Summer Time Lemon Verbena White Chocolate Chip Cookies

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.

Summer Time Lemon Verbena White Chocolate Chip Cookies

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.”

The Forking Truth

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