Fabulous Lemon Marinade and Weeknight Dinners

So I bought this bag of lemons when we were going crazy buying produce last week. I don't know why.

It's not exactly lemonade season, so I decided to try the marinade recipe on the back of the lemon bag.

It turned out pretty awesome! I tried it on mahi mahi, but you could do it on chicken, or even use it as a salad dressing!

Here's a weeknight dinner that will look like you put in the effort of a weekend meal. 

Shawn used to not be a fan of fish. If you feel the same way or it freaks you out a bit, but you'd like to take the plunge, I'd recommend starting with mahi mahi or tilapia. These two fishies are mild and not fishy flavored AT ALL. We love to buy these fillets from Giant Eagle because they are affordable without settling in quality. 

Here's what you need for the marinade: 2-3 lemons, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 2 garlic cloves (minced), 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp of ground ginger), 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp of pepper.


 

You need a large ziplock bag. I got creative and used my blender pitcher to keep my bag open....

Then I just folded the edges back to keep the bag open.

Here's a helpful tip! To get the most out of your lemon, roll the lemon across your cutting board with you palm to soften it up and get all the juices flowing.

I wish I could take credit for that little tip, but I think I saw it on the Foodnetwork or something. :)

Combine all ingredients

Whisk together!

Add fillets...

Allow to marinate for 1-2 hours, but no longer than 4 hours. The lemon might start cooking the meat after 4 hrs. Yes, it can do that!

Weeknights mean I only put effort into one thing I'm making. Like I put some effort into the fish, so I'll do an easy side.  This is a super tasty and easy frozen side that takes 12 minutes to make. 

So I started the veggies, just sautéing a little bit.

In the meantime, add olive oil to your skillet and bring oil up to medium-high heat.

Once hot, it will only take your fishies 3-4 min on each side to cook. That's the awesome thing about fish, it cooks super fast! And it's really not that hard to mess up. I added some of the marinade too. 

Fish is ready when it's white and flakey all the way through.

So I had this leftover yummy-heated-lemon sauce. I didn't want to waste it! So I had some quinoa...

I brought the marinade up to a boil and added quinoa. Quinoa is like couscous and only takes a little bit to cook. Then I turned my pan down to a simmer and allowed it to cook for 7-10 minutes, until liquid absorbs and quinoa has softened.

Words can't describe the flavor going on here. And quinoa is SUPER healthy.

SO. GOOD. SO. EASY.

Shawn gave this "a 10 in the husband category." And let me tell you, it's not easy to get a 10 with him. I think this marinade is definitely one I'll use again, and may even try with a salad.

See? Weeknight meals don't have to equal frozen pizza or fast-food! :D

It's supposed to be a snowy weekend, so I'm hoping that means time to try out some new recipes! I'm doing a homemade hummus and trying out my ice cream maker with some pineapple frozen yogurt...I can't wait for that one!!