Category Archives: Forking Recipes

Interesting twists on everyday things as well as the unusual

Forking Amazing Persian Inspired Chicken and Cherry Almond Rice One Pot Recipe

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Forking Amazing Persian Inspired One Pot Chicken

These One Pot Chicken Recipes leave you with ultra tender flavorful chicken and a very flavorful side dish. The chicken gets browned on both sides and the drippings are used to flavor everything. You MUST cook with a thermometer to test the doneness of the chicken. The chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees F but I prefer my dark meat cooked between 180 – 200 degrees F. You cook it to where you like chicken best and until the rice is done. I also can’t tell you exactly how long it will take. Ovens to differ and pans do differ in thickness. For best results place pan in middle rack. I also note than when you cook chicken this way that the skin will not come out crispy. I do note that Persian Style Rice is often more yellow than I made it. Not always but often yellow coloring is added. Other times turmeric or more saffron than I used is added…..I think I used the right amount of saffron that taste good.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

4 lbs chicken quarters (3 or 4 large leg quarters)

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

granulated garlic to taste

1 lemon – slice off the rind and white stuff with a knife – chop uo the lemon into pea sized pieces – remove seeds

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cardamon

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch saffron

1/2 c dried cherries

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 Tablespoon vegetable soup base (less sodium than salt and more flavor)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup rice (basmati is traditional)

1 1/2 cup water

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Salt, pepper and use granulated garlic to season the chicken on both sides.

Brown the chicken on both sides. Either in a fry pan with a little oil or broil for about ten minutes on each side. The dripping go into a pot and put the chicken to the side. In the pot with the drippings add the garlic, lemon, cumin, cardamon, cinnamon, saffron, cherries, almonds soup base and black pepper on medium high heat for a couple minutes till the garlic looks cooked. Add the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling shut off and mix in the rice. Pour it in a large baking pan or a 1/2 pan and add the chicken. Cover well with foil and cook till the rice is done and the chicken is at least 165 degrees F. Check at 90 minutes. This dish may be done in around 90-120 minutes.

Forking Amazing Persian Inspired One Pot Chicken

Everyone will love this!

The Forking Truth

Vegetarian Tikki Masala Style Potato Stew Recipe

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Vegetarian Tikki Masala Style Potato Stew

This is not an authentic recipe but it is made with many of the flavors that Tikki Masala contains. I was thinking that most people would probably like a Tikki Masala Potato dish so here my variation that you might enjoy. My variation doesn’t contain any dairy. Feel free to change it up with heavy cream or half and half or yogurt instead of the coconut milk if you care too. This Vegetarian Tikki Masala Style Potato Stew is delicious and very aromatic with a little heat. Feel free to adjust to heat to your liking.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

3 lbs red skinned potatoes

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 Tablespoons course sea salt

1 serrano pepper (or to taste) – fine chopped

1 inch fresh ginger – fine chopped

3 garlic cloves – fine chopped

1 Tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garan masala

1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 red bell pepper – rough chopped

1/2 sweet onion – rough chopped

1 13.50 ounce can coconut milk

2 cups potato water (from what you boiled potatoes in)

1 teaspoon curry leaves (fine chopped) (some people treat curry leaves like bay leaves and toss them out)

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro

1 cup frozen peas

1 carrot – peeled, sliced thin

Directions

Peel potatoes and cover well with water in a sauce pot. Try to get the potatoes about the same size so they all cook at the same time. Add cumin, red pepper flakes, black pepper, granulated ginger, granulated garlic, cinnamon and course sea salt to the water. Bring the water to boil and reduce to a slower boil. Boil the potatoes under they are fork tender. (about 15 minutes) Then drain the potatoes, set to the side and SAVE the flavorful potato water. You need about two cups of it for your sauce.

Put a pan on medium high heat with oil, serrano pepper, ginger, garlic, paprika, chili powder, garan masala, tomato paste and sugar. Heat till fragrant. Then toss in the red pepper and onion. Heat them up till they are cooked threw. Add coconut milk, 2 cups potato water. Let it reduce to half. Mash about three potatoes into the sauce to make it thicker. Add the carrots and peas they only need about a minute. Add Potatoes back and the remaining herbs. Serve.

