Shishito Peppers are mighty tasty and oh so easy to prepare. Just whip up a tasty sauce and roll the peppers around in the sauce and just broil them till they char and pop. Shishito pepper don’t cost much either…I got about a 1/2 pound of them for around $2.00 at The Asiana Market. Today I made an Asian Type Sauce that taste similar to some Korean Chicken That I have tried. Hint – hint (you might want to use this sauce on chicken) I think most people would enjoy these peppers if they can handle some heat.
Ingredients for about 4 servings
2 teaspoons Korean Chili Paste
2 teaspoons hoisen
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane
a few grates fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon no sugar strawberry spreadable fruit or honey
Spray a sheet pan with a thin coating of non stick spray and set to the side.
In a medium bowl add the chili paste, hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, strawberry spread, Mix well. Add peppers and mix well and coat the peppers.
Put peppers on sheet tray and spread the peppers out on one layer.
Place under broiler till they char and pop. Then sprinkle them with sesame seeds, furikake, scallions and Thai Basil.
Spicy Asian Style Shishito Peppers
These will go fast….you better run out and buy some more Shishitos!
Sala Thai Restaurant is a family owned Thai Restaurant with two locations…one in Phoenix and one in Peoria. A same namesake restaurant is located in Glendale but isn’t connected on the websites. The Peoria location is comfortable cozy and small with around twelve tables inside and two tables on the patio. There are several TV’s up on the wall and some decorate Asian Artifacts embellish the restaurant.
They serve most of the usual Thai Dishes that you expect like the basil stir fries and the curries but they also serve a few dishes that you don’t find at every Thai Restaurant like the Spicy Lemon Salad………
Spicy Lemon Salad with Chicken
and the Grilled Thai Sausage.
What makes Sala Thai in Peoria stand out from other near by Thai Restaurants is that they actually use Thai Basil and infuse that flavor in the Stir Fry Dishes and it makes a big difference in the taste of the dishes.
Spicy Eggplant with ChickenSpicy Egg BombDan Dan NoodlesFish CakesPot StickersSpicy Beef Basil
I’ve had green curry and pumpkin curry this year here but I can’t find those photos. But my favorite dish that Sala Thai serves is the Spicy Basil with Pumpkin shown below.
Spicy Basil with Pumpkin and Chicken
This is really delicious! It’s full of different textures and flavors. Sweet Chestnut-tee creamy pumpkin that’s cooked just so, tender crisp sweet onions and bell peppers with a good amount of basil and those Thai Flavors that get all around the hand chopped chicken ….It’s just right heat, sweet and savory.
I do prefer Sala Thai’s Basil Type dishes over a few of their other dishes. The basil dishes are much more flavorful and delicious! Sala Thai makes the best Basil type dishes that I know of in this area.
Sala Thai is Worth a Fork!
Some dishes are better than other dishes. I recommend Spicy Basil, Spicy Eggplant, Spicy Egg Bomb, Lemon Salad, Pumpkin Curry, Grilled Sausage and the Spicy Pumpkin Basil.
www.SalaThaiAZ.com
EVERY thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
Urban Margarita is an American Restaurant that swings slightly to New Mexico Fusion Cuisine. This restaurant is located in a strip mall in the Arrowhead Section of North Glendale and is also known as The Upper West Side. Recently Urban Margarita was listed in the Phoenix New Times as among the 10 Best Restaurants for New Mexico Cuisine in Metro Phoenix so I had to give them a try!
Urban Margarita offers a very comfortable patio with an indoor outdoor bar and a fireplace.
I decided to try the Stuffed Poblano Pepper. (but with the queso on the side)
I received not one but two roasted poblano peppers stuffed with shredded nicely seasoned, a little spicy, tender chicken enhanced with tomato and onion. The flavors are good I think most people would enjoy these peppers. The corn are fresh and crisp. Most of the seasoning is in one spot and when you mix it into the corn it turns south west flavors of warm and earthy and spiked with chili peppers. The rice taste like it just made…It taste buttery and and lets all the other flavors shine. Fresh made cheese sauce is a nice treat…I like that this dish isn’t swimming in rivers of cheese like most New Mexico Cuisine I’ve tried….This is approachable sensible New Mexico Style Plate.
My husband tries the Slow Braised Pork Short Rib in Hatch Chile Verde.
It was tender and delicious and came with rice, black beans and flour tortillas.
I thought I had room for dessert so we gave the Bananas Foster Ice Cream Tortas a try!
OMG! This was delicious!
