Ingredients are key sometimes to make something that taste amazing. You might know that even a simple radish will be very sharp tasting from the grocery store but from a farmers market it taste very sweet. Green Beans from the grocery often are very woody but green beans from the farmer’s market are so sweet and tender that they are incredible raw. Well I hit the jack pot when I found these gourmet red skin red flesh potatoes. They are different. These potatoes seem like low starch potatoes and turn super sweet and very buttery and creamy on their own. I knew I had to embellish them with shallots and fennel with not dry but fresh herbs for something so special. These potatoes look like red flesh when you cut them but do turn a purple color when you cook them.These potatoes are very easy to prepare and taste amazing. It will taste like something from a great restaurant. I WARN YOU TO WATCH OUT. These potatoes are so over the top delicious they will get inhaled fast. As soon as I made them I gave my husband a cup of them to try and he came in the kitchen to get more and warned me that he could finish the batch……..Portion size will vary.

Ingredients for around 6 portions

3 Tablespoons canola oil

2 lbs gourmet potatoes (I used red skin red fleshed #1b sized potatoes….other potatoes will taste different and may cook slightly different…….you can probably find the red skin yellow flesh potatoes that have a similar taste) – slice up or crinkle cut around 1/4 inch thick slices.

1 large fennel – remove core and tough outer. Slice about 1/4 inch slices (save a few fronds for garnishing)

4 oz shallots – peel – cut in 1/4 thick slices

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 spring fresh rosemary – chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh dill – chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley – chopped

1 Tablespoon scallions – chopped

1 teaspoon fresh basil – chopped

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions set oven to 425 degrees F.

The sliced potatoes go in a big bowl with the canola oil and get mixed up till coated and go on baking sheets in a single layer.

The fennel gets tossed with 1 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and goes on a small baking sheet in a single layer.

The shallots go in a small mixing bowl and get mixed with the remaining olive oil and go onto a small sheet pan in a single layer.

Put the shallots and fennel on the lowest rack and fill the rest of the oven up with the potatoes in the hot preheated 425 degree F oven. Check on things while they are cooking because some racks will finish before other racks. In about 15 – 20 minutes everything should be done.

Use fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to your taste.

Put everything in a large bowl and gently add the fresh herbs.

Garnish with fennel fronds.

Serve.

Everyone will enjoy these Forking SCRUMPTIOUS Potatoes.

I got this idea to do cucumber salad in a more delicious way. I recently made these pickled peppers and onions for burgers and steaks and they were extra tasty …….so tasty I kept thinking about that perfect pickled flavor….. I got the idea to make cucumber salad with some similarities and interesting additions like avocado. This is a big batch of salad but it does shrink as it sits. This salad is good enough to be a meal. I added some pulled chicken to it and it was delicious! I think it would also be great till fill tacos with. This salad will stay good for about a week.

Ingredients for around 18 servings

5 lbs English cucumbers – sliced in about 1/4 inch thick slices ( you can use any type of cucumber but if you use regular cucumber you should remove the seeds and possibly need to peel)

1 large white onion – sliced very thin on mandolin

1 lb Anaheim chili peppers – sliced thin (this is the chili that taste really great here)

3 serrano peppers – sliced thin as paper in mandolin

6 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

10 oz tiny sweet tomatoes – slice each in half

3 avocados – cube

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

4 Tablespoons sugar

4 Tablespoons kosher salt

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves – chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro and tender stems – chopped

Directions

In a sauce pot on high heat bring to boil the vinegars, water, bay leaves, oregano, sugar and salt. When everything is dissolved shut off heat and take pot off the burner to cool some.

In a very large bowl or maybe a couple of bowls add the cucumbers, onion, peppers, garlic and tomatoes and mix well.

Remove the bay leaves and throw them out. Pour the liquid evenly over the vegetables and mix well.

Lastly add the avocado, parsley and cilantro and carefully mix.

Serve now or serve well chilled.

This really is a more delicious cucumber salad.

I had a fish dinner recently and i keep thinking about how great olives and saffron tasted on fish together. So I tried to do those kinds of flavors in a tuna salad. I didn’t run to the store and purchase $25.00 a pound tuna to make tuna salad…that is crazy and a waste of expensive tuna. I use wild caught chunk light tuna in a packet. I think this kind of tuna salad would be delicious  with mayonnaise but my husband is a mayonnaise hater so that is how I got the idea of adding butter beans because butter beans are so creamy it’s almost like adding something creamy to the salad. The fresh sage goes really well and adds more interest. This recipe makes two big servings or three smaller servings.

Ingredients for 2 servings

1 6.4oz pack chunk light tuna in water

10 Spanish Queen Olives stuffed with minced pimentos – chopped well

1 small celery rib – chopped well

2 Tablespoons golden raisins

1 juicy lemon – use just the fresh squeezed juice (mine was a medium size but it was juicier than usual)

1 cup butter beans – rinsed very well – rinse at least three times

1/4 cup sweet onion – chopped fine

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

pinch saffron – crumbled with fingers

Tablespoon (heaping) fresh sage – well chopped

fresh ground sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. If desired garnish with tiny tomatoes or Sweetie Drop Peppers from Peru.

The flavors are very good together. You might want to give this a try!

This is a slightly different twist on the corn muffin. You must use masa flour for these muffins to have a more interesting corn taste. All the charred vegetables add pops of yummy charred vegetable taste and also helped to reduce the amount of fat and sugar that plain boring corn muffins might have because the charred vegetables turn sweet and delicious and also add moisture. These really are extra tasty corn muffins. They might even be a new favorite for you! This is an easy one bowl recipe that can be hand mixed with a fork.

Ingredients for 12 servings

1 cup flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 cup masa (no substitutions)

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt (this kind of salt makes the muffing even tastier)

1 cup non fat milk (I used dry that I mixed with water)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 cup corn kernels – charred (either char on grill or broil till lightly charred)

6 mini bell peppers (or one large) – chopped and charred

1 jalapeno – chopped and charred

1 large sweet onion – chopped and charred

1 poblano pepper – fire roasted – peeled – chopped

non stick spray

Directions

If you didn’t prepare the vegetables do that now. All the vegetables need to be charred. Either char them up on an outside grill or broil them in the home oven. Be careful with the corn and char that one lightly. Put the vegetables to the side when done.

Set oven to 400 degrees F and spray a muffin pan or two with non stick spray. Set the pan to the side.

In a large bowl add flour, corn meal, masa, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, oil and egg. With a fork beat up the egg and carefully mix till everything looks well combined. The mixture will be very thick. Add the vegetables and mix well again. Fill muffin pan with batter (this recipe makes 12 muffins) Put the pan on a middle rack and bake till done (ovens to differ but in my oven this took 15 minutes)

These are Forking Delicious Muffins! Leftovers also freeze and thaw perfect.

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.

This is really tasty! Most people will enjoy this!

A special thanks to Michelle Blackwood for sharing this wonderful recipe.