Vegetarian Mexican Style Black Beans

I had a pound of black beans in my pantry so this is what I came up with today. This is a very flavorful and EASY recipe to prepare. The one ingredient you need that is harder to find is Epazote. You can find epazote at any Mexican Supermarket and I do come across Epazote at Whole Foods every now and then. You should purchase Epazote and keep it in your freezer because it is a very strong herb and a little goes a long way. I do have one jalapeño in the recipe but one jalapeño doesn’t add much heat here. If you want to kick up the heat a little I HIGHLY RECOMMEND sending away for Chitepin Peppers……(many different spellings). They are expensive and difficult to find but are worth it! They are tiny peppers only the size of peppercorns but are so darn delicious and flavorful…you only need 2 or 3 of these peppers to make a world of difference. You might have noticed that I didn’t sauté the majority of the vegetables first. That is because I wanted the flavors of the vegetables to go into the beans..when you sauté the vegetables the vegetables are tasty but I want to flavors to go into the beans……It’s easy and it works.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 lb dried black beans – rinsed and inspected and then soaked over night in twice as much water as beans. Refrigerate.

2 teaspoons course sea salt

1 carrot – peeled and well chopped

3 garlic cloves – chopped fine

1 celery rib – well chopped

1/4 cup onion – well chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon epazote – fine chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 cup green bell pepper – roasted or sautéed – cut in strips

1 jalapeno pepper – roasted or sautéed – chopped fine

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin – to finish

1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped – to finish

optional – if you like spicy 2-3 chiletepin peppers

Directions

The black beans get rinsed well and go in a pot and get covered with JUST WATER an inch over the beans. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for an hour. Put a loose cover on the pot after the beans are simmering.

After an hour add the salt, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, epazote, cumin, chili powder, oregano, green bell pepper and  jalapeño.

let the pot continue to simmer 30 minutes. You might need another cup or two of water here.

Taste and adjust seasonings and add fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Decide if you want to add Chitepin peppers.

Decide if the beans need another 1/2 hour….Undercooked beans can be harmful or TOXIC…….you want the beans cooked all the way but only fresh dried beans will get creamy. You might need a little more water again.

When the beans are done serve with fresh scallions, fresh and cilantro. You might also want  some sort of sour cream and  Mexican Crumbling Cheese.

Vegetarian Mexican Style Black Beans

This dish is well seasoned and delicious! You will make people happy with this.

The Forking Truth

Fried Salmon Cake with Orange Aioli and Corn Cilantro Cucumber Salad

We read that one of Costco’s most loved and high rated item is surprisingly the canned Wild Alaskan Salmon. I decided to try a pack of them to see what I thought. Honestly it is indeed better than not all but most of the fresh salmon I can get within 15 miles of my house. (with the exception of AJ’s Fine Foods but Fresh Salmon usually runs $29.00 to $39.00 a lb there so I’d never purchase that salmon to make into a cake.). I don’t even try to purchase fresh salmon near me because at least 50% of the time I have to return it because it’s too old to eat and sometimes I have settled for nearly passable. For canned salmon Costco’s is the best I’ve tried. Last time I made a Crispy Baked Potato Cake with this canned Wild Alaskan Salmon….This time I’m doing a fried Salmon Cake made in a similar way to the way Crab Cakes are prepared but with flavors that I think go with Salmon. I made the Salmon Cake mixture and let it sit in my refrigerator over night so everything settled together really well.

Ingredients for two servings

1 6oz. can Wild Pink Salmon – drained

1 L egg – slightly beaten

2 Tablespoons mayonaise

1 teaspoon dijon mustard – (I only use Grey Poupon)

1 teaspoon sriracha – (I like Shark Brand for this)

1 Tablespoon ketchup

10 saltine crackers – I used whole grain – crumbled fine

Canola or vegetable oil – for frying (guessing 3-4 Tablespoons but it seemed like none absorbed…I still had all the oil leftover when I was done.

Directions

In a small bowl Mix everything but the oil and salmon together. Carefully and gently add the salmon and try to keep it chunky and don’t break it up too much. Set it in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to over night.

Set oven to 300 degrees F.

Before frying make the salmon mixture into two patties.

Put the fry pan on medium high heat with enough oil to cover the pan very well. When the oil is hot carefully add the Salmon Cakes. Fry about three minutes on each side.

When done put cakes on a pan in 300 degree F oven while you whip up an aioli or make your side dish.

I made an Orange Aioli. I didn’t get down on paper exactly what I did but it was something like.

2 heaping teaspoons mayo

1/2 teaspoon dijon

small dash prepared horse radish

small dash bomba (a spicy but delicious Italian Condiment made with Calabrian Peppers)

really small dash ketchup

zest of a small sweet orange

juice of 1/2 a small sweet orange

Serve and Enjoy!