Vegetarian Tikki Masala Style Potato Stew

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Italian Style Tuna Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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Recently I had a similar dish of stuffed peppers at Los Arbolitos De Cajeme Restaurant in Phoenix but they served a Mexican Style Dish made with Marlin. This is an Italian Style Tuna made with regular tuna, cured olives, artichokes, capers, fresh parsley and golden raisins. Feel free to use a better tuna but I think that would be a waste. It doesn’t make sense to waste $25.00 a pound tuna to make any tuna salad. Italian jarred tuna is better but that cost $6.00 for a small jar. Regular tuna packed in a pouch with water is the best for this recipe. Also feel free to use whatever pepper that you enjoy that is the best from your market. My tuna recipe is very good and you might want to try it even if you aren’t stuffing it in peppers.

This recipe makes around two servings.

6.4 oz chunk light tuna in water from a pouch

1/4 cup sweet onion – fine chop

12 cured olives – pits removed and chopped (hard to find, I found them at Whole Foods or you have to order them)

1/4 cup jarred artichokes or frozen – chopped (preferably frozen or packed in water…you’s be nuts to cook a fresh one for this recipe)

2 teaspoons capers

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves – chopped

2 Tablespoons golden raisins – chopped

1 ripe juicy lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

fresh ground sea salt to taste (you won’t need much of any)

fresh ground black pepper to taste (you won’t need much)

about 10 smaller but not too small peppers – I used 10 guero chili peppers that ran somewhat spicy )

About 3 medium sized tomatoes cut in half

1/4 cup fresh basil – torn or chopped

a very small amount of reduced balsamic vinegar for finishing (I like the Fini Brand….It’s better not to reduce balsamic yourself because it’s next to impossible to clean the pot afterwards)

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium sized bowl add the tuna, onion, olives, artichokes, capers, parsley, raisins, lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic and mix well. Sample a small amount and salt pepper to taste.

You need to cut the cores from the peppers. Just below the stem make a slit across and a slit down the center of the first slit like a “T” shape. Pull out the core and stuff and pack the pepper tight with the tuna salad. Repeat till you are done and place the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet with the half tomatoes.

Put the baking sheet in the oven till they char up some and filling is hot. In my oven about 30 minutes was right.

Italian Style Tuna Stuffed Peppers

Add a small amount of reduced balsamic if desired (If you are using a mild pepper you might not want the reduced balsamic because it will be too sweet) Top with some fresh basil.

This is delicious!

The Forking Truth

Sugar Free Fat Free Forking Delicious Chipotle Blueberry BBQ Black Beans Recipe

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I came up with this recipe after buying a 18oz container of blueberries that was on sale at Sprouts Market for less than $2.00…..I was going to make something sweet but changed my mind and figured something savory would be more challenging and healthier. In my mind I imagined chipotle would go very well with blueberries and then I got the idea that beans would be perfect in a chipotle blueberry bbq kind of sauce so that’s what I did…..I figured that if I cook down the blueberries some I wouldn’t need to add any sugar and I also didn’t need to add any oil or fat. This is something different and delicious. It’s a little spicy, smoky, with just enough spice and it’s laced with a natural blueberry sweetness….It’s really Forking Great! This is perfect for any BBQ. This will serve 4-6 people depending on how much you take. I think it will go great with any grilled meat.

Ingredients for around 5 servings

18oz fresh blueberries

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt

1 Tablespoon adobo sauce

2 chipotle peppers – minced or fine chopped

1 medium sweet onion – small dice

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper – small dice

2 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 – 19oz can black beans – rinsed at least three times and drained

Directions

I sort of did it backwards but it worked well. Get out a sauce pot and add the blueberries, water and a 1/4 teaspoon salt on to a medium- medium/high boil. Stir occasionally and let it cook down some for around 15 minutes. Then add the adobo sauce and the chipotle peppers. Stir well and put the mixture into another container. Don’t worry about cleaning the pot and add the onion and bell pepper. remaining salt, pepper. Cook till soft…Turn down heat to medium. Add garlic, vinegar, cumin, chili powder and the beans. Then add back the blueberry mixture. Stir well and serve.

