I'm a huge fan of quick and easy. No, not what you're thinking. (At least in this case.) Quick and easy like cooking on a weeknight after a long day. At that point all I want is a lot of flavor without a lot of effort. So, rather than have to eat out of styrofoam box, I became good at finding shortcuts.

One shortcut is using simple marinades on meat and fish. Marinades that are big on flavor, but take only a minute or two to make. Nothing complicated. One way to do this is to use flavored vinegars.

Chef Rafael Palomino, owner and executive chef of Sonora, Pacifico and Palomino's Grill restaurants in New York, offers some great vinegars infused with flavors of the Caribbean. Available through his Latino Chef line, the Passion Fruit, Mango, Lulo and Guava vinegars are perfect for making quick salad dressings and marinades.

Just add a little olive oil, some salt, pepper and other spices depending on what you're making (like a homemade dressing for the salad you're making Amy from down the hall) and you're done. Bold taste, fast.

Chef Palomino's line also includes salsas and sauces like his Sofrito, Chimichurri, and Adobo Latino that you can use right out of the jar. You can find them, along with some recipes, at www.latinochef.com

Here's a simple grilled shrimp recipe from Chef Palomino using one of his vinegars:

Mix 1 part Passion Fruit Vinegar with 2 parts olive oil. Mix in chopped garlic, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Marinate peeled, raw shrimp for 5-7 minutes. Grill until firm, but not dry. It's that easy.

www.latinochef.com