Fried Salmon Cake with Orange Aioli and Corn Cilantro Cucumber Salad

These Salmon Cakes came out very tasty. I have to add the Orange Aioli is a nice addition to these Salmon Cakes.

The Forking Truth

Tunisian Inspired Carrots

There are many different Moroccan and Tunisian Vegetable dishes out there you might not know about that are insanely delicious. I am trying to discover them. I taste them when I come across them and read all the recipes I can find on them. Then I sort of wing them. This recipe is based on the flavors of a Tunisian dish called Horia. I saw the ingredients from the back of a jar and then did research searching out Tunisian Dishes for carrots so I’d get a feel for it. This dish I have NOT found at any restaurant yet. The Jarred version of Horia is more of a spread. You are welcome to blend everything up so get something closer to the actual dish called Horia. You can serve these carrots with olives, hard boiled eggs and tuna for a closer to a Tunisian feel. This dish is easy and comes out delicious.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 lb + 5oz carrots – peeled and cut on diagonal in about thumb sized pieces

1 Tablespoon kosher salt – to boil carrots

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – to drizzle on carrots

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro- chopped

1/2 cup harissa vinaigrette – (preferably my recipe)

optional – serve with olives, hard boiled eggs and tuna

Directions

Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put a pot of water on to boil and add the kosher salt. When water is starting to boil add the carrots. Let them boil four minutes and remove from pot on to a baking sheet.

Drizzle the carrots with the olive oil.

In a small bowl mix together the sea salt, sugar, cumin, caraway,  coriander and garlic.

Sprinkle the dry spices all over the carrots.

Put baking sheet on the top rack of oven for about a half hour.

Drizzle with harissa and add fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve

Tunisian Inspired Carrots

The Forking Truth

Kabocha Squash Bundt Cake with Drizzle and Chestnuts

Kabocha Squash is often compared to pumpkin but really has a natural sweet chestnut-tee taste. It almost like creamy chestnut mixed with sweet potato. Kobocha Squash is high in nutrition and is ONLY 40 calories a cup and is fat free before you add things to it. I try to think up ways to use it all the time. One of the best ways to use it is to make delicious desserts a little healthier and a little lighter. I’ve come up with a cake recipe this time and used my bundt pan (that I never use) for the second time. This is a one bowl easy recipe. You just stir the ingredients in the order given with a Fork. Just add a little drizzle and some crushed chestnuts if desired. Something special that’s delicious, quick and easy to prepare. I should note that I cooked the Kacocha Squash very well and past fork tender…..I also used brown turbinado sugar in this recipe. Turbinado sugar is minimally refined sugar and also has a different moisture content than regular and brown sugar. Your results WILL DIFFER if you use a different sugar.

Ingredients for about 15 servings

4 oz sweet butter – room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown turbinado sugar

3 eggs – lightly beaten

2 cups kabocha squash – cooked VERY WELL and slightly past fork tender and then mashed (PLEASE ROAST THE SQUASH! all you do is stab the squash about 4x and put on a pan in a 350 degree F oven for at least an hour and 15 minutes you want it very well done (******(or a little more if it’s a big one, cut in half scoop out seeds and scoop flesh from skin))

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch course sea salt

non stick spray – canola or vegetable

2 teaspoons turbinado sugar – for dusting the pan

1/2 cup – 1 cup chocolate chips or another flavor for drizzle (The Bittersweet Chips are …Forking CRAZY Good here) ((I used 1/2 cup caramel chips that I had to doctor up with some spices because they didn’t taste much different than white chips and I also used 1/2 cup bittersweet chips…each 1/2 cup was melted with 2 Tablespoons of HOT butter)

2 Tablespoons – 4 Tablespoons melted butter for drizzle

3 oz roasted chestnuts – crushed for cake topping

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray bundt pan with non stick spray.

Dust pan with 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar and set to the side.

Get a large bowl. Hand mix everything in with a fork. Mix the butter. Add white sugar and mix that into the butter. Add brown sugar mix in.  Mix in eggs till it looks creamy. Mix in squash. Dump the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix till combined.

Batter goes in bunt pan.

Put bunt pan in the 350 degree F. oven for about 30 minutes or until the cake feels done. It should spring back lightly when you touch it.

Let it cool on the counter some and when it’s almost cool invert the cake on a plate.

I tried a 1/2 cup of those new caramel chips. I melted 2 Tablespoons butter in the microwave and then stirred in the chips and put them in the microwave for 20 seconds…..They didn’t taste the way I wanted and were not much different than white chocolate so I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the drizzle and just put it in a ziplock bag.

Squirted with ziplock bag with corner cut off.

Then I did a drizzle of chocolate the same way but in a circular motion. Afterwards I poured the crushed chestnuts over the cake.

It came out REALLY FORKING GREAT!……… SUPER Great tender moist crumb and really GREAT FLAVORS. It’s not too sweet it’s just full of delicious flavors. The sugar that dusted the pan created a pleasing crunch on the surface and all the toppings are delicious but not too much because you only eat thin slices. I am SHOCKED my husband LOVES IT. He’s not into sweets and he is not a fan of  kabocha squash either and he ALSO isn’t found of chestnuts but even he says this cake is delicious and can’t stop eating it. He can’t stop talking about how perfect tasting, moist and delicious this cake is. It really is!

This one is a FORKING GREAT ORIGINAL by me.

The Forking Truth

Italian Style Green Bean Casserole

I come up with some of my recipes when I get sort of gifted with a lot of something. I had a bunch of green beans so one of the best ways of using LOTS of green beans is to put them in a casserole. I’m not a fan of the traditional American Green Bean casserole. I haven’t tasted one that I liked so far. I thought maybe if the green beans taste like a pizza or cheese lasagna they might be delicious. Anyway a baked lasagna is very heavy.  I lightened up this casserole a bunch by using the minimal amounts of cheese as filler and by using extra soft tofu instead of some ricotta cheese. It might still seem that there is tins of cheese in this casserole but when you divide it into 16 portions it really isn’t so much. There are a lot of steps to make this casserole but it’s not as hard as it seems. It’s just like making a lasagna……but maybe easier because I only used one pot to cook up one thing after another and then I used the dirty pot as a mixing bowl. Almost everything get mixed together so why should you scrub the food out? This looks like a heavy brick but actually it isn’t so heavy. It’s  maybe 1/2 green beans, some pasta and a lot less cheese than I put in a cheese lasagna that was thinned down slightly with tofu.

Ingredients for about 16 servings

1 lb 10 oz. green beans – cleaned and string removed – cut on diagonal in small like bite size pieces

2 Tablespoons vegetable base (to boil with green beans)

8 oz dry curly pasta (I used tri-vegetable spumoni shaped)

I Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (to coat pasta)

4 oz sharp provolone -shredded with 1/4 cup in a reserved bowl on the side – for topping

4.5 oz parmesan – shredded with 1/4 cup in the same cheese reserved bowl on the side – for topping

1 lb fresh mozzarella – shredded with 1/4 cup in the reserved cheese bowl on the side for topping

1/2 large sweet onion – chopped

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 hot/sweet jarred cherry peppers – chopped fine- you can find hot/sweet cherry peppers at Trader Joes and Sprouts. This particular pepper taste AMAZING with many Italian foods and other foods.

2 teaspoons course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves shredded

13.5 oz extra soft tofu

3 large eggs

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup panko bread crumbs

pinch granulated garlic

pinch ground black pepper

pinch oregano

pinch basil

1 cup water (about if looks dry it will come out dryer)

non stick spray

3 cups a very good marinara sauce plus extra for serving

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F and spray a half buffet pan or very large casserole dish with non stick spray. Also spray a sheet of aluminum foil. (The wet sprayed part covers the food) Put to the side.

Put a pot on to boil and add the vegetable base. Add green beans and let them boil about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider. Put green beans in an ice bath and set to the side. A few minutes later when cool put the green beans in a colander to drain.

To the boiling water add the pasta and cook two minutes less than suggested. Squirt the pasta with about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and mix pasta so they don’t stick together. Set pasta to the side.

Put a pot on to medium high heat with two tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil seems hot add the onions and cherry peppers.Add two teaspoons of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Wait till it looks almost cooked to add the grated garlic. Mix well. Take off the heat when cooked and the onions are clear. You can add this mixture to the green beans when they are well drained. Keep that mixture to the side.

Either in a blender or your pot with a blending wand…Blend the tofu with the eggs. All your cheeses (NOT THE RESERVED 1/4 cups of each) get hand mixed into the tofu egg mixture with 1/8th teaspoon of white pepper, nutmeg, black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano.

In a small bowl add the panko, reserved cheeses, a pinch of granulated garlic, fresh ground black pepper, oregano, and basil and mix. set on side. (but not for long)

Get out your marinara sauce. One cup gets added to the pasta. and mixed in. One cup gets added to the green beans and mixed in. (you need a remaining cup to top with and extra for serving later).

At this pot your counter should look like this.

Add the pasta bowl to the green beans and mix. Add the tofu/cheese egg mixture to the big bowl with pasta. I thought the mixture looked too dry so I added one liquid cup of water. Once mixed pour mixture in sprayed large pan.

Cover with cup of marinara.

Cover with reserved cheese/panko mixture.

Pan gets covered tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed well with non stick spray. (the sprayed side goes against the food so it doesn’t stick to the foil).

See it’s filled with lots of green beans

Just cheesy enough

This pan goes in a 350 degree F oven for one and one half hours. (90 minutes).

Italian Style Green Bean Casserole

Serve with extra sauce and some grated cheese.

It you enjoy lasagnas or pizza kind of flavored foods you will enjoy!

The Forking Truth