Pomegranate Roasted Cauliflower with Mediterranean Spices Recipe

Today I just roasted a cauliflower. I came up with a great spice paste and just mixed up the florets into it. Then I spread the cauliflower out on sheet pans and in only a half hour they were done and then I gave them some optional toppings. Serving size WILL DIFFER….We all like different sizes for servings and also the size of your cauliflower will differ…..Lately I usually find very small cauliflowers but got lucky and found an extra large one. Mine will make a good 6 servings but it is rare that you find the extra large cauliflowers so I will say 4 servings. I do also note that you will have some extra roasting sauce from the cauliflower that is delicious that you should use for either a protein or couscous or rice with the cauliflower.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 cauliflower – break down to florets

2 shallots thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves – peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 Tablespoons sea salt

1 Tablespoon dried dill

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6 oz. tomato paste

2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses

1 Tablespoon urfa pepper

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Optional – fresh pomegranate to taste for finishing

Optional – Feta cheese to taste for finishing

Optional – roasted pistachios (or hazelnuts, or pine nuts) to taste for finishing

Optional – cilantro to taste for finishing

Optional – tahini to taste for finishing

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F

In a large mixing bowl mix everything except the cauliflower and mix well. Then mix in the cauliflower till it’s coated well. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on sheet pan(s). This goes in the middle rack of the preheated oven till lightly browned and the cauliflower is cooked. (in my oven this took 30 minutes but oven do differ and your timing could be more or less.)

This is delicious as is…….I added some extras fresh pomegranate, feta cheese, roasted pistachios, and some cilantro. I held back on adding tahini because my husband hates tahini.

Pomegranate Roasted Cauliflower with Mediterranean Spices

ENJOY!!!!

The Forking Truth

My FORKING Thoughts on Sprouts Pineapple Habanero White Carrot Chips

My local Sprouts Grocery sells a lot of snacks that I never noticed at my old Sprouts around Phoenix that I used to shop at. I picked up these Pineapple Habanero White Carrot Chips because I previously bought Sprouts Hot Honey Beet Chips that were delicious so I thought these Carrot Chips have a chance on being delicious too!

I open it up.

I take a whiff….Don’t really smell much of anything.

I gobble one down…ICK it’s very salty……

I let sit in my mouth till it melts this time.

I do get the habanero. But it’s salty habanero.

WOW! That last chip was extra spicy…ouch.

There is a slight hint of sweetness but it’s so faint that it is hard to identify as pineapple.

The flavors are too unbalanced to enjoy unless you are a fan of very salty and extra spicy.

I should throw them out!

Not a fan of Sprouts Pineapple Habanero White Carrot Chips.

Your FORKING opinion may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth

Our Trip to Mo’Bettah’s Hawaiian Style Food North Las Vegas NV – GET THE PULEHU CHICKEN!

Mo’Bettah’s is a chain of Hawaiian Style Casual Restaurants. Incase you are not familiar with the Hawaiian Plate lunch it usually is something like two big scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and a double helping of some sort of protein or 2 or 3………packed into a styrofoam container. The North Las Vegas Location has a large surf themed dining room. Many of the pictures and surfboards are spread all around and I couldn’t get them in one photo.

Luckily for us they have two benches outside. I also called to make sure that it was ok to bring my dogs.

I got Teriyaki & Pulehu Chicken. Both are three small chicken thighs that are tender and infused with flavors……I also got a generous amount of brown rice that is a bit crunchy today. I also got some cabbage and some creamy macaroni salad. They also offer a variety of sauces. The only sauce that I like here is the spicy mayo…maybe they offer a chili sauce here but I didn’t notice any today. I do think that the Pulehu Chicken is especially delicious….It doesn’t need a sauce..This one was really tasty today.

My husband tried a 3 meat plate.

and Spam. He got katsu chicken (that was juicy and nicely breaded) katsu steak (a little chewy but that was to be expected) and kalua pork (1/2 moist 1/2 dry today) with some crispy white rice and macaroni salad.

All three chicken dishes were at least good. Favorite here was the Pulehu Chicken.

