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Honey Lime Sriracha Marinade Recipe

Monday night we said goodbye to Summer in the best way possible – with a grilled dinner. Since moving into our new apartment, we’ve spent at least three nights per week chatting around the grill preparing dinner. The grill makes cleanup easier, and my taste buds believe that anything with a hint of char-grilled flavor tastes undeniably better. Luckily, the star of our dinner can be enjoyed by grill lovers and apartment dwellers alike.

marinade

This marinade added a little kick of flavor and pizzazz to otherwise boring shrimp. While we grilled the shrimp, you could pan saute your protein or cook it on a cast iron grill pan. We fully intend to make this marinade again, and I personally think it’d be a great for fish or chicken before your next taco night!

Honey Lime Sriracha Marinade

We used this to marinate 48 medium shrimp, but you can use it to marinate almost any meat, seafood or even tofu!

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons honey
  • 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
  • juice of one lime

Directions

  • Put your protein in a gallon size Ziplock bag or large container and set aside.
  • In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the above-measured ingredients.
  • Whisk ingredients together well to ensure ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  • If you want, once ingredients are combined, measure out a small amount to use for basting during the cooking process and set aside.
  • Pour the remaining marinade over the protein and seal or cover the container.
  • Marinate for as little as ten minutes and as long as four hours, depending on the type of protein.
  • Cook protein, using the reserved marinade to baste protein during the cooking process.
  • Enjoy!

 

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Rosemary Chimichurri Recipe

Yesterday afternoon Bo and I spent an hour exploring the Union Square Farmer’s Market as we shopped for our farm-to-table dinner, which we were creating together as part of our Saturday date night.

IMG_2299IMG_2302Finding the produce for the dinner was easy as every stand was overflowing with gorgeous, ripe Summer vegetables. There were hues of red, yellow and green coming from all directions. Heirloom tomatoes, New Jersey sweet corn and fresh herbs were the first things to go in our basket. The incredible diversity of the herbs and produce at the Union Square Farmer’s market shocked us at first. For the past two years, we’ve shopped at a farmer’s market that is far smaller, and it had a very different mixture of products. As you’d expect, there were far more cheese, bread, and wine stands but the produce and meats are often limited.

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Since we were exploring the market at 3 pm, quite late by farmer’s market standards, the one area we started to run into issues was finding the meat or fish for the meal. We went stand to stand only to hear that they’d sold out of their meat and only had eggs or sausage options left. Since this we wanted our entire meal to be farm-to-table, we started to brainstorm creative ideas for a vegetarian meal in case we couldn’t find a protein. Luckily, at the last stand, right as we were encountering the palm readers and chess players on the southern end of Union Square, we found a small meat stand that still had flank steak.

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An often overlooked cut of meat, the flank steak is a steak cut from the abdominal muscles or butt of the cow.  Due to how lean and economical it is, Flank steak is a great option for both weeknight or weekend meals. It packs an intense beef flavor while coming it at half the price of many other steak cuts. The perfect vehicle for flavor, last night we decided to whip up an easy Chimichurri sauce to accompany our flank steak.

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In South America, Chimichurri is a favorite condiment, often served with far more than meat. A traditional Chimichurri is a green sauce primarily composed of parsley, garlic, olive oil and white vinegar. Inspired by the large, fresh bundles of rosemary at the farmer’s market, we created our own version of this flavorful condiment last night – Rosemary Chimichurri Sauce. Ready in less than five minutes, this healthy and flavorful sauce should become a staple in your kitchen. A delicious blend of herbs, Chimichurri adds a flavor punch to just about anything you grill or cook. 

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Rosemary Chimichurri Sauce 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons minced red onions
  • 2 packed tablespoons of minced parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced chives
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced thyme
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons grape seed or vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients, stir and let sit for a moment. Slowly drizzle in the oil while continuously stirring until well combined. Add a dash or two of salt and pepper, or more depending on your taste. Cover and let the sauce marinate for at least 15 minutes before serving so the flavors have time to combine.  Serve sauce on top of flank steak or your protein of preference and enjoy.

*Since we don’t have a food processor, we chopped the ingredients by hand and combined them in a bowl but you may of course also use a small food processor.

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Mexican Frittata Recipe

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Sunday morning we found ourselves with more than a few pounds of produce on our hands after two overzealous shopping trip, both at the Eaux Vives farmer’s market and online.

The tomatoes ripening on our counter inspired us to whip up a Mexican frittata Sunday morning instead of our typical Sunday brunch of avocado toast and eggs. The two of us were able to prepare the ingredients in just a few minutes, thanks to the simple ingredient list.  The Mexican spices gave it a fresh kick while the zucchini and tomatoes, which are now in-season,  made us dream of Summer evenings down by the lake or Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

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Frittatas, similar to omelets are a wonderful way to use leftovers without leaving your kitchen a disaster zone. This recipe only requires one cast iron skillet and a few bowls, depending how you like to organize your ingredients. From start to finish, it’s a 30 minute meal waiting to be enjoyed during a relaxed Sunday brunch or weeknight dinner. Serve it with fruit, coffee and toast on the weekend or with a small, green salad on the weeknights.

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Mexican Frittata

Serves: 6-8 depending on portion size

Ingredients

  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of grated parmesan
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of sliced zucchini (half rounds)
  • 1 medium white onion – diced
  • 3 medium tomatoes – sliced
  • 2 jalapeños (or other spicy peppers) – optional – seeded and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons of minced cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons of chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425F
  • Season the sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper, set aside.
  • Beat eggs and milk in a large bowl before adding cilantro, spices, salt and pepper. Beat together and set aside.
  • In an 8inch cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat then sauté onions and peppers until just softened, about 5 min.
  • Add zucchini to onion and peppers, sauté until starting to brown, about 2 min.
  • Turn heat down to medium and cover pan for about 5 – 7 minutes until zucchini has softened
  • Take cover off and turn heat back to med-high to evaporate excess moisture
  • Add egg mixture  and let cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to set.
  • Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top in an overlapping ring pattern.
  • Put in the oven and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes or until the eggs have fully set
  • Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
  • Slice and enjoy!

Your turn: What is your preference? Omelet or frittata? What is your favorite flavor or ingredient combination?

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