Marinades are just one of the ways that I coax a meaty flavor from the meatless stand-ins I employ in my cooking. At one time, I used products like Liquid Smoke, but stopped because of my concern about the health effects of the chemicals it contains.
I’m experimenting today with Red Alder Smoked Salt by The Meadow, a very cool company with shops in New York and Portland, Oregon. My ultra-cool friend, Patti, bought me some the other day from a new Charlotte shop called Pour Olive which specializes in high quality olive oils and balsamic vinegars. (PS – You know that Charlotte is finally hitting its culinary stride when couples like Doug and Sophie have over 40 different selections of oils and vinegars available for you to taste in their lovely Dilworth store!)
My marinade tonight was a fairly simple one – made in under 3 minutes in my food processor. Take 1/2 of a large Vidalia onion, 1 large clove of fresh garlic, 1/3 cup of soy sauce or tamari (I’m lately loving a Korean brand, Bibigo, which has kelp extract for an added kick), 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, lots of Tabasco sauce (we like the sweet and spicy variety) . . . and some of the Red Alder Smoked Salt. Buzz it in the food processor until it is relatively smooth and then pour it over whatever you’re planning to cook tonight. Meaty or meatless – I’ll bet it will be incredible.
Now let’s see if it can transform my meatless dinner into something even a carnivore could love!
- ½ large Vidalia onion
- 1 large fresh garlic clove
- ⅓ c. soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- Tabasco sauce
- Red Alder Smoked Salt
- Add all ingredients together in a food processor.
- Blend till it is relatively smooth.
