Lime Cilantro Marinade

Cilantro - pronounced [sih-LAHN-troh]
This member of the carrot family is also referred to as Chinese Parsley and Coriander. It is actually the leaves (and stems) of the Coriander plant. Cilantro has a very pungent odor and is widely used in Mexican, Caribbean and Asian cooking. The Cilantro leaves look a bit like flat Italian parsley and in fact are related.

Ahh, cilantro how I love thee. Frida will agree with me--cilantro is the ooomph needed for home made salsa and guacamole, and plenty of other tasty dishes. Used best when fresh, cilantro keeps pretty well in the fridge and is relatively inexpensive to purchase (versus other fresh herbs), and the leaves and the stems are all edible.

Last night I made this quick and easy marinade for grilled chicken (but it would also be great with a white fish) and after only marinating for about 45 minutes the meat was incredibly juicy and filled with flavor when cooked.

Lime Cilantro Marinade

• Juice from 4-5 limes
• 1 tbls olive oil
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

Cut the limes in half and squeeze their juice into a medium sized bowl, watching out for seeds. Chop up the cilantro and add it to the bowl along with the olive oil and mix all together.

At this point you can use the marinade as is, and just add your meat of choice, but I put mine in a food processor to get everything well mixed and to chop the cilantro even finer. This would be the best option. You could also use a blender.

Let meat marinade for at least 30 minutes, even longer for more flavor. Poke holes in meat to allow for easier absorption.

Yields marinade for 3-4 medium sized chicken breasts.