Kteela's Marinade

Designed as a tofu marinade, also doubles for a beef or portabella marinade, and it's quite good as a salad dressing. about a quarter cup of balsamic vinaigrette about a tablespoon or so of olive oil (the following ingredients are better fresh, but dried will do...) minced garlic minced onion oregano cilantro (just a bit) chili powder cumin basil salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste anything else you have lying around (jalapenos are good, a bit of soy can replace the salt, well you get the picture...) let the marinade itself sit for a few hours, shake or stir occasionally. marinate extra firm tofu (cut in thin slices - about a quarter inch or less - off the brick), beef, portabella mushrooms, whatever for a couple hours. overnight is never necessary, but if it saves you time it's ok. i like to either fry, grill or bake the tofu and beef. the mushrooms i usually just try to grill. for salad dressing, toss with fresh dark greens (field greens and spinach are best), red onion, sliced black olives, white mushrooms, sliced baby carrots or shaved regular carrots, red and yellow peppers...etc. top with freshly shredded parmesan and croutons.