Obviously, chop the onion. Use a half cup.

Jerk Sauce:

1 medium onion
3 fresh green chilies, seeds removed
3 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ts dried thyme
1 ts ground cinnamon
1/2 ts ground black pepper

This goes for about 12 to 14 ounces of whatever: tofu or chicken.

Note on tofu

Take the brick of it and place it on towels on a plate. Put towels on top. Place some weight on it and let it drain for an hour and it will take more marinade. After, this slice it tree times and then slice an x. Should make 12 pieces. Bake them with the above marinade for an hour in a preheated oven at 400 degrees.

For chicken, your on your own. The marinade will be great though.

I actually found a great lemon thyme tofu recipe in Peter Berley's The Flextarian Chef. I'll make it and make a lemon thyme roast chicken (more or less improvised). I find tofu tricky because it can be bland.

Thanks for the ideas.

Allie

I vary marinades depending on the cuisine I am working on. But there are a few essential ingredients to any marinade and I use a combination of those. First you have to have some acidic ingredient like lemon juice or yoghurt or soy sauce to soften the meat and add flavor. Then use a spice or herb combination of your choice. And finally have something to add a little bit of color, like pesto, cayenne pepper, saffron, turmeric, black pepper etc.
I would say a simple marinade that would work for both would be soy sauce+garlic/ginger+ scallions. Another option is to use yoghurt+salt+pepper+cumin. A third one can be lemon juice+salt+garlic/ginger+cayenne pepper. Hope this helps. Go with your gut and never forget to experiment intelligently.

Thanks to all!

For both, I love the following. Reserve some and it makes a lovely glaze.

1 cup apricot preserves (or orange marmalade)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons ginger
pinch hot pepper flakes

Blend with a small food processor, or grate the garlic and ginger and mix in a bowl. Taste before using and season to your preferences with salt, pepper, honey, more soy sauce, etc.

teriyaki. either a simple homemade or straight out of a bottle. add some toasted sesame oil, maybe 2 tsp. per cup of marinade, if it is not already an ingredient. a good squeeze of lemon juice to that would be yummy.

My favorite marinade for chicken is lemon juice with some herbs thrown in (like rosemary) as well as coarsely ground black pepper. I use this with whole chicken parts. God knows what it will do to tofu.
I don't marinate for more than an hour because after that the citrus/acid flavor becomes too strong. I've never encountered marinated tofu,so I'm clueless on that part.

I don't have a marinade but I do have a mango chutney I like with both. Makes enough for 4 people.

1 ripe mango
1 fresh red chilly pepper
100 g (3.5 oz) white sugar
1 garlic (one clove)
1 piece of a fresh ginger (abt 2 cm)
4 big spoons of apple cider vinegar
salt
DIRECTIONS
Peel mango, cut flesh off the stone and in little cubes. Cut chilly pepper in rings (spicy - leave seeds in). Cook both with the sugar and with 200 ml of water on average heat in a covered pot (till it gets that consistency between compote and jam).
Peel garlic and ginger, chop very finely, add to the chutney with the vinegar and cook uncovered for abt 5 minutes, cool down and serve.