Grilled Chicken and Red Onion Quesadillas

Here's just a heads up for everyone: My husband LOVES to grill. We tend to grill out about 2 or 3 times a week during the summer, so I may be posting a lot of grilling and side recipes this summer season. :)

I think I may have found my favorite chicken marinade with this recipe. As I said in an earlier post, I am loving cilantro more and more. I know it's an odd flavor and it's not for everyone, but if you like it, you'll love this. There is a jalapeno in the marinade as well; and since it was my first time making this recipe, I seeded it. In doing that, it wasn't spicy and we just got the flavor of the pepper.


Marinating time: 3 to 4 hours
Grilling time: 20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients
For the Paste:
2 large garlic cloves
1 jalapeno chile pepper, stem removed
1 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, about 8 oz. each, halved
1 large red onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
extra virgin olive oil
4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (I used a Colby and Monterey Jack blend)
6 flour tortillas (10 inches)
tomato salsa

Directions

1. To make the paste: In the food processor, mince the garlic and jalapeno. Add the remaining paste ingredients and process until smooth. Coat the chicken breasts on all sides with the paste and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Lightly brush or spray the onion slices with oil. Grill the chicken and onions over direct medium heat until the chicken in opaque in the center and the onions are tender, 8 to 12 minutes, turning once. Remove the chicken and onions from the grill and allow to cool. Cut the chicken crosswise into 1/8-inch slices and onions into 1/4-inch pieces.
3. Evenly divide the chicken, onions, and cheese over half of each tortilla. Fold the empty half of each tortilla over the filling, creating a half circle, and press down firmly. Grill the quesadillas over direct medium heat until well marked and the cheese has melted, 4 to 6 minutes, turning carefully once. Allow the quesadillas to cook for a minute or 2 before cutting into wedges. Serve with salsa.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Weber's Real Grilling

Another Pork Marinade

I am a big fan of marinades. I feel like sometimes that is all I post. Well, this one is FANTASTIC. I've used it for years, had it tonight, and felt you all needed to try it. I bought 1 package of pork tenderloin. In these packages, there are really 2 small tenderloins totally about 2 lbs. I was able to get mine for about a total of $8, so really not that expensive. Use this marinade..the longer you can marinade it the better, but today I only was able to do it for 6 hours. It is delicious. Enjoy

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce (found on oriental aisle)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper (i use the flakes, but you can use ground)
2 TBS brown sugar (today I didn't have any, I used white and it was fine)
1 TBS ginger
1 TBS minced garlic (I of course used much more)
1 TBS ketchup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and marinade. You can either grill it or bake it. If you grill it, use indirect medium heat and do 20 minutes, flip, then 20 minutes. If you bake....preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Place foil on top unsealed for 1 - 1 1/2 hours on 375. Continue turning during cooking.

2 Marinades for Grilling Season

I love to grill. I really feel that it makes cooking seem like it takes a lot less time and effort. Also, I love to grill. I made both of these this week and they were delicious. The first, I ended up with leftovers that I used to make black and bleu salads the next night. The kids loved both recipes. So, try them...they are very good.

Flank Steak Marinade

3/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon parsley

Combine all ingredients in a big ziploc. Add your flank steak and marinade overnight or as many hours as you can during the day. Grill on direct medium heat for about 14 minutes flipping halfway thru. Delicious.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons grated fresh gingerroot

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/3 cup lime or lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

cayenne, to taste

4 (3/4 lb) pork tenderloins, trimmed

Pour ingredients into a ziploc bag and marinade from several hours to overnight. Grill 30-40 minutes on indirect medium heat. Delicious.

Teriyaki Marinade

I found this marinade recipe in my Weight Watchers cookbook. It is delicious. I put it on the pork chops I made tonight. I'm sure it would be good with chicken too.

Teriyaki Marinade

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (i used dry)

It is per serving size of 2 tablespoons 38 calories, 1 gram of fat and 7 grams of carbs.

It is delicious