It’s also twice are large as I thought it would be……
It’s like a doughnut stuffed with ice-cream that’s dressed with with this delicious, not too sweet bananas sautéed in anejo rum, butter, brown sugar and sprinkled with walnuts…. You get a mix of the warm sauce, warm doughnut….a little savory against the sweet creamy ice cream and delicious bananas. This was really great!
I’d say my first taste at Urban Margarita was Worth a Fork!
Worth a Fork!
www.UrbanMargarita.com
Every THING is subject to change and your experience MAY or may not differ.
Game Day Hot Dog Spaghetti Squash Faux Kraut Empanadas
I got the idea to fill empanadas with reduced fat hot dogs and my spaghetti squash faux kraut. I came up with the spaghetti kraut recipe a while back and really like it. I grew up thinking that I don’t like real kraut maybe because all I tried was nasty canned kraut? One day I happened to have a bunch of spaghetti squash and I thought I could make it into something that taste like kraut. The spaghetti squash “kraut” isn’t real kraut because it’s not fermented…..that’s why I call it faux kraut. Anyways- This is a very tasty recipe that almost anyone would enjoy. use whatever kind of hotdog you like.
1 cup spaghetti squash – cooked, drained very well and packed tight
non stick spray
1/4 med-large sweet onion – sliced very thin on mandolin
1 garlic clove – ground to paste or microplane
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons turbinado or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 juniper berries – ground (easy to smash them in a sandwich bag with something heavy)
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
2 cups flour – plus a little extra for rolling
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon course sea salt
1/3 cup water
2 eggs separated and each lightly beaten (whites are for sealing, yolks are for glazing)
4 reduced fat hot dogs chopped up
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Line two sheet pans with quilon coated baking sheets or parchment paper and set to the side.
Make the dough.
In a large bowl add the flour, oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon sea salt and the water. mix well and knead well. Make the dough into a ball. Set the dough ball in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set to the side.
Make the faux kraut.
Get a medium fry pan in medium high heat and give it a little non stick spray. When the pan looks hot add the onions and cook them till they are clear looking. Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and stir. Add the vinegars and the sugar and stir. Mix in the spaghetti squash, salt, juniper berries, caraway seeds and mustard seeds and turn the heat off. When the mixture cools down you can stuff the empanadas.
You will need a small amount of flour to roll out the dough. Add some flour to rolling surface and some flour to dough surface. Slowly roll out dough as thin as you can. You need something like a bowl or lid to cut the dough in 5-6 rounds. (I used a lid from a container of mixed nuts) After you cut your circle you might want to roll it out slightly larger. Now with your finger or a brush you need to brush all around the ends of the dough with the egg whites. Now grab a Tablespoon and fill the middle of the dough with the filling. Fold the dough over and try to seal. After you seal the empanada crimp the end with a fork and then place the empanada on the lined baking sheet and repeat till you are out of dough circles. I made 8 empanadas but I had enough dough for two more so I took the dough scrapes and rolled them into two balls and rolled each one out so I was able to make two more empanadas. When you have all your empanadas made brush them with the egg yolks but be careful not to paint the paper with the yolks because it will act like glue….Just brush the tops of the empanadas till you are out of egg yolk. I brushed mine three times.
The empanadas go into a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Game Day Hot Dog Spaghetti Squash Faux Kraut Empanadas
Serve with your favorite mustard I recommend Amora Brand from France.
I’m always thinking up something different to do with cauliflower. I made this batch of cauliflower taste just like tacos. You can dress them up better than I did with some cheese, sour cream and avocado they’d be a little more special if you like. Or you can put the cauliflower in tortillas or taco shells with some pickled onions and avocado cream and make vegetarian tacos out of them. This taco flavored cauliflower is easy to prepare. I just threw everything (except the fresh cilantro and scallions) into a bag and shook it up and then spread the cauliflower out on sprayed baking sheets. In my oven (yours may differ) they were done in 45 minutes. For a healthy option that taste great serve with a fresh made salsa and or low fat yogurt. For a more indulgent option you can also serve with a fresh made jalapeño cheese sauce.
Ingredients for about 6 servings
1 large cauliflower – break down to florets
4 Tablespoons canola oil
3 Tablespoons Mexican hot sauce (I used Cholula Brand hot sauce)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
4 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane
8 extra large pimento stuffed olives – cut each olive in half
1/2 cup masa flour (NO substitutions as this is part of the secret to the taco flavor)
non stick spray
1/4 cup fresh cilantro – leaves – you can use tender parts of stems chopped
1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin
Directions
Set oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray.
You can use either a large mixing bowl or a large bag and add the cauliflower, oil, hot sauce, cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic, olives and masa flour and mix well.
