Oven Roasted Bourbon Salmon

Marinade:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cloves crushed garlic

Combine ingredients in gallon size ziploc bag, add salmon fillets. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once (I suggest marinating longer, I think the flavor would be greater if you can do it longer).

Fish
8 skinless Salmon skinless fillets (mine had the skin on and did fine)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400. Line baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Place fillets in baking dish and discard marinade. Roast in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Once you remove from oven, sprinkle each fillet with sesame seeds and green onion.

Never Fails Grilled Chicken

I like to marinate meats and finish. Whenever I am going to marinate, I say my mantra to myself: salt, oil, and acid. I usually use salt and soy sauce for flavor; except when I know that wouldn't work (like on turkey, for example). For acid, I usually use vinegar. Rice wine vinegar is the mildest, apple cider is a good all-purpose, and balsamic is great on beef and Italian foods. With fish, I like to use lemon juice for the acid. I almost always use olive oil for oil. But, feel free to change things up. Frying fish in coconut oil is great (or spreading it on the fish before grilling it).

The night before you're going to grill your chicken breasts, put them in a large ziplock bag. (The following are approximate amounts as I am a "toss this in" kind of cook. But I am offering measurements here. Change them around to suit your taste.) To 4 chicken breasts, add: 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 cup soy sauce (or Bragg's), 1/8 cup olive oil, 2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar (although any vinegar would do), and for the kicker, 1 Tablespoon of garlic paste. Close bag and rub all that stuff into the chicken. Leave that bag in your fridge until you want to use it. Even a few days is fine.

When you're ready to grill, consider pounding the thicker parts of the chicken breasts if they're a lot thicker than the rest (or if you need to vent some aggression). Then put the chicken onto the grill for 6-10 minutes on each side or until done. To really make this yummy, add some teriyaki sauce while grilling. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes before eating.

* Health Tip: If you're dieting, marinate and grill up a huge portion - like one from Sam's club. The next day, take leftover and chop into strips. Freeze in smaller freezer bags. You'll be set for salads, stir fry, chicken, chili, or just a snack!

** This garlic paste is great stuff! I use it for all my garlic needs now. I've found it at Super Target and HEB in the produce section near the herbs.