Dad’s love to grill – it’s a stereotype for a reason. So, most fathers will be firing up the grill and cooking steaks or skewers, chicken or chops this Sunday. Help make the meal healthy and complete with a fabulous marinade for his meats, a super sauce to accompany them, and a tangy vinaigrette for the healthy salad he’ll want to enjoy with them.
Basil Marinade
Recipe from Experience Life by LifeTime
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs. red wine vinegar (or other vinegar of choice)
- ½ tsp. garlic powder (or 3-4 cloves garlic minced)
- ⅛ tsp. onion powder (or ¼ cup finely chopped onion)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, finely minced
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until well incorporated.
- Add to a shallow baking dish with the meat.
- Seafood and chicken will require as little as 30 minutes, while pork and tender cuts of beef can marinate for an hour or more. Tougher cuts of beef can handle up to 24 hours to help tenderize before grilling
Cook’s Note: This is especially good on chicken or fish but works well for beef, pork, and other meats too. It’s even good as a seasoning for roasting or grilling veggies.
Cilantro Chimichurri
Recipe from Experience Life by LifeTime
Ingredients:
- 2½ cups loosely packed cilantro leaves and stems (see cook’s note)
- 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped red onion, rinsed under cold water
- 2 tbs. lime juice
- 2 tbs. water
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. dried oregano (or 1 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped)
- 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor or blender until finely chopped.
- Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the olive oil.
Cook’s Note: If you’re not a fan of cilantro, substitute parsley. Chimichurri is traditionally an accompaniment for beef, but makes a great sauce for pork, chicken, or fish too.
Chive Vinaigrette
Recipe from Experience Life by LifeTime
Ingredients:
- 1 tbs. minced fresh chives
- 1 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tbs. flaxseed oil (see cook’s note)
- 1 tsp. apple-cider vinegar (or red or white wine vinegar)
- 1 tsp. nutritional yeast (see cook’s note)
- ½ tsp. lemon zest
Directions:
- Whisk (or shake in a jar with a lid) the vinaigrette ingredients until combined.
- Pour over salad greens and makings of your choice and toss to coat just before serving.
Cook’s Note: This delightfully fresh-tasting vinaigrette will liven up any salad greens you add it to and it’s particularly healthy with the flaxseed oil and nutritional yeast, so good to balance out the grilled meats. You can easily substitute more olive oil though and the yeast is optional.