Spread the cauliflower out well in a single layer with a little room around each floret. Depending on the size of florets and oven the timing will differ. After 30 minutes check the cauliflower…..They should be close to done if not done. If not done turn each floret over and cook until they look slightly browned. Mine needed another 15 minutes after the 30 minutes….but yours may differ slightly.
Game Day Taco Flavored Baked Cauliflower
The cauliflower really do taste like tacos…..Serve with salsa, low fat yogurt or sour cream, avocado or cheese sauce.
Mariscos Culiacan is a casual Mexican Seafood Restaurant located in an older strip mall in Glendale AZ. This isn’t a fancy place. Culiacan is a city in northwest Mexico in the state of Sinaloa so the food served sounds like Sinaloa Style. They serve appetizers, soups, fish platters, tacos, burritos, fajitas, Mexican beverages and they also do offer a children’s menu. Today’s selection of seafood included many dishes mostly with shrimp, octopus and tilapia.
As soon as we were seated a large basket of chips, blended salsa, and cups of hot (temperature) fish soup arrives.
Fish based vegetable soup
The fish soup taste fresh made. Taste like bayleaves, oregano, garlic and cumin but very delicate and balanced…just enough to enhance the fish stock.
My first choice the whole snapper wasn’t available today so I went with the Veracruzana Style Tilapia. ($13.99)
Veracruzana Style Tilapia comes with tortillas not pictured
I received a fresh tasting mild flaky fish that tasted like it was fried, seasoned in butter and was crispy on one side. I don’t think I had fish fried in butter in a long time and this seemed very tasty to me. My fish was topped with bell peppers, onions, carrots and the tiniest olives I’ve ever seen in my life(they looked like capers). The sauce seemed to be made with a mild chili. My plate also included salad garnish, mixed vegetable studded white rice, refried beans and steamy hot fresh tasting tortillas.
My husband tried the Marinero Relleno. ($16.99)
It was a big pocket of tin foil that contained a lot of mixed seafood in a tomato based sauce with bell peppers, onions and melty white cheese. At the bottom of the foil was a filet of tilapia as big as my meal. Other seafood in the dish were shrimp and octopus. The shrimp and tilapia were cooked nicely but the octopus was on the chewy side. On the side was vegetable studded white rice, refried beans, salad garnish and hot steamy tortillas.
That was my trip to Mariscos Culiacan in Glendale.
I haven’t found a website for them but I did notice that they are on Facebook.
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue is located in beautiful Cave Creek Arizona. This is a casual order at the counter…..unique Barbecue Restaurant with a Cowboy type decor.
They offer the usual smoked meats that you expect and vegetable offerings that you might NOT expect.
Fried Artichoke Po Boy with Smoked Tomato Remoulade, Smoked Apple Cider Butternut Squash Soup and Vegetarian Pulled Squash Sandwich……..Sound so yummy and different! Ah what to order….BBQ or interesting vegetables.
We ordered, got a table number, got our beverages and sat on the patio since the weather was perfect.
My dogs would love to come here
Soon our name is called so my husband goes in to pick up our order.
The Firebird with Olive Cole Slaw and Baked Potato Salad
The Firebird is a half Chicken that’s tender, moist and flavorful. It coated in a sticky spicy sweet sauce that isn’t too sweet or too hot…….but it is hot. The bird rest over sliced white bread and a sweet pickled jalapeño pepper. The chicken is delicious…..I like the olive slaw…It not too drippy and it isn’t too creamy…It’s just right with crisp fresh cabbage. The baked potato salad was spiked with sour cream and is very dill forward. These sides are above average for BBQ places.
Two Meat Platter with Pulled Pork, Brisket Chili and Cowboy Beans
I tried the Brisket. I really like the smoked pecan flavor…..but today’s brisket runs slightly dry and they gave us from the lean point side …..But hey I usually hit BBQ places when the brisket runs drier than normal from the flat side. We also were talked into the Cornbread. We were told that it is special because it’s made with Brisket Drippings.
I think the cornbread is best not with the butter but combined with the Chili that’s enhanced with Brisket. This works best for me….Combined they are both better this way. My husband said the Pulled Pork and Cowboy Beans were very good.
I took most of the Firebird platter home so I could save room for a House Made Ice cream Sandwich.
It’s served a little too frozen…but it’s tasty…….I bet it’s probably much better when it’s hot outside… A couple of days latter we had the leftovers. WOW the cornbread tasted completely different when I heated it up in the oven….It was so smoky and it tasted like BBQ meat……It didn’t taste anything like this before…you must get them to heat the cornbread for you. The Firebird Chicken was still moist and delicious after re-heating.
That was my First Taste at Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue.
www.BryansBBQ.com
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
Tacolandia is an all-you-can-eat taco festival that took place Saturday January 26th from 1pm-5pm at Margaret T Hance Park in Down Town Phoenix. General Admission cost $20-$40. depending on where and when you purchased your tickets and VIP tickets cost between $40.-$55. also depending on where and when you purchased your tickets. The VIP this year seemed only slightly different than general admission. The VIPs got into the festival slightly sooner, got two free drinks and were able to vote for favorite taco.
WOO-HOO! this was an All-You-Can-Eat Taco event! Over 20 taco venders participated. There was some free entertainment and libations were available for sale.
This event was dog friendly and parking was free and also metered depending on how far you wanted to walk.
(Don’t tell my dogs that this was a dog friendly event)
The 2019 Tacolandia went similar to the 2018 Tacolandia. The event was held at the same place and the festival goers trickled in the same way. The first hour from 1pm-2pm it was easy breezy getting around anywhere you wanted to go. Either no lines or very short lines.
No lines a little after 1pm hereA little after 1pm here
Then about by 2pm lines ran about 25-30 minutes.
By 2:30 I got tired of standing and was very thirsty. The line for lemonade ran 45 minutes.
Just like last year some tacos were better than other tacos. Some were made with MADE TO ORDER FRESH tortillas that were mighty delicious! The Forking Truth is that only one vender used an awful tortilla.
This was all I ate from this taco. Filling was tender but bland and on a hard tortilla that needed to be grilled.
Here are what we tried. Just like last year my husband tried more tacos than what I tried. The majority of the tacos offered were beef, followed by pork, a few chicken and I only found one fish taco. There were two vegetable tacos offered that I noticed. I wasn’t able to hit every vender but between the two of us we hit much of the offerings. One vendor had trouble and didn’t have power so I don’t know if they got to serve. Another vendor started serving tacos about an hour or so after opening.
Beef Taco from Casa CorazonBulgogi Beef with Kimchi Bun from Bao Chow at the Yucca Tap Room (this one ran salty)Chico Malo – Pork Belly TacoJamburritos Cajun Grille Pork TacoGadzooks Chicken & Cornbread Stuffing Taco – One of the best tasting tacos that I tried. El Tlacoyo – two different kinds of pork tacosAjo Al’s Brisket Taco – Taco shell was fresh madeLa Olmeca – Beef Taco – before topping barMrs C’s Caterins – Chicken TacoTaste of New Mexico – Pork TacoSylvia’s La Canasta – Fish Taco – only fish taco I foundSylvia’s La Canasta – Vegetable Taco – VERY Cilantro forward and also spicyPhilly’s Sports Grill – Among the better tacos…a non-traditional Asian Fusion Beef TacoTortas Paquime – Among the better Tacos – Beef Tacos with House Made SPICY saucesVarsity Tavern – Beef TacoFrom The Lunch Box – Chicken Tostada and Beef Nando’s Mexican Cafe – Chicken TacoSome festival goers dressed for the occasion.Some festival goers dressed for the occasion
That was my Trip to Tacolandia 2019 – I’d say it was Worth a Fork!
Potatoes Anna are thin sliced potatoes cooked with clarified butter
OMG these potatoes are da BOMB and are so easy to prepare. Usually Potatoes Anna is done in a screaming hot cast iron skillet and finished under the broiler and is made from just potatoes and clarified butter. I sort of invented my own easy way to prepare Potatoes Anna Style. I’m calling these Potatoes Anna Style because I didn’t use a cast iron pan or clarify the butter and I added some seasoning so they are Anna Style. These potatoes just melt in your mouth and are seasoned just so. The butter in the potatoes gets slightly browned and makes the potatoes super delicious. You do need to make the potato slices very thin for the potatoes to work out. I used a mandolin. Very easy to prepare. The hardest part is slicing the potatoes.
Ingredients for about 10 servings
3 lbs red potatoes peeled and sitting in a large bowl of cold water
non stick spray
3oz unsalted butter – melted
1 Tablespoon course sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Directions
Set oven to 425 degrees F and spray a casserole bowl with non stick spray and set the bowl to the side.
To your dish of melted butter add the salt, peppers, thyme and paprika and mix well. Set to the side.
Using a mandolin or whatever devise you normally use to slice potatoes like potato chip thin use it. Shake the water off the potato, blot dry and slice up one potato at a time. Use Line the sprayed bowl with potato slices by starting in the center and work your way around but stop when you finished one layer.
