When you roast eggplants the flesh becomes very soft and sort of similar in texture to mashed up bananas so I figured that I could make Eggplant Bread. I thought I’d make the bread a little sweet and mostly savory. I thought roasted peppers went really well here to add interest and I also used Tahini instead of butter for that hummus kind of Flavor. The bread is very unique and moist. If you like zucchini breads, banana breads, honey breads and hummus then you should be a fan of this unique bread too! You can roast whatever kind of peppers that you are in the mood for this recipe.

Ingredients for about 10 servings.

3 eggplants

2 lemons (just the fresh squeezed juice)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup roasted Anaheim chili peppers –  skin, seeds and core removed and chopped

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers – skin, seeds, and core removed and chopped

1 garlic clove – ground to paste

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (Aleppo pepper is fruity and mild with low heat…Spanish Nora Pepper is similar…If you don’t have just leave out and substitute 1/4 teaspoon black pepper)

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

2 xtra large eggs – slightly beaten

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

non stick canola spray

Instructions

Set oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut eggplants in half…place on baking sheets and score them like fruit.

Drizzle the lemon juice from the lemons on the eggplants.

Drizzle the eggplants with olive oil and sprinkle with about a teaspoon of sea salt.

Put them in the oven and in about one hour they should be done and look similar to this.

When cool enough to handle scoop the eggplant flesh out into a large bowl.

Set the oven to 350 degree F and spray a loaf pan with non stick spray.

To your large bowl of eggplant mix in the remaining ingredients by hand in the order they are written.

Pour batter in loaf pan and bake until done…about an hour.

It’s unusual, unique delicious and very moist!

A guilty pleasure with Jalapeño Cream Cheese…

 

 

I recently watched Chef Lidia Bastianich prepare Butternut Squash with an Agrodolce sauce (sweet and sour sour). She fried the squash on both sides and then marinated the squash with the sauce. I thought it was very unusual and I don’t recall having squash prepared in such a way. I thought Id give it a try.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt (1/4 for recipe and 1/4 to sprinkle on squash)

6 garlic cloves – sliced very thin

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 lb butternut squash

1 cup vegetable oil

10-20 basil leaves – Torn well or chopped

Directions

In a small fry pan simmer the vinegar, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and reduce by half. Add the garlic slices.  Put to the side and refrigerate when you can.

Peel Squash. Lidia uses a knife to trim the squash shell off. I did one with a knife and it was somewhat difficult. I used a carrot peeler on my second squash and i thought it was much easier. Use whatever is easier for you. For the recipe Lidia suggest to cut the squash slices in one inch pieces and cut the rounds in half.

Put a cup of vegetable oil in a bigger fry pan on medium high heat and fry the squash for three minutes a side or until fork tender and flip squash pieces and fry the other side for two or three minutes more.

Put the fried pieces of squash on a paper towel lined pan or sheet tray. Salt the squash.  Repeat with the squash till done.

In a pan or tray lay out the squash. spring with the basil and olive oil and drizzle the marinade.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

The squash needs to marinate at least three hours. Overnight is suggested.

 

 

 

 

 

I had a bunch of tomatoes that weren’t the best and I thought they’d be great as jam and they are. The two fried serrano peppers I added turned out absolutely perfect. I got heat but not too much and can taste all the flavors. You can alter the amount of heat for your taste. This jam will be delicious on burgers, sandwiches, cheeses and turkey.

Ingredients for somewhere around 30 servings

3 1/2 lb tomatoes – top button and skin removed, rough chopped

1 apple – peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 serrano peppers – fried and finely chopped

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon course sea salt

Directions

All the ingredients go in a sauce pot. Put the pot on medium high heat and when it starts to boil turn it down to medium heat. Stir occasionally. Turn the heat down again so it simmers. Let it go till it reduces till it’s thick or to your liking.

Mighty Forking Tasty!

 

 

 

 

I came up with an easy and lighter way to prepare a crispy cheesy cauliflower that everyone will love! It’s a little sharp, a little tangy with a mild heat. It’s very tasty.. I used white cheese but with the seasonings I used it looks like orange cheese. Six servings only contain a total of 4 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. No other fat is added and no other salt because it’s salty enough from the cheese and pepper sauce.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 medium size head of cauliflower – broken down into florets

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese – shredded

3/4 cup panko

3 Tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce – Franks Red Hot is Preferred

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

non-stick spray – neutral flavor is preferred – canola or vegetable

Directions

Set oven to 375 degrees F

In a medium bowl add the cheese, bread crumbs and all the dry seasonings and mix well. Then set to the side.

In a large bowl add the cauliflower. Drizzle the pepper sauce all over the cauliflower and mix it well so the cauliflower is coated all over with the sauce.

Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet in one layer that was sprayed with non-stick spray.

Top the cauliflower with the cheese crumb mixture and place in the oven.

It will be done in 30 – 45 minutes. Remove when it looks like this to you and the cauliflower is cooked all the way.

It not heavy but tasty. Just about everyone will enjoy this dish!

 

 

 

Focaccia is similar to pizza but you are suppose to taste the olive oil in the crust. Focaccia also differs because when the dough is stretched out they are allow to rise again unlike pizzas that go in the oven after stretching. Real Neapolitan Pizzas do not contain olive oil in the crust because it will burn under the high temperature of a pizza oven. Very traditional Focaccia Breads are very scant with toppings and often only contain an herb and salt. Focaccia is easy to prepare in a home oven. Top it however you like! This recipe will make TWO Focaccia Breads that are about 8 x 12 inches each and will serve about 8 each or 16 servings all together.

Ingredients for about 16 servings

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons or 1/4 oz.)

1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cup water (100-110 degrees F )

3 cups bread flour

1/4 (scant) cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

1 cup bread flour (knead in what you need and the rest is for the dough ball to sit in)

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil – for the pan

2 teaspoon semolina flour (or substitute corn meal) – for the pan

2 big pinches semolina flour – for the top of dough for when you are spreading it out

Toppings of your choice

Directions

In a large mixing bowl add the yeast, sugar and water. Mix and cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for a half an hour till it gets foamy.

When it’s foamy add 3 cups flour and hand mix. Mix in the oil and salt. Dough will be too wet. Now add the remaining cup and knead in the flour till the dough feels smooth and together. Make it into a dough ball and have it sit in the flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about an hour.

After an hour it should have doubled and punch it down and make it into a ball again. Cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for an hour again.

Take your time and when your ready get out two pans and sprinkle each with about a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle each pan with about a teaspoon of semolina flour.

Spread out the dough and leave it covered with plastic wrap for about an hour till it rises again.

Set your oven to 450 degrees F

OK here you need to decide what kind of topping you want.

what ever topping you pick you need to in-dent  the dough with your fingers or a tool handle all over the surface and sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil. Add a fresh herb of your choice (either now or 5 minutes before the end of cooking and finish with sea salt.

For the Focaccia I made in the picture I added small pieces of artichokes, zucchini, peppers, onions, garlic, goat cheese and fresh marjoram and finished with salt and pepper. The delicate marjoram I added at the end. I also gave mine an extra drizzle of olive oil for flavor and also to prevent my vegetables from burning.

It really came out FORKING DELICIOUS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This recipe includes many peppers and some are already roasted, peeled, seeds and most of skin removed. This recipe is spicy so if you aren’t a fan of spicy you need to skip this one. You also might need to adjust the amount of peppers you use in this recipe because every pepper does differ in heat and your tolerance for heat will differ. You can make this recipe as Chicken White Bean Chili or Vegetarian Bean Chili depending on the fat and stock you use.  For Chicken just add about 3-4 ounces of pulled chicken per person. I do note this chili grows hotter the next day.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

2 ounces chicken fat (from the chicken you just roasted for pulling) or 2 Tablespoons oil (canola or vegetable)

1 sweet onion – chopped

4 red jalapeños – chopped (reds are mild and mostly just flavor and will look better in dish)

4 garlic cloves – smashed and chopped

2 poblano peppers – roasted, most of skin and seeds removed – chopped

7 oz hatch chili peppers – fire roasted, most skin and seeds removed – chopped

1 cup corn (already prepared from fresh and off the cob)

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons masa flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken stock (substitute vegetable stock for vegetarian)

16 oz can large butter beans (drained – rinsed at least three times)

15.5 can cannelloni beans – low sodium preferred (drained – rinsed at least three times)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground achiote

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon low sodium chicken base (instead of salt) (or vegetable base for vegetarian)

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 teaspoon fresh epazote (chopped) (substitute Mexican oregano if you don’t have epazote)

1/2 cup scallions – chopped

Optional 3-4 oz of pulled chicken per person

Directions

Put a sauce pot on medium high heat with fat or oil and when it’s hot add the onion and jalapeños. When the onions are transparent and the jalapeños are soft turn down the heat to medium and add the garlic.

Add the hatch chili and poblanos.

Add the wine and let it reduce.

In a small mixing bowl mix the masa with the stock.

When the wine is reduced add the masa mixed with stock and add to pot. Stir occasionally and when the liquid bubbles and thickens add the beans, corn, cumin, coriander,  chili powder, achiote, black pepper, chicken base. Mix and lower the heat to low and let it go about 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Near the end add the cilantro, lime juice, epazote and scallions.

Leave the pot on warm till ready to serve.

Serve with corn chips and other desired toppings like sour cream and or shredded cheeses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came across these sunchokes at the Asian Market that looked incredible and were very inexpensive so I picked them up. I don’t eat sunchokes often but they sort of remind me of a potato so I purchased some sort of green garlic, seafood mushrooms and red jalapeños to go with the sunchokes. I read on www.seriouseats.com that Chef Ian Alverez formally from Momofuku Noodle Bar, French Louie and now of Bara in New York likes to use the golf ball sized sunchokes and dry roast them at 300-325 degrees F for 4-5 hours. He says it creates a crispy exterior and an soft molten interior…..HOW INTERESTING! so I thought I’d give this method a try. After doing the recipe I feel the recipe has some stuff left out or has some misprints because it didn’t work out as written. My sunchokes were dried out and overcooked at 3 hours. I am certain that someone like Chef Alverez makes fabulous sunchokes and knows how to prepare them . I DO NOTE I HAVE NO IDEA if it’s my oven or if sunchokes differ on their own. So I picked up some more sunchokes and tried again.  I found that if you cook dry sunchokes slow at 300 degrees F in the oven you just have to check them every 1/2 hour and by two hours they all will be done. I checked mine every half hour and pulled them out when they felt soft. When they were cool enough to handle I cut them  down some and slightly browned the ends. I didn’t have green garlic the second time around so I just used scallions and added a handful of snowpeas.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 1/3 lb sunchokes – cleaned and about golf ball sized

5 oz mushrooms – seafood mushrooms preferably with base removed

1 + 1/3rd green garlic – bulb and 2 middle greens- sliced thin and end of the 3rds of green finely chopped (the very end 3rd of the green garlic might be woody so you just use it to boil with other things for flavor) Or a handful of scallions.

2 red jalapeños – chopped fine

2 oz unsalted butter

small handful of snowpeas -de-stringed

2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil for frying

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Set your oven to 300 degrees F.

Place your cleaned sunchokes on a broiling rack.

Check on the sunchokes every 30 minutes and pull the soft ones out. Mine were all done within two hours.

Get a fry pan on medium-high heat with the butter.

Toss in 2/3rds of the jalapeño. Let it go a minute.

Then toss in the garlic bulbs and 2/3rds of the finely chopped green stir and then toss in the mushrooms. Stir after maybe 30 seconds. You want to brown the mushroom some. It should smell like seafood if you purchased the seafood mushrooms. About now everything is browning so get the pan off the heat and toss in the remaining jalapeño, green garlic and snowpeas. Add fresh crushed sea salt and pepper to taste. If you are using scallions just toss them in at the end.

Cut the sunchokes down a little if you want to and put the mushroom topping to the side and brown up the sunchokes lightly in a fry pan with the oil on medium heat. When done take off the heat and put in a serving dish. Add fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste.

Add the mushroom topping, fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yummy and something different.

 

 

 

This salad is light and healthy and contains the smallest amount of fat. The salad  is so flavorful that not much salt was needed either. I used spices from Turkey to the Mid-East and down to Morocco. I really like these spices with butternut squash. Some of the spices or ingredients are difficult to find but you can be creative and adapt. The salad might sound spicy with the different peppers and jalapeños but it isn’t because none of the ingredients are very spicy they are just very flavorful. The barberries are very intense and add another level. I do warn you to be careful with the barberries because with the just right amount they add sparkle to food but too many barberries are unwanted bitterness. Most people will like it. It came out delicious!

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 small butternut squash – peeled, seeds and membrane removed – cubed – small

1 teaspoon urfa pepper

1 teaspoon zahtar

1/4 teaspoon piment port (Moroccan Pepper) (just leave out if you don’t have..this one is very hard to find)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 + 1/3 green garlic sliced very thin on a diagonal (don’t use the top thirds because they are tough but save the tips to flavor things with)

1 orange bell pepper – core and stem removed – chopped

2 red jalapeño peppers – seeds and stem removed chopped fine

1/4 sweet onion – chopped

2 garlic cloves – grated

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 cups quinoa – (already prepared)

1/2 cup fresh parsley – chopped

1/2 cup toasted pinenuts (300 degrees F for about 10 minutes)

2 Tablespoons barberries

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

In a medium mixing bowl combine the butternut squash, 1 Tablespoon of oil, urfa pepper, zahtar, piment port. Mix well and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Cook in the oven till fork tender. (about 45 minutes)

In a fry pan add a Tablespoon of oil. As soon as it’s warm add the green garlic, bell pepper, jalapeños, onion on medium high heat till the peppers are soft and the onions are clear. Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic, salt and black pepper.

Around now the butternut squash will be done.

When the butternut squash is done get a big bowl and add the squash and fry pan mixture.

Turn down the oven to 300 degrees F and toast the pinenuts. Be careful because they can burn. They only need about ten minutes and then add them to the bowl.

Stir in the quinoa, parsley and barberries.

Tasty isn’t it!

 

 

 

These came out mighty tasty, creamy, crispy and just the right amount of sweet to heat. Leftovers can be frozen but you might loose the crispy ends but you can bring them back in the oven. These really are easy to make and are quite good. These Sweet and Spicy Hatch Chili Corn Cakes are a #crowdpleaser.

Ingredients for 24 servings

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 XL egg – beaten

2 cups corn (that you cooked – DON’T use canned)

1 cup hatch chili (fired roasted with seeds core stem and most of skin removed and chopped – DON’T use canned..)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1 cup buttermilk

nonstick spray ( a neutral variety )

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Spay your muffin pan with non-stick and set to the side.

In a large bowl add butter and sugar and mix till creamed. Add egg and mix well. Next add corn and green chili and mix lightly.

In another large bowl add corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt and mix well.

Now add around a third of the dry ingredients to the wet bowl and then add about a third of the buttermilk and repeat twice till done.

Spoon in batter to sprayed muffin pan filling them up to around three quarters full.

Place in pre-heated 350 degree F oven for about 25-30 minutes or until done. You want them a little brown on the top.

“Those Sweet and Spicy Hatch Green Chili Cakes sure smell pretty Forking tasty to me already.”

“Hey you Runt!” “We dogs don’t eat corn because we can’t digest it.” …”Ummmmm Go ahead Runt, eat the Sweet and Spicy Corn Cakes…I got my eyes on you…we’ll see what happens.”

“Well I’m going to Forking Try my Big Beautiful Aussie Queen!” “Smells yummy to me…I don’t Forking care if I get farty from corn.”

Moist and Creamy inside….almost like custard…..and when served fresh and warm they have a crispy exterior. The right amounts of sweet to heat and that little tasty bit of salt…

#Crowdpleaser

 

 

Lemon Verbena and lemon are a heavenly combination so I thought I’d make that flavor into a cookie. Fresh Lemon Verbena is difficult to come by but you can plant it at the beginning of the growing season so you have some. To my surprise I didn’t have lemon extract in my pantry so I used the zest of two extra large lemons and a tablespoon of lemon juice. I still wanted to bump up the lemon taste and grabbed a pinch of lemony tasting sumac. The sumac turned out to be a nice warm surprise that happens to work! The recipe is very easy to prepare. just hand mix everything mostly in order. Leave in the refrigerator over night to chill very well. Sometimes I roll the dough in parchment paper into a log shape so i just cut off 1 oz pieces of dough to bake. The cookies come out crisp and a little chewy. they are really perfect and delicious. They seem light but I know they are not. They have the just right sweetness and refreshing flavor. I think they are the just right cookie for summer time. The cookies keep for about two weeks or can be frozen.

Ingredients for 27 servings

4oz unsalted butter – room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 XL egg – slightly beaten

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons bread flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 XL lemons – just the zest and one Tablespoon of fresh squeezed juice

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon verbena – (one handful) – chopped fine

12 oz white chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

pinch sumac

Directions

In a medium/large mixing bowl add the butter and mix with a fork till creamy. Add brown sugar and mix. Add egg and mix well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda. Mix half way because it will be a little dry. Add the zest and lemon juice, lemon verbena, salt and sumac. Mix well. Lastly mix in the chips. You can use a bowl or the bag from the chocolate chips to wrap the dough. You need to refrigerate this dough over night.

Set the oven to 350 degrees F

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Make 1 oz meatball shaped pieces of dough and space them out really well on your sheet pans. Sort of like this.

In my oven they came out perfect in 14 minutes.

“We FORKING want some cookies”

The Flavor is so lemony and refreshing. Not too sweet but sweet enough and the perfect crisp and chewy texture. I think part of the secret is letting the dough chill over night and baking on parchment on a thin aluminum pan.

My husband was slightly disappointed that I didn’t make some sort of chocolate cookie but when he tasted these cookies he said that these are just very good cookies. Really really good cookies. He keep repeating…”really good cookies”….”I really like these”….”you should bake more often.”