Quinoa Butternut Squash Salad with Pine-nuts and Barberries

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!

Quinoa Butternut Squash Salad with Pine-nuts and Barberries

The Forking Truth

Sweet and Spicy Hatch Chili Corn Cakes

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…

Sweet and Spicy Hatch Chili Corn Cakes

#Crowdpleaser

The Forking Truth

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