Rhubarb-herb marinade and spicy tomato-garlic marinade

Summer is in full swing and one of the best things about this warm season is to heat up a smoky grill and enjoy outdoor cooking. I have experimented with many different marinades over the years. But these two are definitely the best ones so far. They just work and all the tastes are balanced. They are not too sour, too sweet or too bland. Instead, you will have a sweet and sour and super flavorful marinade. And a good marinade has to be full of taste.

Since rhubarb is still growing like a maniac, I wanted to use it too. It was perfect in a herby marinade and these little marinated rhubarb chunks were actually delicious on their own. If you have fresh herbs, you can use them instead of the dried ones. This herby sweet and sour marinade is wonderful for veggies like zucchini, cauliflower, corn, paprika and onions. It also goes well with mushrooms, tofu and veggie meats. 

The other marinade is spicy tomato and garlic. And it really is hot! The heat comes from the good old tabasco sauce. I used this spicy marinade for eggplant and it was amazing! But of course you can use any kind of veggies, mushrooms or veggie meats of your choice.

For both marinades, I used cane syrup. It comes super handy when making salad dressings too. The syrup dissolves right away and you will not have any crunchy sugar bits in your salad or marinade.
After all the grilling, you can use the leftovers (both grilled bits and marinades) to make a hearty vegan solyanka.

I hope these marinades will make your next barbecue much more flavorful and fun! :)

Rhubarb and herb marinade

This marinade is for 1 lbs / ½ kg food

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp cane syrup or (unrefined) sugar
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano or 2 Tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried basil or a couple of handfuls fresh basil
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme
• ½ Tbsp dried rosemary or 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 red onion, thinly chopped
• 3 ½ oz / 100 g rhubarb, peeled and thinly chopped

Whisk everything together. Add the food you want to marinate and mix well. Pour everything into a plastic bag and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours or over night.

Spicy tomato and garlic marinade

This marinade is for 1 lbs / ½ kg food

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp cane syrup or (unrefined) sugar
• ½ cup / 120 ml tomato juice (the beverage)
• 2 tsp tabasco
• 2 tsp salt
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Whisk everything together. Add the food you want to marinate and mix well. Pour everything into a plastic bag and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours or over night.