Mexican Food is very flavorful and Avocado is very rich. I felt I could come up with a healthy oil and mayonnaise free potato salad and use heart healthy avocado as the fat that potato salad needs.  I also used my pickled jalapeños and some of the brine for seasoning the potatoes while they were hot to infuse more flavors into the potatoes. If you don’t want to prepare pickled jalapeños skip over this recipe because the pickled jalapeños from most grocery stores don’t taste good. You might be able to find good pickled jalapeños at farmer’s markets or perhaps a Mexican Grocery Store. PLEASE READ****I DO NOTE!!!!!! There is a price to pay for not adding oil or mayonnaise! The salad is great and delicious and keeps it’s flavor and stays delicious for about a week but over night the salad gets drippy and everyday the salad needs a drain. If I was doing this salad again I think I’d put it in a colander over a bowl to catch the liquid that comes out.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

2 lbs brown skinned potatoes peeled and cut in halves

1/2 small onion – to boil with potatoes to infuse flavor and toss out afterwards

1 garlic clove – to boil with potatoes to infuse flavor and toss out afterwards

1 hot pepper – to boil with potatoes to infuse flavor and toss out afterwards

1 Tablespoon kosher salt or sea salt to boil potatoes

1 med/small mango – diced

3 small avocados – sliced in very large pieces – they will break down (my avocados were the really tiny ones)

4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice – to squeeze over avocados

1/2 small sweet onion – chopped

2 large garlic cloves – ground to paste

1 celery rib – finely chopped

3/4 cup sweet grape tomatoes – cut in halves

1/2 cup low sodium black beans – rinsed three times and drained

1 cup – heaping – pickled jalapeños – my recipe preferred – chopped including onion and leave carrot slices whole

4 Tablespoons brine from pickled jalapeños – to pour over potatoes as soon as they are done

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon mild chili powder

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup scallions – chopped

Directions

Put a pot of water on to a medium boil with the potatoes, 1 Tablespoon salt, a hot pepper, 1/2 onion and a garlic clove. The potatoes need to boil till they are fork tender. That should take 10-15 minutes.

When the potatoes are done you might or might not want to break some of them down just slightly more while they are still hot…but keep in mind you need them larger than you want them because they will break down when you stir. When potatoes are the size you want them you need to pour the jalapeño brine on them to infuse flavor. Let the potatoes sit to the side. Let this bowl sit out at least 15 minutes.

In a large bowl combine all the remaining ingredients. Fold in the potatoes. Serve now preferably. I note tomorrow the salad will need draining.

The salad is rich, flavorful and creamy with avocado. It has some heat and some sweet but mostly flavor with lots of texture.

If you are a fan of Mexican Food you should love this salad.

 

 

 

 

Here are meatballs that are a little different. They contain a bonus surprise in the middle and you get an amount of delicious flavor and medium heat from Calabrian Chili Peppers and then you get  sweetness from raisins and yummy tasty nutty  pine nut punch….Tasty, Juicy, delicious and a little spicy. The meatballs got lots of flavors going on and are seasoned really perfect. The meatballs come out very juicy so you don’t really need sauce and just a light grating of cheese if you desire.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 lb ground turkey (85/15)

2 XL eggs – slightly beaten

1 cup whole wheat panko

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/4 cup sweet onion – chopped fine

1/2 cup (scant cup) vegetable stock

1 garlic clove – ground to paste

2 Calabrian Chili peppers – stem removed, chopped fine

1/4 cup fresh basil chopped

32 jumbo raisins (give or take a few depending on size of meatball)

3 Tablespoons pine nuts (give or take…about 3-5 pine nuts a meatball)

non-stick spray canola or vegetable

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

Spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray

Everything goes in a big mixing bowl except for the turkey. Mix well and let it sit about ten minutes so the panko can absorb. After the ten minutes mix in the turkey. The mixture will be wetter than a beef mixture. Use a small scoop and scoop out the meatballs. I do note again the mixture is soft so you won’t be able to roll the meatballs and you just have to scoop them.

Indent each meatball with a butter knife or your finger.

Insert with a jumbo raisin and a few 3-5 pine nuts.

Wet your fingers and pat the meatballs closed.

After about 15 minutes in the oven (350 F) the meatballs should be done.

“That smells Forking Great!”

“I Forking Want Some Meatballs”

Unfortunately the meatballs contain several ingredients that are NOT Dog Friendly…..The dogs can’t taste these meatballs.

Oh well…….more for the humans…..

The meatballs came out Forking Delicious! Most people will love them!