Fat Free Sugar Free Forking DELICIOUS Chipotle Blueberry BBQ Black Beans

Most people will enjoy this!

The Forking Truth

Forking Amazing Tomato Rice One Pot Chicken Recipe

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These Forking Amazing One Pot Chicken Recipes come out Forking Amazing. They are all pretty simple. You season and brown the chicken and use the drippings to season everything. Basically everything goes in a large dish or buffet 1/2 pan and gets cooked till the rice is done and the chicken has to be at least 165 degrees F. I do prefer my dark meat chicken cooked past the 165 degrees F and for me it’s best at 180 degrees F up to 200 degrees F…The chicken will be very moist and flavorful. I need to note that the chicken skin will never come out crispy this way so you need to know that. I also can’t give you the exact timing for this recipe because ovens do differ and different pans hold in a different amount of heat. In general on a middle rack these dishes take 90-120 (usually closer to the 120 ) minutes at 350 degrees F. You must cook till the rice is done and the chicken is at least 165 degrees F so you also need to cook with a thermometer.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

4 lbs chicken quarters (3 or 4 large chicken quarters)

kosher salt to taste – (for seasoning the chicken)

ground black pepper to taste – (for seasoning the chicken)

granulated garlic to taste – (for seasoning the chicken)

1 onion – chopped

14 oz. can San Marzano whole tomatoes – rough chop tomatoes

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 Tablespoon dried basil

6 garlic cloves chopped well

1 carrot – peeled – sliced thick

1 rib celery – chopped

1 Tablespoon vegetable soup base (less sodium than salt and more flavor)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 bay leaves

6 jarred hot/sweet cherry tomatoes – chopped (Sprouts sells them…or just use the sweet that all supermarkets sell)

1 cup rice

1 cup crushed tomatoes

Directions

Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, ground black pepper and granulated garlic on both sides. Brown the chicken on both sides in either a pan or under the broiler for about ten minutes on each side. The drippings go in pot on the stove on medium high heat with the onions, basil, oregano, garlic, carrot, celery, soup base, black pepper, bay leaves, cherry peppers. Cook on medium high till onions are translucent. Add the San Marzano tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil and then shut off and add the rice. Give everything a good stir and put a large baking dish or a buffet 1/2 pan. Add the chicken and cover well with foil. This goes in a pre-heated 350 degree f oven till the rice is done and the chicken is at least 165 degrees F.( 165 degrees the meat sticks to bone ……..when you cook it more it melts out the unpleasant stuff and is still tender) You will need to fluff up the rice and you should remove the bay leaves when you serve.

Forking Amazing Tomato Rice One Pot Chicken

Everyone will love this.

The Forking Truth

Battered Epazote Leaves and Onion Petals Recipe

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This recipe is loosely based on a Food and Wine Recipe called Epazote Pakoras with Turmeric Raita. To make the story as short as possible I flavored almost everything different, made a completely different batter and flavored a different based sauce different but with the same main flavors….So it’s fair to say that I was inspired by Food and Wine Magazine. I never would have thought about battering epazote leaves if I didn’t read the recipe. This particular day I found myself with more fresh epazote than I needed and remembered the Food and Wine Recipe and that’s how we got here. The turmeric ginger mayo dipping sauce I winged and didn’t measure but you can wing it too. You might not have a pinch of black cardamon hanging around but your sauce will taste close.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 bunch fresh epazote (preferably a bunch with large leaves) – washed – dried off – leaves removed from stems (you are only using the leaves)

1/2 medium sweet onion (cut the half in half and separate the petals)

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup chick pea flour

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup water

oil to fry like canola oil

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (guesstimated) (sauce)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (guesstimated) (sauce)

1/2 teaspoon granulated ginger (sauce)

small pinch mustard seeds (sauce)

small pinch cumin (sauce)

small pinch ground coriander (sauce)

small pinch cloves (sauce)

small pinch ground black cardamon (sauce)

small pinch ground fennel (sauce)

tiny pinch cinnamon (sauce)

garam masala to taste (to finish the epazote and onions)

Optional a fruity medium pepper to finish like Aleppo

Directions

(this recipe I winged and didn’t measure but this is similar to what I did) Mix up a dipping sauce. In a small mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, turmeric, ginger, and small or tiny pinches of cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, cloves, black cardamon, fennel and cinnamon. Set to the side.

Get a frypan on medium high heat with canola oil. In your spice grinder add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns and grind. Add the spices to a small mixing bowl and add chili powder, salt, chick pea flour, flour, corn starch, baking powder, egg and water and mix well.

By now your oil should be hot.

Dip a leaf into the batter and pull it out. carefully place in hot oil. Do about 4 or 5 more. They cook pretty fast. When you get a brown side turn it over. Place them on pan that’s covered with pepper towels to absorb oil. Repeat with the leaves and onion petals till you are done. Sprinkle everything lightly with garam masala. Add a small amount of Aleppo pepper if desired (it’s a mild fruity heat)

Battered Epazote Leaves and Onion Petals

Nothing is too aggressive here. I think everyone would enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Lima Beans with Tomatoes and Tomato Bomba Vinaigrette Recipe

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I had about two pounds of tomatoes and a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Premium Lima Beans hanging around so I made this.

Ingredients for around 10 servings

28oz dry lima beans (or one 28oz bag of Bob’s Red Mill Lima Beans) – soaked in water last night for today

1/2 oz fresh oregano sprigs

2 Tablespoon dried thyme

4 bay leaves

1 onion – cut in half

1 banana pepper – cut in half (not the sweet…the regular that is actually hot)

2 carrots – cut in half

14 oz Italian crushed tomatoes (or tomatoes that you removed skin and roasted at least 4 hours)

1 garlic clove – ground to paste or microplane

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 lb assorted heirloom tomatoes – cut in bite size pieces

2 Tablespoons bomba calabrese (I like the Coliccio brand even though it’s very inconsistent….sometimes it’s mild, sometimes it’s a bomb of fiery heat…but it usually is full of flavors)

fresh torn basil to taste (about 10-20 leaves depending on size)

sea salt to taste (up to a Tablespoon added near end)

Directions

Drain and rinse the lima beans and add them to a large pot with water to cover the beans about two 1/2 inches on medium high heat. Add the oregano, thyme, bay leaves, onion, banana pepper and carrots. When the beans start to boil turn down the heat to a slow simmer and cook till the beans are tender…….(about an hour).

While the beans are cooking make the tomato vinaigrette. In a medium bowl add the crushed Italian Tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and bomba and mix well and put to the side or in the refrigerator.

When the beans are done you drain them. (***you might want to save the flavorful bean water for a soup…later in the week you can turn this into a bean soup) Toss out the bay leaves, oregano stems, onions and carrots. When the beans are cool carefully mix together the beans with the tomato mixture. Taste and add salt to your liking. Serve with fresh torn basil.

Lima Beans with Tomatoes and Tomato Bomba Vinaigrette

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Indian Inspired Beets Recipe – based on Beet Poriyal by Dassana Amit

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I recently went to an Indian Restaurant near me called Vaigai and I enjoyed a South Indian Beet Dish called Beet Poriyal. I never had beet poriyal before and didn’t know how to make it so I looked up a few recipes for it. I thought Dassana Amit’s recipe of www.VegRecipesofIndia.com sounded the most delicious of the recipes I found so I sort of followed along…but made just two changes. One I wanted another vegetable in it besides beets so I thought onion would be ok since the dish is savory. I didn’t have urad dal……so I looked it up and it was described as an Indian Lentil that is used for it’s earthy flavor so I substituted pink lentils but tripled the amount because I didn’t think the pink lentils would be as flavorful. Anyway it came out delicious…….This dish uses two hard to come by ingredients. One was called asafoetida. They sell it in tiny green boxes at Whole Foods and I bet you can find it at the Asiana Market. The other ingredient I happened to have was curry leaves…..I buy them and keep them in my freezer. I think if you leave out the asafetida out your dish it will NOT have the right flavor.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 lb beets – peeled – cubed

1/2 large sweet onion – cubed

1 hot pepper – (today I used a chili guero and it was just right) – chopped

12 curry leaves fine chopped (this herb is controversial and some people use it like bay leaves and remove when done….. I fine chopped because I felt the dish needed the flavor and the Indian Cook on Food Network chops and puts curry leaves in dishes so it’s ok!)

