Spaghetti Squash Potato Cakes

These little cakes seem light and are custardy and are delicious! Even a squash hater can enjoy these tasty vegetable cakes.The Spaghetti Squash Potato Cakes are something different that’s easy to prepare.

Ingredients for about 14 small servings

2 cups spaghetti squash – (To Cook – piece with fork all over, place in pan with about 1/2 inch  water cover and cook at 350 f degrees for about an hour or fork tender. When cool cut in half – scrape out seeds and seed membranes, then scrape out spaghetti)

1 sweet onion – shredded

5 small wax potatoes – washed (you will shred into the onions and mix in)

1 garlic clove – shredded

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

2 Tablespoons fresh dill – chopped

4 XL eggs

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

non stick spray – canola or vegetable

Directions

Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pull out the 12 count muffin pan and place cupcake liners in pan(s) The recipe might make about two extra vegetable cakes)

In a large bowl add the shredded onions.

Shred the potatoes one at a time and mix threw the onions so they don’t brown. Repeat till your done with potatoes.

Add the spaghetti squash and mix well.

Add garlic, scallions and dill mix well and set the large bowl to the side.

In a small bowl add eggs, cream, flour, baking powder, salt peppers and mix well

Pour out the liquid from the small bowl into the large bowl and mix well.

Using a 1/4 cup scoop or a utensil of a similar size scoop out mixture into each muffin cup. (you might have about two extra to make the 14 servings)

When your done use your non stick spray and spray the top of pan so if the cakes run over they won’t stick.

Place your pan in a 350 degree F oven and in 20 minutes the cakes should be done.

Let them cool some before serving.

Spaghetti Squash Potato Cakes

Delicious anyone would like them.

The Forking Truth

The Ultimate Cauliflower Dish

How does slow roasted till sweet cauliflower sound? Topped with dates, creamy mild feta,  pickled jalapeños, toasted almonds and fresh herbs sound? …….The salad sits on a tasty bed of whipped seasoned cauliflower and tahini with a little urfa pepper punch?…..All together it is Forking Amazing. It’s a combination of inspirations I experienced at two very good restaurants. Locally famous and James Beard Nominated FnB Restaurant in Scottsdale AZ and the very memorable foods I tried at Multi Awards Wining Zahav Restaurant in Philadelphia PA (that just won ***the James Beard 2017 most outstanding chef award). So memorable I remember much of the food 2 years after I’ve been there. These flavors all together are delicious and amazing. This dish is inspired by my visit(s) to the two restaurants.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

2 large heads of cauliflower

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup in two different spots in the recipe)

fresh ground sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup tahini – must be fresh and pourable

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup water (use as needed you might need slightly less)

1/2 teaspoon urfa pepper (or more to taste)

8 Tablespoons toasted almonds (in slices or slices or crushed)

8 dates – chopped

8 Tablespoons crumbled feta – it must be a creamy not tart kind of sheep’s milk feta or substitute goat cheese

8 Tablespoons pickled jalapeño with carrots and onions – preferably MY recipe that’s posted on this site or very good pickled jalapeño you purchased from a farmer’s market.

1/4 cup fresh parsley – chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped

1/4 cup scallions – chopped

8 pinches of sumac – one pinch a serving for finishing

Directions

Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

Break down the cauliflower into florets and place on baking sheets and drizzle with the olive oil.

Place in oven. At 30 minutes check the cauliflower and rotate pans.

Leave in the oven maybe 15 more minutes or until the cauliflower has a nice color.

Season the hot cauliflower with fresh crushed sea salt and black pepper to taste.

When cool enough to handle remove about one quarter of the cauliflower and chop.

Put the chopped cauliflower in your blending container.

Add lemon juice, tahini, water, 1/4 cup olive oil and urfa pepper and blend.

To serve start with a nice smear of the cauliflower whip.

Top with cauliflower.

To each serving add a Tablespoon each of almonds, dates, feta, pickled jalapeños a pinch of each herb and a finishing pinch of sumac.

The Ultimate Cauliflower Dish

This is forking scrumptious! My husband hates dates and tahini but even he said all together it was delicious.

The Forking Truth

Baked Skinny Bean Nacho Poppers with Millet Crust

These poppers are very easy and quick to make. They are mini sweet baby bell peppers that were stuffed with fat free vegetarian refried beans,  small pieces of cheese and jalapeño and seasoned millet. The millet makes a light healthy, crispy crust. Millet is also easy to prepare as it’s similar to rice. All you do is heat the millet in a sauce pan on medium slightly higher heat for 5 minutes till it has color and has an aroma. Then you add either water or stock just like rice two cups liquid to one cup millet. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer and cover. 20 minutes latter fluff with a fork. They come out pretty light and tasty!

Ingredients

mini bell peppers – cut in half longways, remove core and seeds

Refried beans – any kind you like

Jalapeno – cut in small long strips – one for each pepper

some cheddar cheese cut in small match strips – one for each pepper

about a cup of cooked millet – I cooked mine in vegetable stock

cayenne pepper – a good shake -add to the small bowl of millet

annatto – a good shake -add to the small bowl of millet

fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to taste

non-stick spray or oil

Directions

Set oven to 425 degree F

Fill the peppers with refried beans with a pastry bag.

Add a jalapeño strip to each pepper.

Add a piece of cheese to each pepper.

Dip the top of each pepper in the small bowl of seasoned millet and place peppers on a lightly  oiled baking sheet.

15 minutes latter they should look like this.

Baked Skinny Bean Nacho Poppers with Millet Crust

Tasty and not fried, oily or heavy.

Everyone will like them.

The Forking Truth

Moroccan Inspired Potato Salad with Harissa and Preserved Lemons

Some of the Common flavors from Morocco are Spicy Harissa, Preserved Lemon and Olives so those are the flavors I need to put in this Potato side dish. It might be best at room temperature,  warm or heated. The salad will absorb much of the Harissa sauce but this recipe makes about 1/4 more Harissa than you need so you can either freeze extra Harissa or use for eggs or grilled meat. Or just reduce the Harissa ingredients by 1/4. The flavors marry better after a day. The lemon seemed slightly dominate on day one and I was going to change the recipe but by day two is tasted perfect to me so I was glad I didn’t change it.

Ingredients for about 6 generous servings

3 lbs red potatoes – peeled and cut in half

1 hot pepper cut in half long ways (to flavor boiling potato water)

3 garlic cloves (to flavor boiling potato water)

2 Tablespoons sea salt (for boiling water)

4 roasted red bell peppers – skin, seeds and core removed – peppers chopped (and use red pepper juice that came out of fresh roasted peppers) (for Harissa)

1 teaspoon cumin (for Harissa)

2 teaspoons caraway seeds (for Harissa)

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for Harissa)

6 garlic cloves – chopped fine (for Harissa)

2-6 hot peppers – (usually jalapeño) (preferably red in color) (depending on the heat of the pepper and your heat tolerance) – chopped (for Harissa)

4 Tablespoons tomato paste (for Harissa)

4 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed) (for Harissa)

4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (for Harissa)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (for Harissa)

1 teaspoon course sea salt (for Harissa)

8 green olives -preferably a quality olive – pit removed – cut each olive in 4 pieces

2 preserved lemons – scrap out insides and pith really well. Chop in small pieces.

1/4 sweet onion – chopped

1 celery rib – chopped

6 XL eggs boiled at a rolling boiled about 6 minutes, shell removed

1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped

fresh ground sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Fill a sauce pot with cold water to a little over half way. Add the potatoes, hot pepper that’s cut in half (longways) 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 onion and 2 Tablespoons sea salt. Add water to cover the potatoes if needed. Bring pot to boil. Reduce to a medium boil. Wash eggs and place them gently on top. After 6 minutes remove the eggs and put them to the side. Let the potatoes go till just past fork tender. About 9 minutes more or for a total of around 15 minutes. The timing will vary depending on size of potatoes and your cookware.(among other things) When the potatoes are done scoop them out with a slotted spoon into a large bowl. Throw away the onion, garlic and hot pepper used to flavor the potatoes. Set the bowl to the side.

In your blender or blending bowl add the roasted peppers, sweet juice from the fresh roasted peppers, cumin, caraway, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, a few of the hot peppers (you need to taste when done and add more hot peppers at the end till you have it right), tomato paste, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Blend it all up. Decide if you want to add more hot peppers and add them one at a time till the Harissa is the right heat for you.

Pour 3/4 of the Harissa over the potatoes. It might seem over sauced to you but it will soak in pretty fast. (Save the remaining Harissa and either freeze or use it on eggs or grilled meat.)  Add to the potato mixture the olives, preserved lemons, sweet onion, celery, cilantro. Mix. If you have very large pieces of potatoes break them up a little but not too much.

Peel the eggs and cut into quarters.

Top the potato mixture with the eggs and top with a light sprinkle of fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Moroccan Inspired Potatoes with Harissa and Preserved Lemon

Moroccan Inspired Potato Salad with Harissa and Preserved Lemons

Tasty and delicious!

The Forking Truth

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut Squash Risotto is easy to prepare. I like to roast up the squash in small cubes and half I mash up when I add it to the risotto so it’s creamy butternut in every spoonful. I usually don’t use heavy cream when I make a risotto because I don’t need the cream taste. Unless it’s a truffle risotto I usually pass on cream.  I think this risotto is usually creamy enough. Feel free to substitute a cup of cream for a cup of stock if you care to. The risotto comes out creamy and flavorful with sweet chunks of butternut squash. The Butternut Squash Risotto holds up better than regular risotto for re-heating.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 small butternut squash (mine weighed 1 lb. 10 oz before removing skin and seeds)

1/2 large sweet onion – chopped close to fine

1 cup arborio rice

2 Tablespoons sweet butter

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

2 garlic cloves – ground to paste

5 cups hot vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

big pinch saffron

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup parmesan cheese – shredded

1/4 fresh nutmeg – grated (mine was a smaller nutmeg)

1 Tablespoon fresh marjoram – chopped fine

2 Tablespoons fresh sage – chopped fine

fresh ground sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees

Peel butternut squash and chop into small cubes….(around frozen peas and carrot size) put in a medium size bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons olive oil to coat squash. Put squash on a baking sheet(s) in a single layer on top rack. Roast till tender about 25 minutes. When squash is done mash 1/2 with a potato masher. Set to the side till your ready to add it to the risotto.

In your sauce pot on medium high heat add the butter and remaining olive oil. when the butter is melted add the onions and rice and fry it for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir it around a little till you smell it. Now add the wine and keep stirring till it absorbs. Add a cup of stock and stir till it absorbs. Repeat 3 times till you only have one cup left. Now all the remaining ingredients and and squash except for the fresh herbs. Add the last cup of stock and the fresh herbs last. Stir it a few times and taste it. Adjust with fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to your liking.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Sweet Jalapeño Stuffed Acorn Squash

I wanted to come up with a delicious and DIFFERENT way to serve Acorn Squash. I happened to have a bunch of crazy hot jalapeño peppers in the house that I cooked with sugar, carrot, apples and some seasonings. I discovered that I made the painfully hot jalapeño peppers edible but sweet and I thought they’d be delicious with the squash and they are! I do note that acorn squash are very hard and might be too difficult or dangerous to cut for some people. The Acorn Squash and the Jalapeño Peppers can both cause injury. You need a decent sharp knife and some strength to cut Acorn Squash. I do find that the acorn squash that turn slightly orange are slightly softer. You should wear gloves and maybe eye googles to protect your hands and eyes when you work with a large amount of Jalapeño Peppers. The heat from the peppers can actually burn your hands and be painful.

Ingredients for 6 generous servings or 12 small servings depending on the sizes of your squash.

3 acorn squash – washed well, cut in quarters with seeds and membranes removed

12 oz. jalapeños – washed well, stems and seeds removed, chopped

1/2 sweet onion – chopped

1 carrot – peeled and shredded

1 apple – peeled, cored, chopped

1 garlic clove – ground to paste

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 1/2 cup sugar

pinch sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

non stick spray

4 oz. stick unsalted butter

Directions

Turn oven on to 350 degrees F

Set Squash and baking sheet(s) and set to the side.

To a sauce pot on medium high heat add a little non stick spray and add the jalapeños and onion and cook till the onion is transparent.

Then add the rest of the ingredients except for the butter.

Bring to boil and then reduce to a medium heat. Stir occasionally and you need to keep your eye on the pot to prevent boiling over or burning and let it go about an hour.

Take the stick of butter and cut in half and then cut each half in thirds and cut each third in half like this.

Put a pat of butter into each squash.

Stuff the squash with the sweet jalapeños.

Bake 35 – 45 minutes till baked, caramelized and slightly browned.

Sweet Jalapeño Stuffed Acorn Squash

You will be left some some delicious sauce at the bottom of the pan that you should serve over the squash.

This is a unique but delicious way to serve Acorn Squash!

The Forking Truth

Hatch Chili and Roasted Red Pepper Challah Bread

There are a few places that make first rate bread in Metro Phoenix AZ but the majority of breads I tried here are very disappointing particularly Challah Bread.  It seems that people here don’t add eggs or add almost no eggs to the bread. Challah bread that I’ve tried here looks white and shouldn’t look and taste white. Challah is an egg bread that’s similar to brioche and it is suppose to be an eggy bread. The main difference between Challah and Brioche is that Challah must be braided. The secondary difference is that Brioche is very rich and contains butter and challah isn’t suppose to contain dairy. I don’t mean to brag but these challah breads came out FORKING AWSOME! The breads came out moist and flavorful with a nice texture. I thought adding the hatch chili and roasted red pepper would add a nice taste to the bread and would make tasty sandwiches. The only thing I didn’t expect was that while I was formulating this recipe it got to be a big batch and makes two loaves that are very large. After I got my ingredients together I needed to use my stand mixer (kitchen aid) and it just barely was able to hold all the dough. You might want to consider cutting the recipe in half if your mixer bowl is smaller than 5 quarts. I do note that different brands of flour, different ovens and different climates do produce slightly different results but it should be very close.

Ingredients for two large Challah Breads at least 20 servings.

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 oz + 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (one 1/4 oz pack + 1 teaspoon)

2 cups water (100 – 110 degrees F or to follow active dry year instructions)

1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon 100% pure honey (1 Tablespoon is for egg wash)

7 1/2 cups bread flour (plus extra for handling)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons course sea salt

7 XL eggs (3 for bread, 4 for egg wash)

3 XL egg yolks

3 oz hatch chili – fire roasted with stem, seeds and most of skin removed – chopped

1 roasted red bell pepper – stem, seeds and skin removed – chopped

3 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

In a large bowl add the sugar, yeast and water and place in a warm place. Wait for the yeast to grow. (15-30 minutes)

Mix in 1/2 cup honey. Add about half the flour and mix. Add olive oil, 3 eggs, yolks, salt, all the peppers and rest of flour. Place dough in stand mixer and start low and turn up to medium speed and let it go till the dough pulls away clean from bowl.

Add a little flour to a bowl and form a dough ball the best you can and add a little flour to the top and place in a warm place till at least doubled in size. Take your time.

About 2 hours latter the dough looked like this.

Punch the dough down and knead. Then cut the dough in half for two loaves.

With one half of the dough make three long pieces that you will braid on a slightly floured surface.

Got a visitor in the kitchen.

Place braid on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Don’t worry if the braids don’t look so great. They need to sit in a warm place till they double and will get better. Set the oven to 375 degrees F.

Now they doubled. Mix the 4 eggs with the one Tablespoon of honey and brush it on the loaves twice. Apply sesame seeds.

Place one loaf in the oven. After 15 minutes brush the loaf with egg wash again put aluminum foil loosely over the bread so it doesn’t get too dark and put back in for about 10 minutes or until done.

Repeat with second loaf.

I found that both loaves took 25 minutes in my oven on the middle rack. I baked the breads one at a time because my oven seems to work more efficient that way.

Hatch Chili and Roasted Red Pepper Challah Bread

This bread truly came out FORKING DELICIOUS…..My husband couldn’t stop eating it and kept saying this is really good. Even the dogs wanted to eat it.

Latter I started to prepare Toasted Cheese Sandwiches.

In this moment this little one reminds me of my dear departed Louie.

And here comes the well behaved lady of the house.

“HEY you Forking PIP-squeek..your not getting all that food.”

“I’m cool…..with that….” “I’m happy to eat after you like I should…..” “I’ll do whatever you say…you Amazon Queen”

Forking Delicious Hatch Chili and Roasted Red Pepper Challah Bread. It’s dog-gone good and Forking Delicious!

Hatch Chili and Roasted Red Pepper Challah Bread

The Forking Truth

Tuna Cucumber and Bean Salad

Tuna cucumber and Bean salad is in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. I used a drained $2.00 pouch of wild light tuna instead of wasting $24.00 on fresh tuna that I’d rather eat as an entree. Most people will like the salad. It has a lot of the usual flavors of an Italian style salad but with a few surprises of sweet tangerines and raisins. I think the salad actually taste better if you let it sit a day because the raisins soak up the dressing and get interesting. It’s a pretty easy salad to prepare, it’s healthy and it cost very little to put together.

Ingredients for 4 servings

6.4 oz chunk light tuna drained

1 cucumber diced

1 16oz can large white beans (either butter or gigante) – rinsed well three times

1 celery rib – diced

1/4 large sweet onion – diced

9 katamata olives – cut in quarters

1 XL lemon – zest and juice

1 tangerine – peeled – cut sideways in four slices and separate each quartered segment

2 garlic cloves ground to paste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic

1/4 cup raisins (I prefer the jumbo fancy mix)

1 Tablespoon capers

1 teaspoon anis seeds

1/4 cup parsley – chopped

fresh ground sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

Directions

In a big bowl combine the tuna, cucumber, beans, celery, onion, olives, zest, tangerine, raisins and capers. Mix gently.

In a small bowl whisk the remaining Ingredients.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tuna Cucumber and Bean Salad

Enjoy! Serve with a small chunk of crusty bread.

The Forking Truth