Multipurpose Tex-Mex Marinade

This marinade is the foundation for many of my favorite dishes.  I love to use it for for grilled chicken, which is great on its own or as the filling for delicious enchiladas.  I've also used this marinade for  wonderful, roasted pork tenderloin.  It's also great on grilled shrimp, and while I haven't tried it on steak I'm sure it would be a delicious application.  The versatility doesn't stop there - the dry ingredient list can also be used as the basis for your own homemade taco seasoning!

For the marinade chop up two or three chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (depending on how spicy you like it, I usually use three).  Add the lime juice, crushed garlic (Do you have a garlic press? You really need a garlic press, for this and for life.), dry seasoning, fresh cilantro, and olive oil, and mix to combine.  It will have the consistency of a loose paste.  Add your meat, making sure it is covered in the sauce place covered in the refrigerator.  I'm using a mixture of chicken breasts and thighs here because I like the combination of light and dark meat in enchiladas.  Refrigeration times vary depending on the meat (take a look in the instructions for specific times).

If you want to convert the dry ingredients into taco seasoning, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder to the salt, chili power, cumin, and paprika. Add this dry mixture to cooked ground beef or turkey with a 1/4 cup of water, and let simmer until the sauce has thickened. If you don't plan to use it immediately, store the taco seasoning in an airtight container.

Multipurpose Tex-Mex Marinade

Ingredients

• 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 lime
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp. fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. Roughly chop 3-4 chipotle peppers and add them to a large mixing bowl
2. Add the lime juice, crushed garlic, dried seasoning, fresh herbs, and olive oil.
3. Stir to combine
4. Add meat, cover and refrigerate.  (Marinade chicken for no more than 6 hours, seafood for no more than 2 hours, pork and steak for no more than 12 hours)