Author Archives: The Forking Truth

Italian Style Tuna Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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Recently I had a similar dish of stuffed peppers at Los Arbolitos De Cajeme Restaurant in Phoenix but they served a Mexican Style Dish made with Marlin. This is an Italian Style Tuna made with regular tuna, cured olives, artichokes, capers, fresh parsley and golden raisins. Feel free to use a better tuna but I think that would be a waste. It doesn’t make sense to waste $25.00 a pound tuna to make any tuna salad. Italian jarred tuna is better but that cost $6.00 for a small jar. Regular tuna packed in a pouch with water is the best for this recipe. Also feel free to use whatever pepper that you enjoy that is the best from your market. My tuna recipe is very good and you might want to try it even if you aren’t stuffing it in peppers.

This recipe makes around two servings.

6.4 oz chunk light tuna in water from a pouch

1/4 cup sweet onion – fine chop

12 cured olives – pits removed and chopped (hard to find, I found them at Whole Foods or you have to order them)

1/4 cup jarred artichokes or frozen – chopped (preferably frozen or packed in water…you’s be nuts to cook a fresh one for this recipe)

2 teaspoons capers

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves – chopped

2 Tablespoons golden raisins – chopped

1 ripe juicy lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

fresh ground sea salt to taste (you won’t need much of any)

fresh ground black pepper to taste (you won’t need much)

about 10 smaller but not too small peppers – I used 10 guero chili peppers that ran somewhat spicy )

About 3 medium sized tomatoes cut in half

1/4 cup fresh basil – torn or chopped

a very small amount of reduced balsamic vinegar for finishing (I like the Fini Brand….It’s better not to reduce balsamic yourself because it’s next to impossible to clean the pot afterwards)

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium sized bowl add the tuna, onion, olives, artichokes, capers, parsley, raisins, lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic and mix well. Sample a small amount and salt pepper to taste.

You need to cut the cores from the peppers. Just below the stem make a slit across and a slit down the center of the first slit like a “T” shape. Pull out the core and stuff and pack the pepper tight with the tuna salad. Repeat till you are done and place the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet with the half tomatoes.

Put the baking sheet in the oven till they char up some and filling is hot. In my oven about 30 minutes was right.

Italian Style Tuna Stuffed Peppers

Add a small amount of reduced balsamic if desired (If you are using a mild pepper you might not want the reduced balsamic because it will be too sweet) Top with some fresh basil.

This is delicious!

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on Creepy Cocoa Crisp M&M’s from Target – Worth a Fork!

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I saw these NEW Creepy Cocoa Crisp M&M’s at my local Target Store. These Creepy Cocoa Crisp M&M’s are exclusive to Target Stores. This flavor is described on the package as a cocoa crisp center with a layer of dark chocolate. I look at the package and notice that this is the first new or limited edition flavor of M&M’s in a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG Time…….maybe many years (or decades) that doesn’t say with artificial flavor on the front of package.

I look at the ingredients…..and get excited……..Looks very promising…..

I open the package up and take a sniff.

It smells just like a bag of chocolate chips.

I pour some M&M’s out.

These are smaller sized and slightly irregular in shape. They come in colors of yellow, red and brown.

I eat one……Ummmm It’s chocolatey and crunchy. It reminds me of the “Crispy” variety of M&M’s but it taste like chocolate chips and a little bit of hot cocoa flavor.

I eat another and let this one melt in my mouth. It had the usual sweet candy shell. Then I’m left with chocolate that taste like a chocolate chip. Then the chocolate melts away and I’m left with a small crispy chocolate cereal lump in my mouth. The chocolate lump taste similar to what I think I remember a cocoa puff taste like. (it’s been decades since I ate a Cocoa Puff)

I bit into a few so you can see what they look like inside.

DANG !!!!!!! It’s Forking easy to keep eating them. They seem lighter and airier than regular M&M’s with a good chocolate taste……They have the right amount of sweetness, salt and are ever so slightly bitter with that chocolate chip flavor and a smidgen of hot cocoa…… It’s actually hard to stop eating them!

I’d say these new Creepy Cocoa Crisp M&M’s are Worth a Fork! These are good enough to be a permanent M&M flavor.

Worth a Fork!

My opinion may indeed differ from yours.

