I roasted my Beets up with Apple Cider Vinegar and a little water to start with.

Usually I peel my beets but these had super thin skin so I didn’t need too and then I grated them on my box shredder and made them into a thick shredded shape.

I thought the beets would taste good with Lemongrass, Green Garlic, Thai Chili, Asian Pears, Bean Sprouts, fresh crushed Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper.

Asian Pear, Lemongrass, Thai Chili and Green Garlic

I mixed them together and added a Big Splash of Mirin, and small amounts of Soy sauce and Rice Vinegar, Some Chopped Green Onion and Fresh Chopped Fresh Basil.

I boiled off some Whole Wheat Spaghetti and added beaten eggs and Sorghum Flour to look like pancake batter and added the Beet mixture till it looked right to me.

Then on med/high heat I almost dry fried them using just a light spray of canola oil.

I lightly added Crushed Sea Salt and Pepper to them.

They came out very tasty. I think most people would like them.

Forking Good!

I purchased these delightful looking Mandarin Oranges from Sprouts. To my surprise they tasted too tart for me to eat.

I didn’t want to throw them out or make a dessert out of them so I made them into salsa.

Salsa is very easy to make. All I added to the Mandarin Segments were…….

Sweet Onion Chopped

Jalapeño Chopped

Fresh Cilantro Chopped

Garlic Chopped

Some Apple Cider Vinegar

Some Sea Salt fresh Crushed

Some Black Pepper Fresh Grind

Then I just used my Hand Blender and made salsa.

Now it’s Tasty on Grilled or Pan Seared Meats or Seafood.

Mandarin Orange Salsa

Forking Good!

Parsnips are very delicious in a number of ways but at the moment I’m liking them Oven Fried with Ginger Cream and Green Garlic.

Oven Fried Parsnip Fries with Ginger Cream and Green Garlic

They are very easy to make as you just wash then cut the Parsnips into  French Fries Shapes. Place on pan to roast and drizzle with oil. Roast them till just fork tender and then let them go a little more on upper rack to crisp and brown them slightly.  Add fresh ground Sea Salt and Crushed Black Pepper.

To make the Cream you can use or make Cream Fraiche and strain. But I make my cream with less fat so I use a combination of Whipped or Light Cream Cheese mixed with Nonfat Greek Yogurt. I grate a good amount of fresh Ginger into it till it’s strong of ginger.

I then top with Chopped Green Garlic.

Green Garlic

There is no substitute for green garlic. The freshness and milder garlic flavor is delicious here and goes insanely well with the ginger cream. You can use chives or green onions but it won’t be the same. These Parsnip Fries are so tasty you will make them again and again!

Forking Good!

Carrot Ribbons around Parsnip Fries

Roasted Carrots, Grape Tomatoes and Black Garlic

I purchased some Black Garlic at Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s Black Garlic

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it so then I tasted the Black Garlic.

To me it seemed more like fruit than garlic and was sort of like a fig and a prune mixed together but with a little twang going on.

I thought since Black Garlic is only Garlic I thought it would go with my Grape Tomatoes I had.

So I put my Grape tomatoes and Black garlic with a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan to roast.

Grape tomatoes with pealed black garlic

Till they looked like this.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Black Garlic

I also just roasted red carrots from the farmers market.

Roasted Red Carrots

So I tasted them together and it is a very good match. The sweetness of the carrots and Jammy from the Black Garlic almost candies the carrots and the tomatoes are already sweet.

Roasted Carrots, Grape Tomatoes and Black Garlic

Forking Good!

Asparagus Guacamole

Asparagus Guacamole is Forking easy to make.  It’s just like regular Forking guacamole but you need to work with cooked asparagus (over cooked asparagus works best) and then process it. (Smooth or Chunky)

This isn’t  Forking Rocket Science and it’s just a combination of.

Asparagus

Lime

Salt

Onion

Fresh Cilantro

Tomato

Garlic

Cayenne

Jalapeño

Forking Good!

Green Skhug Sauce also called Yemenite Sauce

Skhug Sauce also called Yemenite Sauce is made up of Spicy peppers, Garlic, Fresh parsley and or cilantro and a variety of spices.  This sauce can be made red with the use of red peppers or brown with tomatoes but at the moment I’m liking the green one best.

I never knew what I was missing till I was first served Skhug Sauce with my Falafel, Hummus Combo Plate that I like to get at those Mid East kind of Eateries.

The Skhug sauce adds life to food. The Spices are complex and lingering. Hummus and Falafels are boring to me now with out Skhug Sauce.

I developed my own recipe after experimenting with it for a while and this is what I came up with. I DO WARN YOU a little goes a long way this sauce is very spicy!

Green Skhug Sauce

1/2 Bunch Fresh Cilantro rough chopped including stems (Some people like more like a whole bunch but for me 1/2 taste good in this recipe. Some people only use parsley and some use 1/2 and 1/2. I’m not the biggest fan of Cilantro but in this sauce it shines.

12 Cloves Garlic Chopped

6 Thai Chilies (Rough Chopped)

4 Jalapeños (Rough Chopped)

2 t. Cumin

2 t. Coriander (Heap them a little I go a little heavy on the Coriander)

1 t. Black Pepper

2 t. Cardamon (I fresh grind mine and never go over on this one or it’s too much)

1/4 t. Cloves

1/4 t. Caraway Seeds

1/2t. Kosher or Sea Salt

Juice of one small or 1/2 large Lemon

About 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Enough Water to get it Processed in your Processor or Blender.

I usually make it slightly thicker than what I just made. It should be a little chunky. A little goes a very long way.  Sometimes I use a little Green Skhug to flavor dressings or Mayo for a spread on a sandwich or Burger.

If you like Spicy and Hummus you’ll be hooked on Green Skhug Sauce!

This Batch is a little different. I made it more relish style and made with the same spices but I used different peppers, and brine from some jarred Cherry peppers instead of Lemon Juice. I also added some fresh mint. The Peppers I used were Shishitos, Cherry Peppers and a few Thai Chili’s.

Forking Good!

3 Hour Onions

3 hour Onions are very jammy and sweet and almost melt on to grilled meats or sandwiches. You take your pealed onions cut in half and slice and place in pans. Just sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and let them roast at 350 degrees for three hours.

Onion Syrup

After three hours, besides the delicious onions you get this really delicious onion syrup to use in pan sauces or just brush on meats or sandwiches.

3 hour onions are similar to confit onions. Confit onions should be cooked at 200 degrees for 8-12 hours along with butter wine and bay leaves.

Forking Good!

Italian Style Inspired Tuna Salad

As a child the only way my mother would make tuna salad was simply just canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise or a mayonnaise substitute. It was OK to me at the time served with that blue box macaroni and cheese that most young kids eat still to this day.

I am much older now and discovered a different way to eat tuna salad that taste much more delicious and is healthier too. Basically Italian Tuna Salad is really made with Italian Tuna in Italian oil with vinegar and Lemon.

I don’t usually use Italian Tuna or even tuna in oil.The addition of fruit with Briny Olives, Onions, Artichokes and capers is a nice play against each other. I don’t measure exactly but I think you will get the idea of how to put it together from these ingredients.

For about 4 servings.

About 10 oz. Tuna

Juice of one lemon and it’s grated zest.

About 1/4 chopped fine onion.

Either one small Asian Pear, Small or 1/2 Apple or a small bunch seedless grapes chopped into small cubes. I note Italians wouldn’t use Asian Pears but at the moment I’m liking them in this dish.

About 15 Olives chopped fine

About a Teaspoon of Capers

About a Cup of Chopped Artichoke. Fresh already cooked and cleaned is best but that’s a pain so the next best is frozen artichoke but in a pinch canned is fine.

Almost 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

About 1/4 Cup Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A very small amount of crushed Sea Salt

Some Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Now serve on top of mixed greens or in a sandwich or use as an appetizer filling.

Forking Good!

I love this delicious not too popular dip or spread called Muhammara. I first enjoyed it dining at a Lebanese Restaurant. After much research developed my own recipe. It is basically Roasted Red Peppers with Nuts, Exotic of Seasoning and Pomegranate. It’s very easy to make you just combine ingredients and process. Your mixture should be lumpy not smooth. Muhammara is so delicious I promise you that you will enjoy it!

Muhammara

5 fresh Roasted Red Bell Peppers Cleaned and Pealed with saved about of half cup of the pepper juice and make sure you get the really thick caramelized juice or reduce it till thick like maple syrup.

I Cup Roasted Almonds or Walnuts (I strongly prefer Almonds but Walnuts are more traditional)

One Pomegranate Fresh Roasted cleaned and juiced with a Ricer (or you can cheat and just use 2 Tablespoons of Pomegranate Molasses.

Juice of one Meyer Lemon

2 Red Thai Chili’s (use less if you don’t like spicy or don’t use but this dip should be spicy)

2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil a good quality one.

1 large garlic clove or 2 small

1 t.Cumin

1/2 t. Coriander

1 t.Paprika

1/2 t. Chili Powder

1/4 t. Nutmeg

1/4 t. Cardamon

1/4 t. Cayenne

1/4 t. Kosher or Sea Salt

1/4 t. Black Pepper

Some people do like this thicker and add one or two slices fresh bread or about 1/2 cup bread crumbs to mixture but I don’t like it that way. Many people add sugar or honey to the mixture but by using the concentrated pepper juice and by my method of roasting a pomegranate brings out natural sweetness that I prefer.

You just blend it up and your ready to dip or spread on a pita or a kabob or even a sandwich.

Forking Truth

Forking Good!

8-12 Hour Tomatoes

When I have extra tomatoes I slow roast them at 200 degrees for 8-12 hours with a little extra virgin Olive Oil and I crush fresh salt and pepper on them when I pull them out of oven.

The flavor of the tomato gets concentrated and is very sweet. Even those cardboard like  supermarket tomatoes turn delicious this way. They are excellent in a varity of ways including  entrees,  pizzas or grilled sandwiches.

They stay good in the frig  for about 10 days so I usually never have to freeze them but I have once and they froze and thawed well.