Easy Steak Tacos with Homemade Corn Tortillas, from Carrie

I marinated over night some round steak (cheap cuts, about 1/2 inch thick-ish and on sale for $4 for 4 ... but any red meat would work) in a packet of GrillMates Chipotle Pepper seasoning, mixed with some lime juice and a beer.

I broiled the meat for 3 minutes each side (until it was about medium done, because that's how I like it)

I let the steaks cool, then diced them up into smallish chunks and threw in a bowl. I diced an onion and tossed that in there with some fresh chopped cilantro.

The corn tortillas were made per the masa package instructions It's just masa (corn flour) and water, roll into balls and press in a tortilla press (or between 2 heavy books), and then cook them in a dry pan or griddle for about 45 seconds each side.

I topped each taco with light sour cream.

Marinated Pork Chops, an idea from Sarah

Start with thick, bone-in chops.
Mix together rosemary, pepper, salt, and garlic, and rub the chops with it.
Then throw them in a bag with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Marinade for a couple of hours (or overnight).
They are best on the grill for about 22 minutes, but you can also broil them in the oven for the same amount of time. They are delicious!

Suggested by Rachael - Huli Huli BBQ Chicken

Huli Huli BBQ Chicken

1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger (I always sub powdered ginger )
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste (I left this out)

Whisk all ingredients together. Marinate chicken in half of the mixture in a large resealable plastic bag for one hour. Reduce remaining mixture in a saucepan over med-high heat until thickened, 5 minutes. Set aside for basting.

The recipe calls for grilling the chicken but I am going to bake it in the oven, basting often.

Chermoula Marinade, from Kris

Moroccan style fish Marinade called a "Chermoula" (thanks to Weight Watchers Cookbook - with a little touch of Kris added).

- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsely, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBSP lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 TBSP smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

The recipe called to put this on whole fish (white flesh fish, recommended red snapper, striped bass or trout). Instead, I put them over some boneless, skinless Mahi Mahi fillets. I marinated them for about 6 hours. Then, cooked them over a medium hot grill. I think that this would be awesome on a Halibut fillet as well.

Marinated Flank Steak, from Shelli

I made marinated flank steak! Yum! We're actually having it tomorrow, but I assembled it today.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 can beer

Mix first five ingredients, then stir in beer. Pour over flank steak (mine was about 2 lbs, I think?). Marinate overnight. Can be frozen in marinade and then thawed for later enjoyment.

Grill or broil until medium (can't give you a time since I don't know how thick your steak is).

Slice on an angle against the grain.

Leftovers are great wrapped up in a tortilla!

Citrus Herb Chicken Marinade, from Karli

Citrus Herb Chicken Marinade
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
2 TBS olive or canola oil
3/4 tsp season salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp thyme
Mix all ingredients and marinade chicken for at least 3 hours.

I grilled the chicken and served over Spanish style rice and tortilla strips. I then topped it with a small amount of salsa and sour cream. My husband melted some colby-jack cheese on top too.

Two Yogurt Chicken Marinades, from Kris

Yogurt also makes a great marinade for chicken. I regularly use yogurt to marinate chicken that I will cook on the grill. Sounds weird, but it always turns out juicy.

In a large zipbag, mix yogurt with juice from 1 lemon, add 2 tsp curry powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground dry mustard, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Add chicken and marinate for at least 4 hours. Grill until chicken is done.

Or you can also mix (in a large zipbag), yogurt with 1/2 - 3/4 cup of your favorite fresh salsa. I like to use the baja salsa from "Baja Fresh" restaurant. Marinate chicken at least 4 hours then grill.

Steak Marinade, from JulieZ

Okay, here's my marinade ... it's so damn good, I should bottle it, but it wouldn't be the same. Sorry no real measurements, I just eyeball it.

I get the steaks all laying in a shallow dish. Then I sprinkle on a light dusting of cumin, both sides, then I really cover/layer one side with onion powder and garlic powder (I get the really good garlic granules from the bulk bin), I flip over to coat both sides.

I'm usually into using fresh onion and garlic, but this is one instance where the dry works well (as long as it hasn't been sitting on the shelf for years ).

I poke holes in the steak with a fork so the marinade sinks in; I know some people are against this since it could let the juices drain, but I've never had a problem with them drying out.

Let's see, then I add some dried red chili pepper flakes, then some dried or fresh cilantro. I sprinkle on some Tabasco sauce, not too much, can make it have that sour taste.

Then I pour on some lite-sodium soy sauce and then some beer (amber or darker). Not too much liquid, you don't want to drown it (DH did this, so now he lets me add the liquid). Just enough to pool some liquid under/around the steaks. Then I take extra care to make little divots/craters on top that I spoon on marinade. Marinate for 1-4+ hours. Yummmmy!

The soy sauce and beer help the marinade seep in and, gawd, what's that word ... my daughter starts being loud and naughty everytime I get on the computer and I CAN'T think ... oh, tenderize.

You can leave out the cilantro and it still tastes good. I can't seem to find the dried cilantro anymore at the bulk bins (of course, it was something I liked, so they discontinued it) and I don't always have fresh on hand.

Grilling Ideas from Rocknut

Asparagus:

Marinade: Italian dressing for a quick marinade, or melt a mixture of butter, rosemary, garlic, and oregano and a squirt of lemon juice (plus salt and pepper). Put marinade in a large ziplock bag with asparagus for at least half an hour before grilling. DELICIOUS!

Steaks: (Rib Steaks are my favourite) Any spice mixture you want. I favour a basic salt, pepper and cajun spice mix... DO NOT flip your steaks more than once! (sorry Jake, lol!)

Twice baked Potatoes: Microwave several baking potatoes till relatively soft, cut in half. Scoop insides out into a bowl (leaving a thin shell of potato), mash insides with butter, cream cheese, garlic, cooked broccoli (bacon, cheddar, asiago, onions, whatever you like!) put mixture back into shells, garnish with cheese, fresh herbs on top, and put on grill for 20 minutes or so...

Grilled Shrimp, from Tara

And last but not least, this is by far, our favorite grilling recipe. Everyone that comes over always requests it.

1/2 cup diced onion
1 diced jalapeno pepper
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 lb. pre-cooked & cleaned (med 56-60) shrimp
Blend everything (Editor's note - except the shrimp!) in food processor until it is a consistent mixture and onion and pepper are finely diced. Pour over shrimp and cover completely. Let the shrimp marinate at least 45 minutes. This is enough for about a pound of medium shrimp. Skewer the shrimp & grill.

Grilling Ideas from Maria

Grab a bottle of Garlic & Herb 30 minute marinade & dump it on some chicken that you've cut into 1 inch(or so) cubes. Cut up some onion(sweeter variety like Vidalia or Walla Walla) & bell pepper(I prefer yellow or orange b/c they're sweeter) also into 1 inch pieces. You can also use cherry tomatoes if you like. Take the chicken & veggies & alternately thread them onto skewers(if bamboo or wood, be sure to soak them first so they don't burn up). I like to spray the veggies w/ I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray(butter flavor) & then grill them over med-high heat until chicken is done, turning every so often to each side of chicken is grilled. To make it easier, you may want to put the chicken & veggies on separate skewers.

Jerk Chicken, by Kris

Jerk Chicken Marinade:
1 small onion
3 cloves whole fresh garlic (you can cheat and used jarred fresh garlic)
1TBSP ground coriander
1 TBSP ground Jamaican allspice
1 tsp. ground cinammon1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 TSBP brown sugar
3 Habanero peppers with seeds and ribs
1 tsp peppercorns (or cracked black pepper)
(To decrease the heat in this marinade, remove the seeds and ribs from the Habanero peppers, or use less. To increase the heat, use more habanero peppers!)

In a food processor, pulse the above ingredients until well blended. Add the following wet ingredients:

1 TSBP white vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
juice of 3 fresh limes
Pulse to blend.

Pour into a large ziplock bag and add chicken (or steak) to marinade. Allow to marinade in refrigerator overnight.
Grill until done and serve with Limey-Coconut Rice.

Chicken with Yogurt Curry Marinade, by Kris

Chicken with yogurt curry marinade:

-slice chicken breasts into 1.5 inch strips (to thread on skewers)
-1 tub nonfat plain yogurt
-juice of 1 lemon
-1tsp ground cumin
-1tsp paprika
-1tsp onion powder
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp cayenne pepper
-2tsp yellow curry powder

mix all ingredients well, put in large ziplock container. Marinate for at least 4 hours. Thread chicken pieces onto bamboo skewers that have soaked in water for at least 1 hour. Cook on gril over medium-high heat until done (about 4 - 5 minutes/side).

Montreal Chicken & Potatoes from Let's Dish, suggested by Shelli

About This Dish:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are marinated in:
olive oil, lemon, and Montreal seasoning and
served with seasoned homemade potato chips.
A great beginning of spring meal. (I'm assuming Let's Dish added this part, not Shelli!)

Beef Tenderloin Rub, from Lisa

Beef Tenderloin Rub

1 Tbsp. granulated garlic or garlic salt
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1-1/2 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

(yes, I know it's not a marinade, but it kinda fits)

Baked Salmon, an idea from Jim

Lately I've been baking the salmon with plenty of spicy stuff (Tony Chacheries or however the heck you spell it), and then offsetting that by basting it with a 50/50 mix of honey and Fijian Rum (gotta find something to do with that). It's awesome, and the honey/rum mix makes for a nice little snack while it's cooking....

Roast chicken marinade from Heather

Marinade I used for my roast chicken a couple of days ago:

1 lg garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp honey (I used packed brown sugar)
1/8 tsp ground ginger (I used bottled minced instead)
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp allspice
generous pinch of cumin

I think I will up those spices to at least 1/4 tsp each next time.

Ponzu baked chicken from Sue

I made Ponzu baked chicken thighs (skin on bone in) w/ polenta, roasted potatoes, and zucchini/yellow squash melange.

Here's the chicken marinade:

Olive Oil, Soy Sauce, Ponzu Sauce, Garlic, Onions, oregano, paprika, bay leaf, tarragon. pepper (I don't add extra salt to anything when I use Soy Sauce).

I fried the Polenta in bacon fat w/ more garlic & onions. The potatoes roasted in the same pan as the chicken, and the zucchini/yellow squash was sauteed in olive oil.