I purchased these delightful looking Mandarin Oranges from Sprouts. To my surprise they tasted too tart for me to eat.

I didn’t want to throw them out or make a dessert out of them so I made them into salsa.

Salsa is very easy to make. All I added to the Mandarin Segments were…….

Sweet Onion Chopped

Jalapeño Chopped

Fresh Cilantro Chopped

Garlic Chopped

Some Apple Cider Vinegar

Some Sea Salt fresh Crushed

Some Black Pepper Fresh Grind

Then I just used my Hand Blender and made salsa.

Now it’s Tasty on Grilled or Pan Seared Meats or Seafood.

Mandarin Orange Salsa

Forking Good!

Parsnips are very delicious in a number of ways but at the moment I’m liking them Oven Fried with Ginger Cream and Green Garlic.

Oven Fried Parsnip Fries with Ginger Cream and Green Garlic

They are very easy to make as you just wash then cut the Parsnips into  French Fries Shapes. Place on pan to roast and drizzle with oil. Roast them till just fork tender and then let them go a little more on upper rack to crisp and brown them slightly.  Add fresh ground Sea Salt and Crushed Black Pepper.

To make the Cream you can use or make Cream Fraiche and strain. But I make my cream with less fat so I use a combination of Whipped or Light Cream Cheese mixed with Nonfat Greek Yogurt. I grate a good amount of fresh Ginger into it till it’s strong of ginger.

I then top with Chopped Green Garlic.

Green Garlic

There is no substitute for green garlic. The freshness and milder garlic flavor is delicious here and goes insanely well with the ginger cream. You can use chives or green onions but it won’t be the same. These Parsnip Fries are so tasty you will make them again and again!

Forking Good!

Carrot Ribbons around Parsnip Fries

Roasted Carrots, Grape Tomatoes and Black Garlic

I purchased some Black Garlic at Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s Black Garlic

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it so then I tasted the Black Garlic.

To me it seemed more like fruit than garlic and was sort of like a fig and a prune mixed together but with a little twang going on.

I thought since Black Garlic is only Garlic I thought it would go with my Grape Tomatoes I had.

So I put my Grape tomatoes and Black garlic with a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan to roast.

Grape tomatoes with pealed black garlic

Till they looked like this.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Black Garlic

I also just roasted red carrots from the farmers market.

Roasted Red Carrots

So I tasted them together and it is a very good match. The sweetness of the carrots and Jammy from the Black Garlic almost candies the carrots and the tomatoes are already sweet.

Roasted Carrots, Grape Tomatoes and Black Garlic

Forking Good!

Asparagus Guacamole

Asparagus Guacamole is Forking easy to make.  It’s just like regular Forking guacamole but you need to work with cooked asparagus (over cooked asparagus works best) and then process it. (Smooth or Chunky)

This isn’t  Forking Rocket Science and it’s just a combination of.

Asparagus

Lime

Salt

Onion

Fresh Cilantro

Tomato

Garlic

Cayenne

Jalapeño

Forking Good!

Green Skhug Sauce also called Yemenite Sauce

Skhug Sauce also called Yemenite Sauce is made up of Spicy peppers, Garlic, Fresh parsley and or cilantro and a variety of spices.  This sauce can be made red with the use of red peppers or brown with tomatoes but at the moment I’m liking the green one best.

I never knew what I was missing till I was first served Skhug Sauce with my Falafel, Hummus Combo Plate that I like to get at those Mid East kind of Eateries.

The Skhug sauce adds life to food. The Spices are complex and lingering. Hummus and Falafels are boring to me now with out Skhug Sauce.

I developed my own recipe after experimenting with it for a while and this is what I came up with. I DO WARN YOU a little goes a long way this sauce is very spicy!

Green Skhug Sauce

1/2 Bunch Fresh Cilantro rough chopped including stems (Some people like more like a whole bunch but for me 1/2 taste good in this recipe. Some people only use parsley and some use 1/2 and 1/2. I’m not the biggest fan of Cilantro but in this sauce it shines.

12 Cloves Garlic Chopped

6 Thai Chilies (Rough Chopped)

4 Jalapeños (Rough Chopped)

2 t. Cumin

2 t. Coriander (Heap them a little I go a little heavy on the Coriander)

1 t. Black Pepper

2 t. Cardamon (I fresh grind mine and never go over on this one or it’s too much)

1/4 t. Cloves

1/4 t. Caraway Seeds

1/2t. Kosher or Sea Salt

Juice of one small or 1/2 large Lemon

About 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Enough Water to get it Processed in your Processor or Blender.

I usually make it slightly thicker than what I just made. It should be a little chunky. A little goes a very long way.  Sometimes I use a little Green Skhug to flavor dressings or Mayo for a spread on a sandwich or Burger.

If you like Spicy and Hummus you’ll be hooked on Green Skhug Sauce!

This Batch is a little different. I made it more relish style and made with the same spices but I used different peppers, and brine from some jarred Cherry peppers instead of Lemon Juice. I also added some fresh mint. The Peppers I used were Shishitos, Cherry Peppers and a few Thai Chili’s.

Forking Good!