Baba Ghanoush

This is a very healthy light eggplant dip that’s forking delicious. This will be among one of the best Baba Ghanoush Dips you ever tried.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 eggplant -(mine was on the large side)  peeled, roasted, broiled, , chilled and drained

3- Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon (just the fresh squeezed juice)

1 teaspoon (heaping) tehini

1 teaspoon garlic confit (garlic cloves drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and roasted about an hour at 350 degrees F till soft and whip so it turns like a butter)

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup water

fresh ground sea salt to taste

Aleppo Pepper to taste

optional teaspoon of sugar

This is an easy way to make great Baba Ghanoush the healthy and tasty eggplant dip. Just roast up a peeled and cubed eggplant covered with foil sprinkled with lemon juice and oil at 350 degrees until done. Then low broil the eggplant till charred. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate till cool or over night and drain liquids. The liquid is bitter and make sure you remove it. At this point you should recook the eggplant again but this time just put it in a microwave safe bowl covered with plastic wrap and microwave it about three minutes. Remove liquids again. Add remaining ingredients and blend to your liking and enjoy. You just might have the most delicious Baba Ghanoush you ever tried.

*****For SPECIAL Occasion Baba Ghanoush****

Heat up a charcoal BBQ and purchase WHITE EGGPLANTS that you peel and brush with olive oil.  Cut them in slices, BBQ, and make char marks. You won’t need the liquid smoke or the sugar. This will be delicious the absolute best ever. The white eggplant is the best tasting sweetest eggplant. You won’t need to do all the draining and recooking either if you use a white eggplant on a charcoal BBQ.

This is REALLY GREAT and that’s The Forking Truth

Grapefruit Salsa

This salsa is light, bright, fresh and crunchy. It’s sort of spicy and fruity. It’s something you might like to try when it’s hot outside because the citrus and mint will cool you down.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

4 medium grapefruit supreme

1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and chopped

1/4 sweet onion chopped

1 jalapeno chopped (small)

2 garlic cloves minced or finely shredded

1/4 cup scallions chopped

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup (loose) fresh mint chopped or torn

1 teaspoon salt (kosher or sea salt)

Easy directions just combine and mix. Chill and enjoy with fish or chicken or in a taco or quesadilla.

To supreme citrus.

Cut top and bottom off and then keep removing sides  down ward along the shape of the fruit.

When done.

Just cut the segments out.

The supreme segments are far sweeter and more delicious this way.

I only use red grapefruits because the others are too bitter for me.

A non-traditional healthy salsa you might go for once in a while.

Grapefruit Salsa

This is Good and that’s ….The Forking Truth!

Reduced Fat Pimiento Spread

Pimiento Cheese Spread is a common food that’s served in the Southern United States. The main ingredients in Pimiento Cheese are Pimiento Peppers that are also called Cherry Peppers. Some of the other common ingredients are sharp cheddar cheese and mayonnaise.

The pimiento peppers are also known as cherry peppers are the bigger heart shaped peppers that are more sweet and more aromatic than red bell peppers.  The cherry peppers I used are smaller jarred peppers that are sweet and spicy.

I didn’t want to make a traditional pimiento cheese spread that is extremely high in fat so I did a few things different but came out with a tasty spread that seems full fat.

Jarred hot/sweet cherry peppers were used. They are very flavorful, a little sweet and a little heat. They are  fruity delicious peppers. They give the spread zig and a little heat.

Instead of real cheddar cheese I went with fat free cheddar and saved a bunch of fat here. I do note you are welcome to substitute half or all full fat cheese if the fat content doesn’t bother you and your spread will taste better than mine. I also used Neufchatel Cheese that is 30% less fat than cream cheese. Only the most minimal amount of low fat mayonnaise was used.  Don’t worry I added enough spices and seasoning so you will not be missing a thing as the recipe is written.

You are welcome to convert some or all the fat free and reduced fat ingredients or use full fat  mayonnaise. The taste and mouth feel will be improved and I warn you that your butt and tummy might expand a bit as well.

My recipe is not an authentic Southern American Pimiento Spread. This recipe is a very reduced fat spread that has a similar taste to pimento cheese.

Ingredients makes about 16 servings

8oz fat free cheddar – shredded (I used a block I could shred) (This cheese can be purchased at Whole Foods and Sprouts)

12 hot/sweet jarred cherry peppers chopped + 2 Tablespoons of the brine from the cherry peppers (Sprouts and Trader Joes sells these peppers) (if your on the East Coast you won’t have any trouble finding these peppers)

1 garlic clove grated

8oz neufchâtel cheese (look for this cheese in the cream cheese section. I used the Philadelphia Brand)

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

4 Tablespoons low fat mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 Tablespoons scallions chopped

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Just blend with your stick blender and your done. I note styles of pimento cheese differ and differ in texture. (you might like yours very chunky so you can mix in your shredded sharp cheddar cheese at the end)

People use this similar kind of cheese on burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and with fried green tomatoes. I like this spread on vegetable crisps but I also admit this spread might be better rolled up on a tortilla and topped with a chunk of Chef Thomas Keller’s Favorite Blue Ribbon Pickles (recipe on site).

Forking Good and it won’t cause rapid butt and stomach growth!

This is forking tasty and that’s The Forking Truth

Tumbleweed Potato Chips

I had my fryer all fired up with canola oil so I thought I’d use my Paderno Spiralizer and Spiralize two russet potatoes. They fried up tasting like potato chips and looking like tumbleweeds so I’m calling these Tumbleweed Potato Chips. I had the oil set on 400 degrees F.  I had to drop the potatoes in about a quarter of the potato at a time because the oil bubbles up from the moisture in the potato and I have a very small fryer. Sprinkled the hot potatoes with fresh ground sea salt and black pepper. They are crispy and different. These Tumbleweed Potato Chips came out really delicious. They would also be awesome on top of a casserole or topped with a yummy cheese sauce, a creamy dip or just plain.

Ingredients for 4 large servings

2 large russet potatoes – spiralized

canola oil to fill your fryer

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

I set my fryer at 400 degrees F. Carefully placed potatoes using tongs about 1/4 of one potato every partial minute till oil bubbles seized in two batches. When you pull out the tumbleweed you place it on a pan covered with paper towels and season the tumbleweed right away.

Something fun you might want to make once in a while.

It’s a Forking Potato of course it’s Yummy. The Forking Truth