Summer is grilling season, kebobs, steaks, roasts, veggies, fruit oh my. The possibilities, the variations. You can’t walk down my street at dinnertime, without the fragrance of grilled meat permeating the air. Everybody loves to grill. Every nation on earth has a “national” grilled favorite, and yet, it is not the healthiest way to prepare meat, according to the newest research. According to the same research – you can diffuse the danger of grilled meat if you marinate the meat in certain herbs and spices (Reference: – University of Arkansas, Food Safety Consortium (2007, June 28). Brush On The Marinade, Hold Off The Cancerous Compounds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/06/070627124111.htm)

Well – the scientists are way behind the rest of the human race; people have been marinating meat, that was cooked over and open fire or on coals, in natural antioxidants for centuries, but it’s nice to feel reassured, so thank you scientists. In my family – herbal marinades are a staple.

Each week I will share a marinade I use for our weekend summer grill fests. Today it’s the Sundried Tomato and Basil Marinade. The beauty of this marinade is that you can whip it up in a blender in 5 seconds, you don’t have to cook, cut and prep a thing(except picking leaves off of herbs), it’s finger licking good, and it’s full of antioxidants, restevarol and lycopene. Score!

sun dried tomato marinade ingredients

This easy peasy, very flavorful marinade goes great with lamb or steak. I like to use it for lamb loin chops. The chops themselves are my favorite cut of lamb and I find the most flavorful.

Ingredients

½ cup Sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, oil reserved

3 – 4 tablespoons oil from the tomatoes

2/3 cup red dry wine

2/3 cup packed basil leaves. You can substitute basil for rosemary, thyme and oregano.

4 -5 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. You can use it right away, or add it into a clean jar with a lid and refrigerate.