 

 

I made these dumplings from roasted, riced, brown skin potatoes and masa flour with some other ingredients. The masa flour gives the dumplings a corn tortilla kind of flavor. You can serve them anyway you like. My first thought was that the dumplings would be very good in corn stock with some corn, jalapeño and cilantro. I also cooked the dumplings in corn stock to infuse more flavor and saved the starchy corn stock cooking liquid for the soup I served it in the cooking liquid because it had great corn flavor. You can also serve the dumplings in any other vegetable soup or stew and I imagine they would go well in a chicken based soup or stew. They would be delicious in a tomatillo gravy or salsa.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1 lb peeled brown skin potatoes that were already roasted, peeled and riced

2 L eggs – slightly beaten

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground annatto

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 cup AP flour

1 cup masa

1/2 cup (about could be slightly more or slightly less) corn stock – you can substitute water, vegetable stock or chicken stock – You want just the right amount for a smooth dough

Directions

Add all the ingredients expect for the corn-stock. Mix and drizzle in corn-stock until you get a nice feeling dough that’s not too dry and let it rest about 20 minutes.

Put a pot with what stock you are using to a medium boil.

Trim your disposable pastry bag and add some dough with the end folded down. (use less dough than I did if you are not used to working with a pastry bag)

Bring the folded end up and twist the dough down.

Tie some kitchen string on the handle of your pot being careful not to let the string make contact with the burner. The string will cut your dumplings off the pastry bag.

Let each batch rise to the surface and let them cook two – three minutes. Spoon them out with a slotted spoon. If you did them in corn stock you are fine but if you did them in vegetable or chicken stock you might need to add a small amount of oil to the dumplings so they don’t stick. Keep going till you are out of dough.

These are very tasty. I think most people will like them.

 

If you can bake Focaccia Bread than you can bake Onion Rolls. I read somewhere that onion rolls are basically the same dough as focaccia dough. So I whipped up a batch of my focaccia dough and just winged it. After I made the dough I cut the dough ball in quarters and then halved again to make eight portions. I kneaded each portion and rolled each into a log and then just tied each one in a knot. I let the dough sit out maybe another hour and brushed them with olive oil and a beaten egg, then topped them with a sprinkle of poppy seeds and finely chopped onion that I briefly heated in oil and then I brushed the rolls with a little egg again. Half an hour latter in my oven and the rolls were done. I knew they would be good but really was surprised how Forking great they really are…..Somehow the way I cut just heated the onions they infused the sweet just right onion flavor into the roll. The rolls have a nice crust and are moist, light textured and flavorful inside.

Ingredients for 8 servings

1 packet active dry yeast

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cup water (100-110 degrees F)

3 cups bread flour (PLUS 1 extra cup for kneading till just right and to let the dough rest in. Don’t toss out the extra till done because you will use a little when you roll the log shaped dough)

1/4 (scant) cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

1/4 large sweet onion – I sliced thin on a mandolin and then chopped)

teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle over rolls before baking)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl add the sugar, yeast and the water. Mix well and let sit in a warm place till foamy (about a half hour)

Once foamy add the 3 cups of flour and mix most of the way by hand. The mixture will be dry so stop and add the olive oiled the salt. Now mix well. Lift the dough ball up and add the remaining cup of flour. Now knead the flour in till it doesn’t stick to your hands. Make the dough into a ball and let it rest in the flour.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for at least an hour and it should have doubled in size. During this time you can quickly heat the onions in oil. Don’t cook them all the way…just heat them in the oil and set to the side.

Punch the dough down and knead it some more. Make the dough into a dough ball again and wrap the top of bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for at least an hour again.

Punch the dough down and knead it again. Make it into a ball and on a cutting board cut it in quarters and then cut each quarter in half so you have 8 pieces.

Use some of the extra flour from the bowl and on a floured surface roll each section of dough into a log.

Tie each log into a knot and place on a baking sheet that is topped with parchment paper.

Leave the rolls sit out for about 30 minutes so they rise a little again.

Turn oven on to 350 degrees F.

Drizzle the rolls with oil.

Brush them with beaten egg.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Top with about a teaspoon of onions.

Brush carefully again with egg.

Put in the oven for about 30 minutes or until done.

They came out Forking Great! Nice crust….moist, tender and oniony inside. I’m going to have to make my own rolls all the time now…

These came out so FORKING Delicious! I wish I could offer you a piece to try! My husband couldn’t stop talking about them for a few days. We had a few of the very best sandwiches ever on them.