That was our trip to Mo’Bettaha’s Hawaiian Style Food.

1020 E. Craig Rd North Las Vegas NV – 725-285-0280

www.MoBettahs.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

DW Bistro Las Vegas NV – Good but not perfect

DW Bistro might be considered to be a New American Bistro that offers some foods laced with Jamaican flavors and some foods with subdued flavors of New Mexican cuisine and other surprises. They are open for weekend brunch, and also offer a weekday menu. On both menus you can find things like salmon bowls, salads, jerk chicken, vegetable or chicken curry, and New Mexican red Chile pork.

Most of the seating is indoors but they also offer some outdoor seating.

I tried the jerk chicken and waffles.

For me this is a very large serving that I got two meals out of. Fresh grated orange rind was a nice added touch to the chicken. I got a breaded breast and thigh that are moist and lightly seasoned with jerk seasoning. The only down side is that the crust falls off. The waffles are good and the syrup is good.

I did take home a chicken curry meal for the next day.

It’s made with lots of fresh vegetables like two squashes, broccoli, carrots, red onions, and most chicken. I had my choice of rice or couscous and went with couscous that was good. I think most people would like this.

My husband tried the New Mexico red Chile pork with locally made tortillas.

The eggs came out unseasoned and the meal came out cold. My husband got really grumpy. He said the pork was cold all stuck together and wasn’t succulent like it should be. Eventually we were checked on and they tried to make things right with us. Then this plate was removed from the bill and they surprised us with a key lime pie that was tasty.

They also accidentally charged me $5.00 for an iced tea I didn’t get but I didn’t want to complain about it since they gave us the red Chile pork and the dessert for free.

That was my visit to DW Bistro.

Good but not perfect.

DW Bistro – 702-527-5200

9275 W Russell Rd Las Vegas NV

www.DWBistro.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Rang’s Cocina Moderne Las Vegas NV – Still Worth a Fork! PERFECT FOOD & SERVICE – Everything Delicious!

Rang’s Cocina Moderne is a small Mom and Pop Restaurant located in Las Vegas Nevada not too far from the Strip. They offer a very unique menu that is a Modern Mix of Italian, Spanish, and Filipino. They offer soups, salads, small plates, pastas, entrees, sides, and desserts. Soft beverages and wine are served here. Rang herself does most of the cooking and her husband Benedict does most of the serving. The food and service is always perfect! The food is always FORKING DELICIOUS!

We tried not all but many of the menu items.

Sweet Potato Carrot Ginger Soup
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese on Baguette
Mushroom Ravioli
Dulong – Whitebait, olive oil, garlic ,lemon, caper, red pepper on baguette
Bacalao – salt cod potato croquettes

Truffle Mushroom and Asparagus Pasta

Chorizo bolognese
Pesto crusted Salmon

3 Cheese Garlic Salmon Haricots Mashed Potatoes

Fish Florentine with Spinach and Potatoes Anna

Binagoongang Pork Belly with Coconut Risotto

NY Strip with citrus, soy sauce, caramelized onions, rice haricots
Slow Braised Beef Cheek
Lemon Meringue Tart
Opera Cake

EVERY FORKING THING WAS PERFECT and DELICIOUS!

Rang’s Cocina Moderne – Still Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Rang’s Cocina Moderne

5900 W Charleston Blvd Las Vegas NV

725-214-1188

www.RangsCocina.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Bomba Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

A few weeks ago Albertson’s gave me a coupon for a FREE 10 pound bag of potatoes. They were getting old so I had to make a big pan of something potato. I got the idea of doing something like a Scalloped potato but with a twist so that is what I did. Scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce. The sauce I made is so darn tasty that I’m going to make it again as a dip. I made the creamy part with ricotta cheese, fontina cheese, parmesan cheese, a little oregano, salt, pepper, and Coluccio Brand Bomba Calabrese. Bomba is a hot pepper condiment. Each brand does taste different so if you use a different brand it will taste different.

Here’s the bottle of Coluccio Bomba Calabrese.

Here are the ingredients.

Serving size is always difficult to determine because I don’t know if you want a tiny serving or a whole meal serving. Based on the amount of potatoes I used I will guesstimate this recipe to make around 12 servings.

Ingredients for around 12 servings.

non stick spray

3 pounds starchy potatoes – peeled and sliced very thin

2 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese – grated

8 ounces fontina cheese – grated

10 ounces ricotta cheese

3 Tablespoons Bomba Calabrese – preferably Coluccio Brand

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a large baking dish or 1/2 buffet pan with non stick spray.

In your largest bowl mix together the parmesan, fontina, ricotta cheese, Bomba, salt, pepper, and oregano. Then mix in the potato slices.

This mixture goes in your non stick sprayed pan.

You pat it in the best you can in an even layer and then cover it with foil.

The covered pan goes in the middle rack for about 90 minutes.

You can serve it this way or put it back in till it’s as crispy as you like.

I left mine in another hour…

Your oven might differ so timing can differ…….But I thought that this was nice a little crispy.

Enjoy!!!!

The Forking Truth

Recipe Ideal – PESTO POP TARTS!

I came up with a creative idea! Pesto Pop Tarts.

I make these bread crisps often (recipe on site…just plug in bread crisps)

EZ Bread Crisps with Blue Cheese Butter and Herb Sauce

I just rolled 1/2 the thin for the bottom layer. Then I just added a layer of my fresh pesto. Topped it with a thin layer of the other 1/2 of dough. Then I squirted it with olive oil added sea salt flakes and sesame seeds. This went in my preheated 475 degree f oven for around 20 minutes. (your oven might bake faster…mine leaks but is getting fixed)

I cut it into squares while hot. Note that they don’t come out crisp like the crisp bread. Instead they come out more like a pop tart.

Pesto Pop Tarts

Tasty and easy!

ENJOY!!!!

The Forking Truth

Gorditas El Fogon North Las Vegas NV – Worth a Try! Inexpensive & Tasty!

Gorditas El Fogon is a small very casual restaurant that offers gorditas and a lot more. Incase you don’t know……Gorditas are yummy masa dough fat pillows that are grilled and are stuffed with cheese and other fillings.

Besides over a dozen different gorditos this restaurant offers a bunch of other things. They offer breakfast, tacos, burritos, tortas (sandwiches), a kid’s menu, and what they call plates. Soft beverages are served here.

We had to order a Gordita so we went with a jalapeño and cheese Gordita.

It came with a lemon wedge, pickled red onions, a little lettuce cucumber and two salsas and was only $3.25 (subject to change). The Gordita is very tasty, cheesy, and not too spicy. It’s just tasty I think anyone would like it.

The green sauce seems like tomatillo based and is medium spicy. The slightly smokey red sauce is much spicier.

We tried a Gordita beef asada taco and a Gordita chicken taco. Inside is seasoned meat and cheese.

Both are nicely seasoned. We both prefer the chicken over the beef here. The chicken is finely shredded and is moist and tender. The beef is fine chopped but is a bit chewy. Here the rice is tasty and kinda fluffy. The beans are loose just like from most Mexican restaurants. $9.49 subject to change.

We also try the Culichi fish filet (fried tilapia $11.99 subject to change).

We got a meaty filet of mild tasting white fish topped with a green sauce that might be tomatillo and lots of mild melted white cheese. To the side are generous amounts of Mexican style rice and refried beans. This also came with white corn tortillas.

They also only charged $1. for a bottled water (subject to change).

It sure doesn’t cost much to eat here and the food is tasty!

Worth a Try!

Gorditas El Fogon

445 W. Craig Road North Las Vegas NV

702-405-9614

I haven’t found a working website for Gorditas El Fogon but you can find them on Facebook.

Their menu is on www.Seemless.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Narong’s Thai Kitchen Las Vegas NV – Very Good unless you order the beef

Narong’s Thai Kitchen is a very small casual Thai Restaurant located near to North Las Vegas Nevada.

See it’s very small…..Only 5 or 6 tables.

We started out by trying the potstickers (they are chicken here).

The potstickers have a nice crispy exterior and are garnished with scallions, a two sauces. They are tasty. If you eat chicken you will like them.