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 Tablespoon lentils (or the real recipe calls for 1 teaspoon urad dal)

good pinch asafetida

salt to taste

1/3 cup water

4 Tablespoons grated coconut

Directions

Get a pot on medium heat with the coconut oil and the black mustard seeds. Heat till you hear the seeds popping and then add lentils, pepper and onion. Cook till onion is soft. Add curry leaves, asafetida, beets and water. Cover with foil and cook till beets are tender. Top with coconut. (add salt to taste)

Enjoy!

A special Thanks! to Dassana Amit of www.VegRecipesofIndia.com for sharing a delicious recipe!

The Forking Truth

Low Fat Low Sugar Carrot Ginger Topped Acorn Squash Recipe

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Acorn Squash is the most challenging vegetable to make taste good without adding lots of fat and sugar. Today the acorn squash was brushed with sriracha, soy, just one teaspoon sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic and a pinch of allspice. Nothing too fatty or sweet there but they all are very flavorful and taste good together. Then a bunch of carrots were cooked up and 1/2 got blended into a puree with water, fresh squeezed orange juice and ginger that was roasted with the carrots. Then they were topped with more of the sauce, scallions and cilantro. THAT’S IT! This recipe makes 6 large servings or 12 side dishes. My photo isn’t the best because it doesn’t show the sauce but there is sauce on the top that taste good.

Ingredients for around 12 servings

3 small acorn squash – cut in quarters with seeds and membranes removed

8 Tablespoons sriracha – preferably Shark Brand (This brand is very smooth with almost a sweet tomato taste….yours will taste different with a different brand)

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 garlic clove – ground to paste or microplane

pinch ground all spice

3 lb carrots – peeled – sliced into about 1/4 inch thick coins – (carrots must be fresh and sweet tasting for this recipe to taste good…..you can’t use old carrots here….I WARN YOU also please don’t use those chemical soaked baby carrots)

2 inches fresh ginger – grated

1/2 cup water (to cook carrots with)

I orange – just the fresh squeezed juice

up to 1 1/2 cups water – ( do 1/2 cup and add 1/4 cup till smooth and a nice consistency)

neutral non stick spray

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro – hand torn

Directions

Set oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet(s) with non stick spray.

Place the acorn squash quarters on the baking sheet(s)

In a small mixing bowl combine the sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic and all spice. Mix well.

Brush the squash with thalf he mixture well. you cam well mixture in squash cavities.

Carrots and ginger (but ginger in one spot to infuse slightly but more so to cook it) go in a pan or two small pans. Add a half cup of water and cover.

Put the brushed squash on the middle shelf and the covered carrots on the lower shelves in the oven.

In my oven both were done in 45 minutes…..yours may or may not differ.

When squash and carrots are cooked threw pull them out of the oven.

Half the carrots get blended up with the ginger, some water and fresh squeezed orange juice. Start with the orange juice and a 1/2 cup of water……..add 1/4 cups more of water till nice and smooth. Hopefully your puree will taste sweet like mine. If you don’t think it’s sweet enough you can add a tablespoon of either honey or maple syrup.

Top each quarter squash with some carrot puree, some carrots, the other half of the sauce, some scallions with a little fresh cilantro.

Low Fat Low Sugar Carrot Ginger Topped Acorn Squash

Delicious, a bit spicy and full of gingery sort of Asian flavors.

The Forking Truth

Forking EZ Crispy Oven Fried Turkey Wings Recipe

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Anyone can make crispy oven fried turkey wings….If you follow the directions exactly you will have unbelievably delicious flavorful turkey wings that you will make over and over again. First of all I start by using a brined medium sized turkey. The whole wings gets removed. Soak the wings at room temperature canola oil (1/2 cup for 4 wings or about a 1/4 cup for two wings) for about a 1/2 hour. Set oven to 425 degrees F. The wings get the oil shaken off. and are LIGHTY …..LIGHTLY sprinkled with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and paprika. Put the wings on a baking sheet. In the preheated 425 degree F oven for 30 minutes on one side and another 30 minutes on the other side. They stay HOT for an hour so you need to let them rest about an hour till you want to eat them.

You will thank me later…….

Forking EZ Oven Fried Turkey Wings

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth