Shrimp Fajitas

INGREDIENTS
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Tapatio (or your favorite hot sauce)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, julienned
2 bell peppers, julienned (two different colors sweetens up the dish and add more color)
flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large Ziploc bag combine the vegetable oil, lemon juice, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, Tapatio, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Squeeze the bag to thoroughly mix the marinade. Add shrimp. Refrigerate and let shrimp marinade for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp along with the marinade and cook about 2 minutes or until no longer pink.
3. Add bell peppers and onions. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Serve with flour tortillas, sour cream, guacamole or your favorite toppings.

Citris Ginger Marinade

INGEDIENTS
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large zip-lock freezer bag, add your favorite meat. Seal and refrigerate at least one hour.

* I generally prefer to grill the chicken, but was out of propane. Still tastes awesome!

Tangy asian bbq sauce & marinade

Makes 2 cups marinade or 1.5 cups sauce

Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
6 oz pineapple juice
2 tangerines or Clementine's - juiced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch pepper
3 cloves garlic - chopped
1 small shallot - thinly sliced
1 large green onion - chopped in 1/4 inch rounds

BBQ Sauce
2 Tbsp cold water
1 Tsp corn starch

To make bbq sauce bring all marinade ingredients to a boil. Combine corn starch and water and pour mixture into boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and whisk until sauce thickens. Strain and use as a bbq sauce or dipping sauce.

This recipe is a great marinade for chicken or pork and a terrific sauce for bbq chicken or as a glaze on pork tenderloin. I will be making pork tenderloin in the marinade and then topped with the reduced glaze.

As a sauce!

Sweet Balsamic Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ pounds chicken

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

½ teaspoon rosemary

5 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary, and garlic in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar.

2. Add the chicken to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

3. Preheat the over to 450 degrees.

4. Place the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake until it is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes, flipping over half way.

5. Place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (this will kill the bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over medium to low heat until thick, about 15 minutes.

6. Top cooked chicken with the cooked marinade.

Asian Ginger Porkchops

2 pork chops
1/8 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1.5 Tbsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp white vinegar
dash paprika
dash salt
lots of pepper
1/2 Tsp sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice


Mix all ingredients in a large zip lock bag. Taste the marinade first see if you need to add a little more of something. Add pork chops and shake. Seal bag and put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour (overnight is even better). Preheat BBQ to low cook pork chops 8 minutes on each side. If you make a second batch of marinade and heat it up on the stove with 1 cup of water then pour it over the pork chops its delicious. Also great on chicken or steak. Serve with white rice.