? Start with a large plastic zipper lock bag for easy clean-up, or use any air-tight container

What? Cut your protein of choice into similar sized pieces, this can be done with one or a combination of the following:  skinless, boneless chicken breasts/thighs, trimmed flank steak, trimmed pork loin, trimmed pork chops, peeled and deveined shrimp, boneless and firm white fish filets , firm tofu, Portobello mushroom, eggplant, tempeh, paneer cheese, seita

Where?  Always marinate in the refrigerator to avoid any health hazards

Time?  Meats can be marinated overnight for up to 5 days, but seafood and vegetarian proteins are more delicate and need only 2 to 3 hours to pick up the flavors

Three basic recipes:
Tart and Tangy Balsamic
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Orange glaze
• 1 tbs reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 4 tbs orange juice
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs fresh ginger
• 1 tbs chopped garlic

Rosemary Lemon
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs chopped rosemary
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs  chopped garlic

Mix the ingredients in air tight container or bag along with 1lbs (450g)  of your protein of choice, and let those flavors have a party!