Each layer gets brushed with the seasoned butter….but make sure you try to get the butter from the bottom of the dish because the seasonings settle there. Next time I think I’ll let the butter get to room temperature and mix in the seasonings and just squirt the butter out around the potatoes with a parchment bag.
Repeat till you are done.
This gets covered and goes in the 425 degree F oven for an hour. After an hour remove the lid and it goes back in the oven 15-20 minutes to brown.
Potatoes Anna Style
This is a #CrowdPleaser EVERYONE out there will FORKING LOVE these potatoes!
Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. He was given only a 3-6 month diagnosis. Louie enjoyed going out to eat so I thought I’d take him out to eat as often as I could. Instead of the 3-6 months Louie made it 17 months more. Today I take my current dogs out to eat.
Many restaurants in Metro Phoenix do have patios for outdoor dining but not all patios are dog friendly. It’s always a best bet to call a restaurant in advance and ask them if it’s ok to dine there with your dog(s). Even if a restaurant is certified “Dog Friendly” it is still best to call first because the patio might be booked for a party. It is suggested to dine with dogs at “Off Times” to avoid other diners might not like dining with dogs and might complain. Other diners can also be allergic to dogs and also will complain. It’s also better to dine at “OFF TIMES” to avoid others that are dining with dogs because they might start barking at each other and everyone will be asked to leave. For these and other reasons just FORKING dine at off times to avoid as many other people and other dogs and potential problems as possible.
There are some rules for dining out with dogs. Dogs are to be by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off restaurant plates.
It’s IMPORTANT to know that MOST food and drink that you consume is NOT recommended for dogs and can cause health problems or can indeed be TOXIC. Please get a list of foods and drink to avoid from your veterinarian. In general usually a small piece of lean un-sauced meat is safe and is usually recommended for dogs. You should bring a water dish for your dog so he or she can have water. It’s very important to know that dogs are not as heat tolerant as you. Over 90 degrees is too hot to dine out with dogs. Not all but most healthy younger dogs can tolerate up to 90 degrees F but only in FULL SHADE. Dogs are like people and have different heat tolerances. Hopefully you know your dog well enough to notice their individual heat tolerance. When in doubt leave your dog home.
January started out very cold for desert standards. We had to wait till the second week to dine out with dogs.
“We are on our way to Pita Kitchen in Glendale AZ”
Pita Kitchen is a fast/casual Mediterranean restaurant in the Arrowhead section of Glendale Arizona.
I got my usual, the Greek Salad topped with a Chicken Kabab. Now I’ll take a break here and turn The Forking Truth over to my dogs.
“There’s plenty of juicy, tasty chicken for sharing!” says the little one from under the table. “Ummm my mouth is watering!”
“Our other human got the two meat plate with gyro meat and chicken.” “More food there for us to try.”
“I FORKING love this chicken from Pita Kitchen!” “It’s so juicy, plump and tasty!” “I just love it!”
“Big Woman is right.” “That chicken is really good!” “Much better than a lot of Grilled Chicken Kababs in the area!”
“We always enjoy ourselves at Pita Kitchen!”
www.PitaKitchen.net
“We are gonna see food at Oscar’s Pier 83 in Glendale”
“Yum!” “I got CRABS!”……..”Soft Shell Crabs!”
“I can go for some salad with ahi tuna shaped like a Forking Stingray too!” “Look at that fish!” “It looks like it got wings!”
“mmm I’m starving”
“We also like the crispy romaine, eggs are good and we also like ahi tuna….we are glad the portion is large so we get to eat more!”
“We enjoyed ourselves at Oscar’s Pier 83!”
www.OP83.com
“We are on our way to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix”
“We love going to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix.” “The food is always fresh, delicious and always comes in large portions.”
“Both of our human companions got rice plates.” “We love the meat on the rice plates!” “It’s always so juicy, flavorful and abundant!
Grilled Pork Rice PlateGrilled Chicken Rice Plate minus the egg roll already
“The food is always delicious at Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.” “We love coming here!”
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
Sadly Salad and Go is no longer an option
“Sadly Salad and Go is no longer a Dining Out With Dogs Option”. “Our location removed all the tables and the walk up window is now a Kiosk.” “We have a long list of happy memories there and really enjoyed the fresh healthy low priced fast quality salads.” “We still love the salads from Salad and Go but we can’t enjoy them there anymore.”
“Natural Organic Chicken…Not too Shabby” from Salad and Go
“Me and my old man Louie used to love our salads here!”
“We Forking miss you Salad and Go ……all that tasty food and dog biscuits too!”
“That was Dining Out With Dogs in Metro Phoenix for January 2019.”
“We hope you enjoyed and we hope to see you next month.”
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
