Name: Dress You Up in My Love Pomegranate Basil Marinade
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1/2 of a large shallot; 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (no sugar added); 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup fresh basil; 1/2 tsp maple syrup; sea salt and black pepper to taste

Any protein can be the belle of the ball in the right dressing.

The leaner proteins, like chicken, turkey, or bison, need a little more love and attention. They don’t have fat to give them instant flavor. They need seasoning, and they have to be cooked to perfection. Under-seasoning your food would be like showing up to a red carpet event under-dressed. Can you imagine? I don’t want to be on Joan Rivers worst dressed list. I certainly don’t want my food to be on anyone’s under-seasoned list.

We gotta dress that lean protein up in lots of love. And make sure it gets all over. The love we can use is good fats, herbs, spices, and seasoning. I think this marinade is a winner. Give it a try (along with the marinading and cooking reminders!). Remember, it’s not just the marinade, it’s the marinading and cooking processes that impact how your food tastes!

Marinade reminders to get the most flavor:

Marinade your protein for at least 2 hours.
Marinade in a sealed ziploc bag.
Flip it every 30-60 minutes.
Marinade 1 lb of protein in about 3/4 cup of marinade. (This can vary depending on the viscosity of the marinade. I find it can range from 2/3 – 1 cup). You can reserve the rest to top the protein after it’s cooked for additional flavor.

Cooking reminders to get the most flavor:

Don’t cook your protein super cold. Especially meat.
Let it sit out for about 15-20 minutes.
Salt your protein as it sits out before you cook it. There is salt in the marinade, but not enough to fully season the protein. General guideline is about 1 tsp of salt per pound of meat with salt and pepper in a 1:2 ratio. (That’s 1/2 tsp of pepper per pound of meat). This can vary depending on other seasoning and spices. But it’s a helpful general guide.