Every now and then Safeway has Chicken Breast for sale at 99 cents a pound so I load up on chicken breast when they are on sale. I freeze some raw. I Sous Vide a bunch of them because they are so perfect you can even freeze and they thaw out reheat and are perfect. A few I fried Italian Style, then I came up with the idea of Southwest style….They are tasty crunchy and juicy. They have salsa and taco fresh flavors going on. I used Mexi-Type Seasonings and in the crumb mixture is fresh cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, and masa flour. You can serve the Chicken with either – roasted limes, enchilada sauce, salsa verde, slices of avocado….. maybe with a fresh salsa, sour cream and either cheddar jack cheese or a Mexican Cheese. This is easy to prepare and comes out Forking Tasty!
Ingredients for around 8 servings
2 lbs chicken breast – pounded and cut into eight portions
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cumin
1teaspoon chile powder
2 eggs – lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems
2 garlic cloves – fine chopped
1 jalapeño – fine chopped
1 cup masa (no substitutions….this is important for the flavor)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
canola oil to fry with
Directions
You need to make a dipping station with three large mixing bowls or pans.
Bowl one is flour, cumin, Chile powder. Mix well.
Bowl 2 is eggs, 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. black pepper, and mustard. Mix well.
Bowl 3 is cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, masa, panko, salt and black pepper. Mix well.
Get a large fry pan on medium high heat. When the oil is hot you can start frying up the chicken breast. Cook each side till nicely golden brown and that the chicken is cooked. Timing will differ greatly…….(depending on size of chicken, pan and heat 3-7 minutes a side) Mine took about 5 minutes a side.
Cambodian Inspired Vegetables with Tapioca, Couscous and Peas
I was inspired to create this dish after I watched on AZCENTRAL.COM the “Killer Dish” not sure but I think it was by Food Critic Dominic Armato all photos were by Michael Chow. The above photo is my inspiration by me. In the video I watched a chef from our local Cambodian Restaurant Reathrey Sekong made a Cha Kreung paste. The flavoring paste was made by pounding in a mortar with a pestle a combination of turmeric, lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal, shallots and garlic. They added peppers, asparagus, oil, chicken to a very hot pan and then added flavoring paste (the Kreung) vegetables, sugar, fish sauce and red onions. The mixture got finished with sliced lime leaves. I didn’t finish my mixture with lime leaves because my lime leaves were very tough even when I removed the vain in the leaf I thought that they were too tough to eat completely raw.
I made a good size batch of the paste…..not sure on how far it will go..but I like the taste of it with vegetables. Latter I will do this with chicken.
Here are the vegetables with that taste and I thought the combination of tapioca, Israeli couscous and peas would be perfect………I think they are……..These of course are NOT TRADITIONAL to this flavor but I think they work.
I think this paste might work as a marinade for chicken so I’m giving that a try with the addition of maybe some lime juice, a little salt and sugar.
I pretty much winged this recipe so I don’t know if I did what exactly the Cambodian Chef did…
I think I did around……
1 teaspoon turmeric
30 lime leaves with veins removed
7 – 3 in bottoms of lemongrass with hard outers removed – sliced extra thin on mandolin
galangal – 1.5 oz sliced paper thin on mandolin – mine was very woody and strong tasting..was going to use more but didn’t…..
garlic confit that I do for sous-vide cooking and keep frozen…. and I used 3 ounces
Maybe a lb of broccoli I used the florets and trimmed the stem and sliced stem into strips.
Used maybe 9 mini bell peppers and cut them in strips
Used 1/2 a large sweet onion – cut in strips
I sautéed the broccoli and added the paste and a little oil while I broiled the onions and peppers tlll they charred. Added a splash of sugar and red boat fish sauce to the vegetables and then added the prepared tapioca, couscous and peas. I think this taste very good and most people will also think the same.
This is very aromatic and delicious. A day latter I marinated three very large chicken quarters with the paste for about 24 hours, rinsed off chicken and blotted dry. Roasted them off with more aromatics and the chicken was developed and super moist with delicious flavors and was served with more of these vegetables.
I think most people would enjoy this.
Cambodian Inspired Vegetables with Tapioca, Couscous and PeasCambodian Inspired Vegetables with Tapioca, Couscous and Peas The Forking Truth
Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie came down with aggressive cancer and was only given a three-six months prognosis. He was elderly and couldn’t do a lot but he enjoyed going out to eat so I took him out to eat as often as I could and instead of the three-six months he made it another SEVENTEEN months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat and they also enjoy the experience.
There are a few things you need to know before you dine out with dogs. Many restaurants in Metro Phoenix have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. It’s ALWAYS BEST to call a restaurant before you show up and ASK if it’s ok to dine there with dogs. It is also BEST to dine at off times to avoid as many other people and dogs as possible because not all people like dogs and some are allergic to dogs. Other people might complain and ask you to leave. It’s also best to avoid other dogs because dogs are dogs and they often bark at each other so you could be asked to leave for that too. Avoid problems call the restaurant first and dine at off times.
There are some rules for dining out with dogs. Dogs are NOT to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off restaurant plates. Dogs must be close to you and by your side at all times. Most food and drink that you consume is NOT safe and can be TOXIC to dogs. You must get a safe food list and foods to avoid list from your veterinarian. Usually a small amount of lean un-sauced meat is a safe bet for dogs. You might want to bring a collapsable water bowl for your dog too. You also need to know that dogs are NOT AS HEAT TOLERANT as you. All dogs have a different heat tolerance just like people but in general 90 degrees F and above is too hot for dining out with dogs. Not all but most healthy younger dogs can tolerate up to 90 degrees F BUT ONLY IN SHADE at 90 degrees. When in doubt it’s better to leave your dog home. Hopefully you know your dog’s heat tolerance.
Now we are ready to dine out with dogs!
The Forking Truth is being turned over to my dogs….I’ll take a break and let my dogs do the talking.
“We are on our way to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix”
“Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery is a Pho Free Vietnamese Restaurant that specializes in the Banh Mi Sandwich.” “Our folks and us have tried Banh Mi Sandwiches from several other Vietnamese Restaurants and we like Banh Mi Bistro’s Banh Mi Sandwiches the best!” “The fillings are always fresh and delicious.” “We don’t eat much of the bread but out folks say that the bread has a Nice crisp exterior and a soft fresh middle.”
Chicken Banh Mi
“Those Banh Mi Sandwiches smell Forking Good!”
“I love all the food I’ve tried from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.” “Today I’m loving Chicken Banh Mi and one of the Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches!”
“Ummmm everything is so good and I can’t wait for my next bite!”
“We always enjoy ourselves at Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery!”
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
“We are on our way to Burger King”
“Our folks sort of screwed us and took us to a Burger King Drive Threw.” “They don’t FORKING eat Burger King and are going someplace nicer.” “Burger King is ok but not the best for dogs.” “At least our folks sat with us and fed us on the nearby Safeway Patio.”
“It’s a Bacon King.”
“I bet Old Man Louie wouldn’t eat this burger if he was still around and then I’d get more to eat!” “He used to spit out most fast food but me and the little guy aren’t as picky.” “No one was like Louie”…….”He could tell the difference between ground beef from Costco and home ground beef”…..”That Louie wouldn’t eat the Costco ground beef”……”He was THAT picky.”
“WOW” “I wish I met Louie.” “He sure doesn’t sound like any dog I’ve ever met.” I’ll eat Costco Beef.” “What’s Costco beef anyway?” ” “I’m Forking hungry!”
“We’ll eat someplace better next time.”
www.BurgerKing.com
“We are on our way to Culver’s”
“Culver’s is considered to be a national fast food chain based in Wisconsin and growing in locations that are mostly in the mid-west.” “They are famous for their butter burgers that are never frozen, hand battered fish and fresh made frozen custard.” “We are here for their limited time special on hand battered Canadian Walleye Pike.”
“OOOOOOooooh yes…..smelling yummy!”
“They both got walleye pike but I smell more on this side of the table because he has THREE pieces.”
“That walleye pike has such a great crispy batter on it and the fish is so mild and meaty……I just love it!”
“We did Forking alright at Culver’s!”
www.Culvers.com
“We are on our way to The Twisted Italian in Peoria.”
“The Twisted Italian is an American Chicago-Style Italian Restaurant that also offers some Twisted Food such as Italian Rellenos and Pierogi.”
“Our male human companion got this Loaded Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich that smells incredible.” “His sandwich also came with a salad……I tried a crouton and and some lettuce and it was ok but I enjoyed the thin Angus Beef Best!” ($11.50)
“Our female companion got the Salmon Grilled Vegetable lunch special that comes with Angel Hair Pasta in garlic parmesan wine sauce.” ($10.50) “We thought it all was pretty tasty and I even ate zucchini!”
“Ummmm I’m ready for more Angus Beef!”
“That Angus beef sure does smell pretty good!”
“We got to eat pretty well at the Twisted Italian today.” “We had fresh roasted vegetables, croutons, salmon, some pasta and tasty Angus beef!”
www.EatTwisted.com
“Well that was Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix for March 2019.”
“We hope that you enjoyed and we hope to see you next month!”
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
Smoked is a brand new event that was hosted by Arizona Foodie at Ocotillo Restaurant in Phoenix Arizona March 23 1-4pm. Top local chefs offered exciting “smoked” creations. There also were offered smoked cocktails samples, fun activities such as make your own candles, make your own succulent jewelry, a photo booth and live music. This was a 21 and older event. General admission tickets were $35.00 and VIP tickets were $50.00 that got you in early. Parking was free and close.
First stop was from Proof at the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale at Troon North.
Tiny detailed grilled sandwich on house baked bread…..God so Forking Great!….It’s a smoked opah BLT with red onion jam, cured yolk, tomato and lettuce……Just delicious! WOW! I could scarf down one (or more) of these every day!
Next is another doozy…..The INCREDIBLE…INCREDIBLE smoked brisket ramen…(I think that’s what is was called) from Obon Sushi and Ramen.
Flavors are OFF THE CHARTS! This is insanely delicious. A little brine-ee, smokey, a little spicy, really balanced. The brisket is also amazing…..As soon as I got home I looked this restaurant’s menu online and didn’t notice this dish on their menu……It NEEDS to be there! I actually woke up the next day imagining I was eating this again….It really was that great!
Last sample as delicious and amazing as it was ….was also quit large and next to impossible to stop eating…..Took a break but my husband said that this one was up there too.
Fat Ox offered grilled piadinas with fried mortadella, smoked pancetta, oregano mustard, olives, arugula and parmesan.
There was Seagram’s 7 offerings and a photo both in this area.
After that we were on to Jewel’s Bakery and Cafe for smoked salmon, smoked poblano on everything bagel chip with quail egg.
It’s just Forking Stunning and DELICIOUS…..so exciting. It certainly was by far the most attractive plate.
The Clever Koi had an attractive offering but I forgot what it was.
After that was Handlebar Diner with this really Forking Awesome smoked house reuben fries.
OMG this is far better than my picture shows. The house corn beef is amazballz………best corn beef I’ve eaten in like 10 years. That PERECT corned beef flavor…….Everything in this cup is way..WAY up there. Frit street kennebel fries, house corned beef, smoked beef fat Russian dressing, Swiss cheese fondu, pickled cabbage and hickory smoke. I need to see if this on the Handlebar Diner menu….so good. This is another one of the dishes that I wanted to sneak an extra one out for later.
From Nook Kitchen was an attractive smoked ahi tuna roll with smoked wasabi cream, smoked tobikko and micro cilantro.
I didn’t do this one the justice that it deserved….I should have had this dish before the last one because the flavors are far more delicate…….think I’m still tasting the last dish in my mouth……….But it was good!
Roka Akor offered smoked iberico pork with rhubarb emulsion and charred carrot relish.
I did many of the photos blindly. The sun was very bright and I couldn’t see anything on my screen…just hit button and hoped for the best.
The Delta and The Larder offered this absolutely STUNNING Chicken on a Hoe Cake.
It’s such a joy to eat such masterfully prepared chicken and the hoe cake is so tasty too. WOW this sure was a treat that was so GREAT to eat!
Then Ocotillo offered a few goodies inside.
Mesqite grilled beef ribs with house bbq sauce and jalapeño chimichurri.
WOW look at that! They are like enough for dinner! They are not over seasoned or too spicy either. They are the kind you have to eat on the bone.
I’m pretty filled up by now but my husband eats this one from Ocotillo. It’s a smoked baby back rib on buttermilk bun with spicy rhubarb bbq sauce and house pickles. P.S. he said this was really REALLY GOOD!
Then we stepped out.
I try a cocktail that’s a mezcal union smoked Paloma and a water.
Look ! *********When have you ever seen a jewelry bar like this before?
How neat! But I couldn’t bring myself to rip out a plant from it’s roots and glue and string it to a ring…..but I eat plants…? …….So I took a plant home to sit on my windowsill instead. Hope the plant is happy.
I thought I was in line to try a cocktail but found out that is was candle making.
They also had live music.
They had a few more cocktail areas……I hit one more.
Tried a Johnie Walker Black Penicillin made with Johnie Walker Black Label, diner liquor, honey syrup, lemon juice and bitters.
Toasted Mallow ends things on a sweet note with a couple varieties of s’mores.
I felt the same way as this cat at Smoked!
Smoked was Smoking Hot & FORKING Great!
I enjoyed myself at Smoked!
www.ArizonaFoodieMag.com
Thank You so much to everyone and to Arizona Foodie for hosting such a Forking Great Event!
Jamaican Jerk Cauliflower based on Michelle Blackwood’s Recipe
Cauliflower is this magical vegetable that can be transformed into any cuisine. I thought I’d attempt a Jerk Cauliflower and discovered that many people on the internet already came up with the idea. I picked Michelle Blackwood’s recipe because she actually grew up in Jamaica so I thought her recipe would be the most authentic. I followed her recipe for the Jerk Sauce except I used a 1/2 habanero instead of a 1/4….because I didn’t think 1/4 would do much…..If you can’t handle any spice you are not going to make this recipe anyway. I think 1/2 a habanero is perfect for most people this comes out like a three out of five on a Thai Dinner scale. Hot but not too hot. I did make changes to the batter recipe….not because I wanted to change it but because I didn’t have her ingredients. Even if you don’t want to make the jerk sauce you should make this baked batter for cauliflower. It’s quick easy and Forking scrumptious!
ingredients for about 4 servings
1 large orange cauliflower – remove core (either toss or save to pickle) – break down in florets, put in a gallon ziplock bag and put to the side. (I used an orange cauliflower because it was the same price as white cauliflower and it has a better taste and is less watery than white cauliflower.
1/2 cup coconut milk (batter)
1 egg – lightly beaten (batter)
1/4 cup corn starch (batter)
1/4 cup chick pea flour (batter)
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (batter)
1 teaspoon granulated onion (batter)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (batter)
pinch turmeric (batter)
1 teaspoon course sea salt (batter)
1 teaspoon baking powder (batter)
1/2 medium onion – chopped (sauce)
4 garlic cloves (fine chopped) (sauce)
2 teaspoons fresh ginger – grated (sauce)
6 allspice berries (ground) (sauce)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (sauce)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (sauce)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (sauce)
1/2 scotch bonnet or habanero – USE GLOVES and fine chop (sauce)
1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce (sauce)
1/4 cup tomato sauce (sauce)
1/4 cup orange juice (sauce)
1/4 cup sugar (sauce)
2 Tablespoons molasses (sauce)
1 lime (just the fresh squeezed juice) (sauce)
2 Tablespoons scallions (sliced thin to top cauliflower with)
non stick spray
Directions
Set oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray and set to the side.
In a small bowl combine the coconut milk, egg, corn starch, chick pea flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Pour mixture into bag of cauliflower and shake it up well till the batter is all over the cauliflower. Then sprinkle out the cauliflower on baking sheet(s). Make sure to spread the cauliflower out. They go in the oven till they are cooked threw, a bit crisp and slightly browned. Timing will differ because your idea of a floret may differ from my idea of a floret plus our ovens differ (around 25 minutes in the oven)
While the cauliflower is in the oven make the sauce.
In a sauce pot add the onion, garlic, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, habanero, tamari, tomato sauce, orange juice, sugar, molasses and lime. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes and reduce to simmer till the sauce reduces a little. Shut heat off and leave pot on burner so the sauce stays hot for the cauliflower.
Cauliflower should be coming out of the oven now. Either dip or drizzle sauce on the cauliflower and Finish with scallions.
Jamaican Jerk Cauliflower based on Michelle Blackwood’s Recipe
This is really tasty! Most people will enjoy this!
A special thanks to Michelle Blackwood for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Grandma pizza is very rarely found outside of New York and is suppose to be similar to the kind of pizza that Italian Grandmothers make in their home ovens.
We happen to have a little pizza parlor called Crisp in Scottsdale AZ.
See it really is little.
The owner is friendly and says he will bring out our pizza in about four minutes. I pick a seat on the patio.
The Pizza looks like a toasted sandwich and is a five inch square that’s cut on a diagonal. I can see it’s topped with a rich thick tomato sauce, some melted cheese, a fine grated hard cheese and it’s generous with fresh basil leaves.
I take a bite.
Wow….it’s not really like any pizza I ever had before…….it is different.
The crust is so crisp….no wonder why this pizza place is named crisp. The crust is completely crisp and reminds me of toast. It’s light but a very sturdy crisp like an airy crouton. The sauce is very similar to most east coast pizzas that I have enjoyed. From what I remember east coast pizzas always are made with a delicious sauce. This sauce on this pizza is similar to east coast tomato pies……..The sauce is thick, rich, sweet …..but not sugary….sweet as in sweet tomato…. with a really good rich DELICIOUS tomato flavor. There’s a little melty cheese, fine grated hard cheese and a good amount of fresh basil.
This pizza is almost like a cousin of the Roman Style Pizza…..They are both are generously topped, both have sturdy crisp crusts but the texture and taste of the crusts differ. The grandma has a fine network of bubbles in the crust. The Roman has bigger bubbles in the crust. Both the grandma style and the Roman style are not doughy …….both have a sturdy but light airy crust with generous high quality toppings. Both the grandma and Roman style pizzas seem lighter and not as heavy as doughier pizzas because they both have lots of air in the crust.
That was my first taste of grandma style pizza at Crisp in Scottsdale AZ.
www.Crisp-Pizza.com
Try Crisp Pizza and see what you think! Give the grandma style pizza a try!
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
I recently discovered that steaks taste better with something pickled. I had some of the pickled vegetables leftover after we had steak and discovered that these pickled vegetables are even better on burgers..The combination of peppers…hot and sweet, carrots shallots and apple sort of POPS on beef. .One you try these pickled vegetables on a burger or a steak you will find out on what you were missing……Oh by the way….regular quality or frozen New York Strip Steaks get salt, peppered and Sous Vide at 130 degrees F for 3 hours and then you just sear them in a hot pan with oil for about a minute on each side and ends. They will taste like a quality steak if you treat them that way.
Ingredients for around 10 servings
4 Anaheim chili peppers (around 12 oz.) sliced up and remove core of seeds
1 carrot – peeled and sliced very thin on a mandolin
1 large apple – cut into thin smaller pieces
4 oz shallot – slice very thin on mandolin
1 serrano pepper – slice VERY THIN on mandolin – this will add a little heat but not a lot of heat – use 1/2 if you are a whimp. Day two not all but some of the heat goes away.
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
Directions
Get a sauce pan on medium high heat with the vinegars, water, bay leaf, sugar and salt. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer let it go a couple minutes.
The peppers, carrot, apple, dried oregano go in a container. (a tub or a jar)
Pour hot liquid into container with vegetables and let sit on counter till it cools down. Add lid and refrigerate when cooled down. Tomorrow these will be mighty tasty on something.
Verdura Plant Based Eatery recently opened in a shopping center on seventh street that is also known as the Phoenix restaurant row in Phoenix Arizona. Verdura is a popular name for vegan restaurants because Verdura translates to vegetable in Italian and Spanish. The menu is sort of melting pot American with global inspirations. The Atmosphere is mostly cool classic rock and roll with greenery accents. Memorabilia like records, album covers, concert posters and super star vocalist portraits grace the walls. Classic Rock and Roll Music fills the air not LOUD but on a comfortable level. Lots of bright light comes threw the large window front during the day.
Looks like this when you walk in.
You order at the counter, pay, grab a number with a classic rock star like Patty Smyth and seat yourself inside or on the patio.
They run your food to you when its ready and ask if you need anything and they check on you.
We started out by sharing the Kimchi Aranchini that comes over German Cucumber salad.
The fried rice balls (arancini) are filled with lots of carrots and some cabbage…They are lightly laced with kimchi essence. The rice balls are fried perfectly and seem free of oil and are tasty……They are GOOD and tasty……..but……. The taste to me was unexpected because kimchi is so strong, spicy and a pungent in your face flavor that I wasn’t expecting these rice balls to be so mild. Under the kimchi rice balls is an unusual pairing of creamy German Cucumber salad. The German Cucumber salad is very good. It’s just delicious! This cucumber is just right and flavorful. We both loved the German Cucumber Salad.
We also shared the General Pow Cauliflower.
We have roasted cauliflower, a mild sauce, nori peanuts, shishito peppers, chimichurri with rice, Korean pepper threads and Korean Brussels. The cauliflower and brussels are roasted nicely. The Shishito peppers add a different touch of mild heat too. My favorite flavor here is the chimichrri sauce in the front of the plate because it’s very bright and flavorful. Again a tasty vegetable plate….Not too much POW or General Tso to it but tasty and nicely prepared.
We also shared the Avocado Mofongo FT Jerk Jackfruit.
This is fried plantain that’s mashed with seasoning avocado It’s topped with pineapple corn relish, and Caribbean style jerk jackfruit. This was the most seasoned of the dishes we tried. It’s mildly spicy. To me its very mild to be jerk jackfruit but its an approachable tasty vegan dish.
Nicely prepared vegetables of different inspirations.
Worthy of a try!
That was my trip to Verdura Plant Based Eatery in Phoenix.
www.VerduraPhx.com
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
Chino Bandido is a casual unique one of a kind restaurant located in North Phoenix Arizona. According to Food Network Chino Bandido is a Top Place to Eat. Chef Guy Fieri of Food Network said about Chino Bandido, “One of the most original on DDD.” (Food Network TV Show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives). You might be wondering??????….WTFork is Chino Bandito anyway?
Chino Bandido is a casual restaurant that serves a disjointed mashup of Chinese type food, Mexican-ish Food and Jamaican Jerk Chicken that comes to you in a foil pan plus more!. You have many choices when ordering. You have according to Food Network 90,000 choices. Chino Bandido offers 14 different entrees. You pick either one entree ($7.35) or a combo with two entrees ($8.90). The single entree comes with white rice. Whatever entree you pick you can add on to roll your entree into a burrito (.85 cents) or make it into quesadilla (.85 cents). The two entree combo comes with white rice and your choice of black beans or refried beans. You have your choice to upgrade the rice to plain fried rice (.85 cents), chicken fried rice (.85 cents) or jerk chicken fried rice (.85 cents). Prices are subject to change…
The entrees you get to pick from are -carnitas, chile relleno, Chinese bbq pork, egg foo yung, gringo chicken, hengrenade chicken, jade red chicken, Jen red pork, jerk chicken, emerald chicken, teriyaki chicken, veggies (basically a salad), pollo diablo, machaca. Somehow all the different combinations imaginable add up to 90,000 different plates.
Now you sort of understand……..Here’s how it goes! You walk in and wait in line.
You look up at all the different choices and wait till it’s your turn to order.
The person at the counter is helpful and walks you threw ordering. They also offer samples. You can fill out a sheet for your order but unless you’ve done it before it is too easy to FORK it up so you are better off if you let the person at the counter take your order.
Here’s the other ordering counter with a view of the kitchen…they have two lines. You pay here and they take your name. You get your drink and plastic silverware and seat yourself.
Maybe by the Bandido Panda Cowboy Mascot?………Chino Bandido himself?
Or by the fresco on the wall.
It’s not a fancy place but HEY…it’s not a fancy food place either…..but they do have an oil painting by the condiments of an Asian Panda eating a quesadilla from a big pan of food.
Soon someone runs our food out and calls our name.
My husband gets his pan.
He got a carnitas burrito, emerald chicken, jerk fried rice and black beans. He’s a fan! He said the carnitas burrito is really good and the white meat emerald chicken is moist and flavorful. He likes the black beans and said they are very tasty and of course he likes the jerk fried rice.
I got the Chile Relleno and hengrenade chicken with white rice and vegetables.
GOD this is a Forking ENORMOUS plate of food for only $8.90 and it comes with a fresh baked snickerdoodle cookie. The Chile Relleno is an Anaheim Chile Pepper that is stuffed with gooey melted cheeses. The coating is very unusual……The menu says its breaded and the coating appears to be made of LOTS of broken saltine crackers.
The hengranade Chicken is sliced chicken thigh that is spiced up and a little smoky. It’s very flavorful and moist but lacks sauce or something like sautéed vegetables to go with it. Perhaps the hengranade is a flavor that’s best for quesadillas?……….Or maybe better with beans to add that something I’m missing here. Got a mountain of white rice and a whole field of salad with fresh broccoli, and some pico de gallo. The salad is also served unadorned (with out a sauce) I was really hungry when we got here….Was only able to eat maybe half of everything. It’s quite a value. I think this plate is two dinners for most people.
We shared one of the cookies.
The snickerdoodle is large, but tasty.
Checked out The Great Wall of Chino when we left.
YEE HA!
That was my Trip to Chino Bandido! Fast food priced and better quality, value and taste than fast food!
www.ChinoBandido.com
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.
WOWEE this cauliflower puree came out really incredible. I wish I could offer you a spoonful to try. It’s so cheesy and mousse-like. It’s the PERFECT Forking PERFECT macaroni and cheese taste. You can use it as is or as a healthier cheese dip. I think it work be great a number of ways. It could be used as spread for a sandwich, to top a flat bread or non-traditional pizza topping, a modern fancy adornment to upscale nachos, it could be a part of a filling for a lasagna or a topping for a baked potato. The flavors are perfection and it’s not too heavy either. To get the same results as I did you have to follow the instructions exactly. I used a commercial stick blender for blending that worked really well but if you don’t have as good a stick blender you might need to use a regular blender so you get the same smooth mousse-like texture.
Ingredients for around 4 servings
1 large head orange cauliflower (the orange cauliflower has a better flavor, is sweeter and isn’t as watery as the white cauliflower)
2 oz parmesan cheese – grated
2 oz sharp cheddar cheese – grated (I used Costal Brand English white cheddar from Costco)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons Arla Brand cream cheese (Arla Cream Cheese is all natural and doesn’t have gum or chemicals in it I used reduced fat Arla cream cheese that is amazing)
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Directions
Remove the florets off the core and discard or pickle the core. The florets go in your steamer basket that you set over a sauce pot of medium/slow boiling water. About every 5-10 minutes you might have to lower the water temperature slightly to prevent water from boiling over. Cover the steamer basket with foil and steam till the florets are VERY SOFT….depending on size this should take around 15-20 minutes.
When the florets are soft remove the steamer basket with the cauliflower and set down on the foil you just removed. Throw out the water from the sauce pot. Add the butter and cream cheese to the hot pot you just used. If you have a good stick blender add the hot cauliflower and start blending. Keep blending and add the cheeses and remaining spices. Keep blending till smooth. If you have to use a standard blender you have to let the cauliflower cool slightly and do this slowly to you don’t have the hot cauliflower mixture bursting out of the blender.
Forking Delicious Cheesy Cauliflower Puree
Everyone will love this! Very Cheesy Tasting and mousse-like.