I tried the green curry with chicken with number 6 level heat out of ten.

The sauce is aromatic and delicious but slightly thinner than from other places. The number 6 heat is plenty hot here. For me it’s perfect. The chicken is masterfully tender and is infused with the basil. In here are plenty of bamboo shoots, green pepper and a few amazing pieces of DELICIOUS SWEET EGGPLANT……I wish this had more eggplant because it really is usually great. Next time I’m getting the spicy eggplant dish.

My husband got the Spicy Basil with chicken and beef.

I tried a small bite of the chicken. OMG it’s amazing! So tender ….like butter and sooooo delicious with a great basil flavor……My husband ordered number 8 heat out of ten. It’s a bit too spicy but still delicious. He offers some beef to me but warns me that it is tough…I decline. In a few minutes I hear someone from the next table complaining about the tough beef. I heard her say that this beef is so tough that you can’t cut it with a knife….

Anyways- For a Thai Restaurant the portions are large and pricing is low. The chicken in the dishes we’ve tried was delicious and masterfully tender but the beef was tough.

Narong’s Thai Kitchen – 702-643-3440

4889 E Craig Rd Las Vegas NV

www.NarongsThaiKitchen.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Safta 1964 By Alon Shaya – Las Vegas NV – WORTH A FORK!

Safta 1964 By James Beard Award Wining Chef Alon Shaya recently opened in the Encore part of the Wynn in the Jardin on the strip in Las Vegas Nevada. This restaurant offers Mediterranean Style Cusine. Some of the dishes offered are new versions of the Michelin – Denver Safta Restaurant. A few of the Las Vegas offerings are – small plates like falafels, sablefish paprikash, duck matzah ball soup. They also offer a chef’s tasting salatim platter (dips, spreads, vegetables, pita). A few of the entries are harissa roasted chicken, Dover sole schnitzel, and a New York Steak with hazelnut muhammara and za’atar chimichurri.

You enter here….For breakfast and lunch this restaurant is Jardin, For dinner it becomes Safta 1964 By Alon Shaya.

As you enter you pass wall of flowers.

You pass the outdoor garden patio.

There is an interesting small bar area with bottles that stay on top of the ceiling.

And of course the main dining area with comfortable chairs that is bright, airy, and accented with foliage.

We started out by sharing the Salatim Platter (a bunch of detailed dips, spreads, vegetables, and fluffy pitas).

WOW! There’s a lot here and it’s all DELICIOUS!!!! In the middle is a variety of pickled vegetables……Around 1:00 is Labneh (sort of like yogurt dip), next are Moroccan carrots, babaganous (eggplant), harissa olives, trout roe with cream cheese, za’atar oil, and our favorite the lutenitsa (eggplant, pepper, tomatoes) Everything was delicious!

We had to try the classic hummus.

It has a creaminess that is very rare to come by……….I’ve only had this kind of hummus once before at Zahav in Philadelphia. The flavors do differ some but both are amazing hummus. My husband normally hates hummus but only will eat this hummus and the one from Zahav. We were blown away with this hummus.

We also had to try falafels.

The falafels are also amazing. These come surrounded with mango sauce, herby zhoung sauce and tahini. The falafels have shattering crisp exteriors and fluffy herby interiors.

We do pack up some pitas and dip to bring home so we can try some more.

For dinner we shared the Dover Sole Schnitzel.

It sits on top of creamy tzatziki and is garnished with a few dots of tzatziki with fresh dill and pickled onion petals. The fish is mild and seems fresh and was fried to perfection….It is good but not exciting with exotic flavors like everything else……

I was full but tried a dessert anyway….and I’m glad I did because it was EXTRAORDINARY. It was called Safta’s Delights.

We got three each of FIVE teeny tiny mini desserts. We got pistachio baklava, marble halavah, something with a little coffee coated in chocolate, a blueberry rugula, and our favorite the mini lemon tart.

Service was amazing. Even the chef thanked us for coming and even asked for our feedback.

Safta 1964 By Alon Shaya is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Wynn Encore Las Vegas 3131 Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas NV

702-770-5310

www.WynnLasVegas.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth