Middle Eastern Inspired Red Quinoa Salad

This Red Quinoa Salad is inspired by the Red Quinoa Salad I tried at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen…..well sort of.  I started out making the salad with most of the same ingredients such as, Red Quinoa, dried apricots, hazelnuts, apple, creamy cheese and then I got the idea to flavor the salad with Urfa Biber Red Pepper…..There is not a substitute for Urfa Biber Red Pepper….It has a raisin kind of slightly smoked taste with very mild heat. It’s unique. I purchase Urfa Biber Red Pepper from the Asiana Market. It’s in the Middle Eastern Aisle. Then to make the salad more full flavored I then addd some Ras El Hanout also in the Middle Eastern Aisle.  I thought these were the perfect flavors with these ingredients. I also added some toasted black sesame seeds that go crazy well with Urfa Biber. To make the salad a little more interesting I added a little roasted till sweet cauliflower and finished the salad with a pinch of sumac. I think most people would enjoy this salad. I think it’s actually better than the salad I tasted at Hell’s Kitchen but please don’t tell……I don’t what you know who to call me a F*** Face Donkey.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

2 cups water – (for boiling the quinoa)

1 teaspoon course sea salt – to boil quinoa

1 cup red quinoa – washed really well and drained (even if it’s marked washed – always wash quinoa really well)

1/2 cup dried apricots chopped

1 honey crisp apple – peeled and chopped

1/2 cup hazelnuts – lightly crushed and toasted ( about 5 minutes in a 350 degree F oven)

1 teaspoon ras el hanout – (you can buy this at Asiana Market in the Middle Eastern Aisle)

1 1/2 teaspoons urfa biber red pepper (same area as the ras el hanout)

2 teaspoons black sesame seeds – lightly toasted

4 oz creamy mld feta that’s not tangy or salty – crumbled – …(or substitute goat cheese)

1 cup cauliflower – roasted till sweet and crisp in small florets

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – to roast cauliflower

fresh ground sea salt – to season cauliflower – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to season cauliflower – to taste

2 tablespoons celery leaves to garnish

4 pinches sumac to finish

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

Get out a sheet pan and spread the cauliflower florets out. Drizzle them well with olive oil and let them go till browned crispy and sweet. I’d check them in 30 minutes but usually they need about 45 minutes…..They always seem to differ a little  or maybe it’s my oven. When the cauliflower is done apply fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Bring a pot of water to boil with the teaspoon of salt. Add quinoa reduce to simmer and cover loosely.

Check it after 15 minutes and add the apricots. Stir and recover. If it’s done shut off the heat and keep it going on the heat and check every five minutes and shut off when quinoa is done.

Add the apple, hazelnuts, urfa biber pepper, sesame seeds, ras el hanout

Mix and top with remaining ingredients,

Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Inspired Red Quinoa Salad

The Forking Truth

No Pasta Squash Manicotti

I got the idea to make this kind o Manicotti after I dined at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale AZ. I had a similar dish there and I knew I could make the same dish…It just so happens I recently made a batch of Cannoli and had a lot of home made fresh ricotta cheese and I happened to also have a bunch of squash…..So this is what I had to make. I don’t recommend for everyone to do this recipe for two reasons. One you might not be willing to make your own ricotta cheese and you might not care to shred your own cheese. Your own fresh ricotta cheese and grated cheeses will taste much better than ricotta and already shredded cheese you purchase from a regular grocery store so the manicotti won’t come out as good tasting without fresh made ricotta cheese. (they might also come out more runny I’m thinking and then you’ll get mad at me)……You also have to already have drained ricotta cheese so that may or may not be some extra work for you. ……..BUT……….The MAIN REASON I don’t recommend this recipe to most people is that you need to be pretty good using a mandolin to cut the long ribbons of squash. I don’t want you to go to the hospital to make Squash Manicotti… I’m thinking it might be easier to make a one layer lasagna with the squash for most people….so do that if you prefer. I also need to let you know that I wasn’t able to slice the very end of each squash either so i need to use the ends for soup or a side vegetable. This recipe make around 21 manicotti so it will be around 10 servings. Extra servings can be frozen but they are better fresh. Also after they are frozen they might need another drain.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

6 small- small /medium squash – (zucchini or yellow or a mix of both) (don’t use the very large squash here….it will be more watery from the bigger seed cavity and not come out as well. I note it is possible due to size on squash, thickness and your ability to slice squash…the amount of squash you use may differ.

4 cups of ricotta – preferably home made and drained for three days (recipe is on site for many recipes) (1/2 gallon milk, pint heavy cream, teaspoon sea salt, one lemon…that’s about how much you need for the recipe but I always make a double batch of cheese and freeze what I don’t use)

1 cup of Italian Blend Cheese  – plus extra for the amount of manicotti you are serving for topping them. – Use preferably cheese shredded by hand of a combination of mozzarella, mild and sharp provolone and parmesan (about 1 part mozzarella and the other cheeses are about one quarter)

1 large egg – beaten

1/4 teaspoon dry basil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

few grates fresh nutmeg

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

fresh ground sea salt to taste…..(here you need to use the salt extra sparingly because the cheeses are salty. The salt is just to season the squash)

fresh ground black pepper to taste – black pepper is used just to season the squash

You only need about two tablespoons of sauce for each manicotti you are serving……Use your favorite sauce to top the manicotti…..Here I used Norma Sauce (a rich tomato/eggplant sauce. Recipe is on site)

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Oil baking sheet(s).

In medium bowl add the ricotta cheese, Italian Blend Cheese, egg, basil, white pepper and nutmeg. Mix and put to the side.

Remove the squash ends.

In a large bowl CAREFULLY slice the squash thinly longways on a mandolin. I did two at a time so I could figure how many squash I needed.

Lay out about 4 slices of squash and make them overlay each other like picture below.

Now you need to either spoon out a thick line of cheese or squirt a line with a pastry bag so it looks like picture below.

Wrap the left side of squash over the cheese and keep rolling.

Keep rolling and then place on oiled baking sheet and repeat till you are out of the ricotta mixture.

Sprinkle tops of manicotti with olive oil and sparingly with fresh crushed sea salt and black pepper.

Place in the 350F degree oven for 30 minutes.

You need to drain the water that came out of the squash. (some people salt squash before using in different recipes but since this squash is very delicate and thin it’s too easy to over salt)

To serve top with any pasta sauce that you enjoy and put bake in the oven a few minutes to melt Italian Blend cheese on the top. Extra manicotti can be frozen for latter use but it will be better fresh.

No Pasta Squash Manicotti

These came out Forking Delicious!

The Forking Truth

The Forking Awesome Veggie Burger

This is a Vegetable and Grain Burger that eats like a real burger. It isn’t mushy like most vegetable burgers. It not bland either and has flavor sort of like meat….My husband is very anti vegetable burger and even he said this one was very good. The burger is mostly a combination of shiitake mushrooms, polenta, lentils, bulgar, beets and oatmeal that’s held together with egg and whole wheat panko bread crumbs. I thought the burger would be really great with tellegio cheese and arugula. I also made a sauce of mayonnaise mixed with lots of smoked paprika, aleppo pepper, a little dijon mustard and a tiny bit of an Italian condiment called Bomba Calabrese…..Bomba is really hard to come by but it’s a really a delicious very spicy condiment that goes a really long way. It’s a FLAVOR BOMB. If you enjoy spicy foods I do recommend that you order a jar of Bomba off the internet (I like the Coluccio Brand). The sauce, tellegio cheese and arugula would be great with this Forking Awesome Veggie Burger. This burger takes a day to prepare. I made the mixture one day and left the patties to set over night.

This Forking Awesome Veggie Burger really is like a real meat burger!

Ingredients for about 6 servings.

4 oz shiitake mushroom caps – chopped well

2 1/2 oz. sweet onion – fine chopped

1 garlic clove – grated

1/3 cup polenta – not the instant kind

2 cups water

1/3 cup black lentils – the small type

1/3 cup bulgar

1/3 cup beets – grated

1/3 cup oatmeal (not the instant)

1 Tablespoon dry white wine

3 large eggs – beaten

2/3 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

non stick spray – preferably canola or vegetable

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Spray a fry pan with non stick spray. Put the pan on a medium high heat. When the pan is hot add the mushrooms and the onions. Stir occasionally. When the onions are translucent add the garlic and let it go till the contents look lightly caramelized. Then take off the heat and set to the side.

In a sauce pot add water and salt. Put the pot on medium high heat. When the water just starts to boil add the polenta …..stirring very well with a whisk. Now add the lentils, bulgur, beets, oatmeal, wine and black pepper. The mixture needs to boil but then you reduce the heat near to a simmer. You need to stir occasionally for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes add the mushroom mixture and keep it simmering about another 20 minutes stirring occasionally. The mixture will get very thick.

Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

Once it’s at room temperature add the eggs and the panko and mix well.

Put 6 sheets of plastic wrap on your counter and make 6 patty shaped burgers and wrap them up and place to set in the refrigerator over night.

“Those burgers smell good!” “Aren’t they meat?”

The next day……

Set your oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray.

Put your burgers on the sheet and give the tops a light spray and then set the sheet pan in the oven.

At 30 minutes flip the patties over and let them go another 15 minutes. Add fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to the burgers to taste.

Ready to serve!

The Forking Awesome Veggie Burger

The Forking Awesome Veggie Burger.

The Forking Truth

Eggplant Meatless Meatballs

These Eggplant Meatless Meatballs are absolutely delicious! My husband didn’t think he’d like them but admitted they are delicious.  I have to let you know that the baked eggplant balls come out a little softer than real meatballs so I recommend serving them as a side or over some sort of pasta. When you reheat them heat the eggplant balls and sauce separate.

This recipe make about 35 Eggplant Meatless Meatballs around 8 servings

2 1/2 eggplants – medium sized

6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1 bagel – chopped well

1/2 sweet onion – chopped fine

2 garlic cloves – minced

1 cup parmigiano  reggiano – shredded

1 cup dry oatmeal (not instant)

1 XL egg – beaten

1 cup panko (bread crumbs, plain)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 cup fresh parsley – chopped

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

non-stick spray

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Get a baking sheet. Peel the eggplants. (I didn’t but would peel next time) Put the eggplants in halves longways and make diagonal cuts in both directions and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Cover with foil and leave in your oven about 90 minutes till soft.

Chill in your refrigerator over night. Remove the eggplants and throw away the liquid that came out. Blot the eggplants dry. Now put the eggplant meat in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for about 5 minutes. Leave the bowl alone and still covered for about one half hour and more liquid will come out. Drain the liquid and now you can stir the eggplant up with a fork to break it up into eggplant meat.

Now you can mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Set your oven to 350 degrees F

You need a baking sheet(s) and nonstick spray.

Make a just one sample Eggplant Meatless Meatball to test for spices and texture. Let the ball cool a little before you try it. I noticed the balls do stick a little to the pan but as they cool they loosen. The Eggplant Ball needs about 12 minutes in the oven.

Now use a small scooper and make your Eggplant Meatless Meatballs. Here they are raw. Mine needed 14 minutes in the oven.

Here they are out of the oven.

Here they are plated up.

Eggplant Meatless Meatballs

You don’t really get that they are vegetarian. They just taste forking delicious!

Anybody would like them.

These are REALLY Delicious and that’s The Forking Truth