The Forking Truth

Sugar Free Fat Free Forking Delicious Chipotle Blueberry BBQ Black Beans Recipe

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I came up with this recipe after buying a 18oz container of blueberries that was on sale at Sprouts Market for less than $2.00…..I was going to make something sweet but changed my mind and figured something savory would be more challenging and healthier. In my mind I imagined chipotle would go very well with blueberries and then I got the idea that beans would be perfect in a chipotle blueberry bbq kind of sauce so that’s what I did…..I figured that if I cook down the blueberries some I wouldn’t need to add any sugar and I also didn’t need to add any oil or fat. This is something different and delicious. It’s a little spicy, smoky, with just enough spice and it’s laced with a natural blueberry sweetness….It’s really Forking Great! This is perfect for any BBQ. This will serve 4-6 people depending on how much you take. I think it will go great with any grilled meat.

Ingredients for around 5 servings

18oz fresh blueberries

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt

1 Tablespoon adobo sauce

2 chipotle peppers – minced or fine chopped

1 medium sweet onion – small dice

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper – small dice

2 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 – 19oz can black beans – rinsed at least three times and drained

Directions

I sort of did it backwards but it worked well. Get out a sauce pot and add the blueberries, water and a 1/4 teaspoon salt on to a medium- medium/high boil. Stir occasionally and let it cook down some for around 15 minutes. Then add the adobo sauce and the chipotle peppers. Stir well and put the mixture into another container. Don’t worry about cleaning the pot and add the onion and bell pepper. remaining salt, pepper. Cook till soft…Turn down heat to medium. Add garlic, vinegar, cumin, chili powder and the beans. Then add back the blueberry mixture. Stir well and serve.

Fat Free Sugar Free Forking DELICIOUS Chipotle Blueberry BBQ Black Beans

Most people will enjoy this!

The Forking Truth

Seydi’s Pupuseria and Grill in Phoenix AZ – Worth a Fork! GREAT Pupusas

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Seydi’s Pupuseria and Grill is located in a strip mall in North Phoenix Arizona. This is a casual order at the counter kind of restaurant that specializes in serving Pupusas ……(Salvadorian stuffed flatbreads). They also offer Salvadorian style breakfast such as tamale, rice, beans, plantains and burritos. They offer appetizers, close to a dozen different pupusas, (either meat and cheese or cheese and vegetable) a couple soups, combination entrees and plantain empanadas.

You order at the counter, pay and seat yourself.

We shared two of the combination plates. The first plate we tried was the #12 steak that comes with two pupusas ($9.50 subject to change).

The Pupusas were CRAZY CRAZY GOOD….. (they are under the steak).

The Pupusas are like Salvadorian really great grilled cheeses……..inside of them is LOTS of tasty mild melted cheese. One pupusa has some wild flowers in it that don’t add much flavor but the one with jalapeños is incredibly delicious. The pupusas got crisp ends that are tasty…crispy cheesy buttery grilled and really delicious sort of corn masa flavor….They are also big……I don’t think most people would be able to eat two of them because they have a lot of filling. They also gave us this delicious not-too-spicy but flavorful chili sauce to spike things up a bit and a little cup of very sharp spicy slaw. The steak was just ok and a little tough and chewy but it tasted better with the addition of the sauce.

My husband tried a side of Salvadorian Sausage. He enjoyed the flavors but said the texture was dry.

The Fried Tilapia Plate comes with rice, beans, salad and fried jalapeño and house made corn tortillas ($11.99 subject to change).

The Fish is fried to perfection. It gets a squirt of fresh lime. It’s so moist and flaky. It falls off the bones. It’s a little hard to eat with plastic silverware but we manage. Beans were well seasoned and almost like in a soup. The rice was fluffy and studded with peas and carrots and seemed like it was laced with chicken broth.

The house made corn tortillas are a nice thoughtful touch!

I would say that Seydi’s Pupuseria and Grill is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.Seydis-Pupuseria-Grill.business.site

Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

English Rose Tearoom Carefree AZ – Worth A Fork! – It’s sort of Magical!

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The English Rose Tearoom is located in beautiful Carefree Arizona. They serve authentic English foods and loose teas seven days a week 11am-4pm. They are very busy and you usually need a reservation to be seated indoors. They offer English Style Patio seating.

They offer seating indoors in the gift shop.

Seating in the main dining room is the picture below.

The small but energetic restaurant is full of bone china, chandeliers, roses and loose tea. There are glass topped table clothes that protect antique photos lace and other things. It’s sort of a magical atmosphere ladies of all ages from two to a hundred and two go dress up with fancy hats and feel like a princess for a day.

We tried a small pot of darjeeling loose leaf black tea.

It’s sort of floral….but there is something strong to it…..not bitter….but something strong. It’s relaxing.

I decided to try the soup and sandwich selection ($14.00 subject to change)

I start with the soup of the day creamy tomato basil. I like the fresh basil flavor in the soup. It’s not too heavy but flavored very nicely. I start with a English cucumber and orange mint butter sandwich. This sandwich is trimmed of crust. It has some texture to it but doesn’t fall apart when you eat it. The cucumber is the main flavor in the sandwich. Next I try the smoked salmon, lemon cream cheese. It’s on a darker bread with trimmed crust. It’s very smooth but with small flecks of fish. Last is the chicken, nutmeg and tarragon on walnut edged bread.

The chicken filling is very smooth and laced with nutmeg and tarragon….The nuts add interest to the bread. The plate also includes a bunch of small sweet seedless red grapes, a strawberry and orange slices.

My husband tries the cottage pie ($16.00 subject to change)

He recived a crock of lean ground beef cooked with vegetables that was topped with piped mashed potatoes with a mixed green salad on the side.

We decided to try a dessert and went for the house specialty…..The scone with jam and cream. ($10.00 subject to change)

The scone is almost like a substantial rich denser cake with less sweetness. The Devonshire Cream is sort of like a milky butter and strawberry jam gives the scone that just right strawberry flavor.

This was fun and different….a little magical…….in a lovely atmosphere.

English Rose Tearoom in Carefree is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.CarefreeTea.com

Every Forking THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

Forking Amazing Tomato Rice One Pot Chicken Recipe

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These Forking Amazing One Pot Chicken Recipes come out Forking Amazing. They are all pretty simple. You season and brown the chicken and use the drippings to season everything. Basically everything goes in a large dish or buffet 1/2 pan and gets cooked till the rice is done and the chicken has to be at least 165 degrees F. I do prefer my dark meat chicken cooked past the 165 degrees F and for me it’s best at 180 degrees F up to 200 degrees F…The chicken will be very moist and flavorful. I need to note that the chicken skin will never come out crispy this way so you need to know that. I also can’t give you the exact timing for this recipe because ovens do differ and different pans hold in a different amount of heat. In general on a middle rack these dishes take 90-120 (usually closer to the 120 ) minutes at 350 degrees F. You must cook till the rice is done and the chicken is at least 165 degrees F so you also need to cook with a thermometer.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

4 lbs chicken quarters (3 or 4 large chicken quarters)

kosher salt to taste – (for seasoning the chicken)

ground black pepper to taste – (for seasoning the chicken)

granulated garlic to taste – (for seasoning the chicken)

1 onion – chopped

14 oz. can San Marzano whole tomatoes – rough chop tomatoes

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 Tablespoon dried basil

6 garlic cloves chopped well

1 carrot – peeled – sliced thick

1 rib celery – chopped

1 Tablespoon vegetable soup base (less sodium than salt and more flavor)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 bay leaves

6 jarred hot/sweet cherry tomatoes – chopped (Sprouts sells them…or just use the sweet that all supermarkets sell)

1 cup rice

1 cup crushed tomatoes

Directions

Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, ground black pepper and granulated garlic on both sides. Brown the chicken on both sides in either a pan or under the broiler for about ten minutes on each side. The drippings go in pot on the stove on medium high heat with the onions, basil, oregano, garlic, carrot, celery, soup base, black pepper, bay leaves, cherry peppers. Cook on medium high till onions are translucent. Add the San Marzano tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil and then shut off and add the rice. Give everything a good stir and put a large baking dish or a buffet 1/2 pan. Add the chicken and cover well with foil. This goes in a pre-heated 350 degree f oven till the rice is done and the chicken is at least 165 degrees F.( 165 degrees the meat sticks to bone ……..when you cook it more it melts out the unpleasant stuff and is still tender) You will need to fluff up the rice and you should remove the bay leaves when you serve.

Forking Amazing Tomato Rice One Pot Chicken

Everyone will love this.

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on the BK Impossible Burger

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The Impossible Burger is a meatless burger made from potato, coconut, wheat and heme made by Impossible Foods.

If you cook it correctly it is suppose to be meat-like and red in the center.

Ok so I have to try it to see how it is………I haven’t eaten a real Whopper in over ten years. In the old days when I was a kid Burger King Burgers at one time used to be juicy and used to have a nice charcoaled kind of flavor…….I remember they always were always a mess to eat and came with much more lettuce too………….Nothing ever stays the same and progress happens. Whoppers are cooked different these days. It seems that they are cooked till they are prettified and are always served dry…….like hockey pucks.

“WOOF!” “I don’t want a vegetarian burger” “I would rather have a dry beef burger!”

So here’s to a new progress again and lets see how the Impossible Whopper is……..

Well it’s not red inside but it’s not dry either.

The patty is very caramelized ……..almost like a crisp coating all around the patty. I’ve had the Impossible Burger at two other restaurants and none of them had an almost mushy center like this Burger King Impossible. This Impossible Whopper is next to flavorless…..(Unlike the other two Impossible Burgers I had). Or maybe between the pickles and the over load of ketchup and strong onions it’s hard to taste anything else……I pull off a piece of the patty and try to taste it…….but I mostly just taste the ketchup. For me this sandwich has too much sauce on it and there is too much bread…I lose half the bun after the last photo.

Conclusion – For fast food quality it’s not the worst……Not big on flavor but it’s it’s not dry either. It didn’t make me feel sick to my stomach like most fast food. It’s not great but it’s edible.

I would like to try to cook the Impossible Meat myself but I heard the restaurant Impossible meat will not be sold to the public. I also heard that a different formula of Impossible plant based meat will be sold in supermarkets soon.

Those were my Forking Thoughts on the Burger King Impossible Burger. Your Forking Thoughts may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth

Battered Epazote Leaves and Onion Petals Recipe

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This recipe is loosely based on a Food and Wine Recipe called Epazote Pakoras with Turmeric Raita. To make the story as short as possible I flavored almost everything different, made a completely different batter and flavored a different based sauce different but with the same main flavors….So it’s fair to say that I was inspired by Food and Wine Magazine. I never would have thought about battering epazote leaves if I didn’t read the recipe. This particular day I found myself with more fresh epazote than I needed and remembered the Food and Wine Recipe and that’s how we got here. The turmeric ginger mayo dipping sauce I winged and didn’t measure but you can wing it too. You might not have a pinch of black cardamon hanging around but your sauce will taste close.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 bunch fresh epazote (preferably a bunch with large leaves) – washed – dried off – leaves removed from stems (you are only using the leaves)

1/2 medium sweet onion (cut the half in half and separate the petals)

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup chick pea flour

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup water

oil to fry like canola oil

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (guesstimated) (sauce)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (guesstimated) (sauce)

1/2 teaspoon granulated ginger (sauce)

small pinch mustard seeds (sauce)

small pinch cumin (sauce)

small pinch ground coriander (sauce)

small pinch cloves (sauce)

small pinch ground black cardamon (sauce)

small pinch ground fennel (sauce)

tiny pinch cinnamon (sauce)

garam masala to taste (to finish the epazote and onions)

Optional a fruity medium pepper to finish like Aleppo

Directions

(this recipe I winged and didn’t measure but this is similar to what I did) Mix up a dipping sauce. In a small mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, turmeric, ginger, and small or tiny pinches of cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, cloves, black cardamon, fennel and cinnamon. Set to the side.

Get a frypan on medium high heat with canola oil. In your spice grinder add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns and grind. Add the spices to a small mixing bowl and add chili powder, salt, chick pea flour, flour, corn starch, baking powder, egg and water and mix well.

By now your oil should be hot.

Dip a leaf into the batter and pull it out. carefully place in hot oil. Do about 4 or 5 more. They cook pretty fast. When you get a brown side turn it over. Place them on pan that’s covered with pepper towels to absorb oil. Repeat with the leaves and onion petals till you are done. Sprinkle everything lightly with garam masala. Add a small amount of Aleppo pepper if desired (it’s a mild fruity heat)

Battered Epazote Leaves and Onion Petals

Nothing is too aggressive here. I think everyone would enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Hello Vietnam Peoria AZ – WHOO HOO The Upper West Side gets a NEW Worth a Fork Vietnamese Restaurant

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Hello Vietnam is a Vietnamese Restaurant that just opened this week in North Peoria Arizona. They serve most of the usual Vietnamese favorites – fried and fresh rolls, cold noodle bowls, rice plates, banh mi and pho. The atmosphere is different and interesting. They have two dining rooms and a semi open kitchen. The restaurant is decorated with Vietnamese kitchenware around the kitchen counter. There’s an illustration on some walls of a Vietnamese village. There are seashell– like fixtures and a wall of wood that looks Vietnamese.

Uptop reads “Cook like a local in Vietnam”

We started off with the Lemongrass Beef Steak Fresh Rolls ($5.99 subject to change).

The rice paper rolls are stuffed with flavorful steak, minty herbs and lots of vermicelli noodles. They are delicious on their own but also came with a peanut sauce today. Possibly due to the soft opening we didn’t receive the toppings for the rolls listed on the menu. (scallions, pickled medley, cucumber and mint…….crispy twist)…..unless it’s a misprint?

For my main I tried the Grilled Chicken Rice Plate ($10.99 subject to change)

I received a generous amount of marinated chicken thigh, pickled vegetables, fish sauce and rice. This plate differs slightly from every other Vietnamese restaurant. Everything is good!…….Chicken is tender, salad is pickled, rice is fresh. Here the fish sauce really brings the chicken to life. The fish sauce is particularly good here.

My husband goes for the Special Pho ($12.99 subject to change)

Here the Pho is an eighteen hour beef oxtail bone broth unless you order your pho with vegetable broth. I don’t often eat pho so I didn’t try it but my husband thought it really was a good bowl of pho.

This restaurant is brand new and was very busy at an off time. Service was a bit slow and we weren’t checked on till we were done but the food was good so to me that means –

Hello Vietnam is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

I haven’t found a website for Hello Vietnam but they are on Facebook.

Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

Lunch at Elements at Sanctuary Paradise Valley AZ – Worth a Fork

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Elements Restaurant is located at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa. This resort is on the north face of Camelback Mountain on fifty three acres in the beautiful Paradise Valley Section of Scottsdale Arizona.

The executive chef is celebrity chef Beau Macmillan. He been be seen on many various Food Network TV Shows. The food served at Elements is mostly changing menus of seasonal Asian Inspired American and Global Foods. Upon arrival you stop at the valet and then make your way to the restaurant.

They offer formal dining seating.

They also offer booths on the end of the dining room with views of Paradise Valley that you still can see even when the sun screen is in use.

They started us off with delicious super crusty locally made MJ sour dough bread and seaweed seasoned butter.

Today I went with the Miso Scottish Salmon Bento Box ($26.00 subject to change)

I received a very tender grilled salmon with nice grill marks. The fish was very buttery in texture and just melted in my mouth. The miso glaze went really great with the quality salmon. Off in the left hand corner are steamed organic vegetables. I’m reasonably sure that some of the vegetables were an Asian Broccoli that has an edible stem similar to asparagus and it was mixed with a flavorful mushroom that tasted like shiitake to me. To the right was a cucumber salad that ran very acidic today for me. On the bottom left was Asian seasoned chewy brown rice.

My husband tried the House made Cavatelli with Duck Confit. ($22.00 subject to change)

Look at all those hand made cavatelli! They are mixed with duck confit, peas, pea tendrils, pearl onions, garlic and parmesan.

We shared a dessert because the last two we had here were very good.

Today we tried the Cherry Ice Cream Sundae.

I tell The Forking Truth and this dessert wasn’t the best for me because I am super picky when a dessert has chocolate in it…..This chocolate tower is sort of waxy like like a coconut oil coating. But The ice cream inside is unusual, not so creamy but more fruity also lighter and nicely flavored with the tart cherry compote that I like. Candied pistachios, fresh raspberries and a chocolate coated gold accented dark cherry adorned the plate.

From previous lunch visits we had-

Tea Brined Chicken
Five spice beef tenderloin
Lemon Meringue Pie
A different variation of tea brined chicken
Five spice duck
Key lime pie

Everything here was delicious and top notch in a great environment with the greatest service and amazing atmosphere.

Only a couple things weren’t perfect for me but for the most part Lunch at Elements is certainly worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.SantuaryCamelback.com/dining/Elements

Every THING is ALWAYS subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth