Tag Archives: #foodies

My Trip to Chino Bandido in Phoenix AZ – 90,000 Chinese/Mex Combos MOST are less than $10.00 each

Chino Bandido is a casual unique one of a kind restaurant located in North Phoenix Arizona. According to Food Network Chino Bandido is a Top Place to Eat. Chef Guy Fieri of Food Network said about Chino Bandido, “One of the most original on DDD.” (Food Network TV Show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives). You might be wondering??????….WTFork is Chino Bandito anyway?

Chino Bandido is a casual restaurant that serves a disjointed mashup of Chinese type food, Mexican-ish Food and Jamaican Jerk Chicken that comes to you in a foil pan plus more!. You have many choices when ordering. You have according to Food Network 90,000 choices. Chino Bandido offers 14 different entrees. You pick either one entree ($7.35) or a combo with two entrees ($8.90). The single entree comes with white rice. Whatever entree you pick you can add on to roll your entree into a burrito (.85 cents) or make it into quesadilla (.85 cents). The two entree combo comes with white rice and your choice of black beans or refried beans. You have your choice to upgrade the rice to plain fried rice (.85 cents), chicken fried rice (.85 cents) or jerk chicken fried rice (.85 cents). Prices are subject to change…

The entrees you get to pick from are -carnitas, chile relleno, Chinese bbq pork, egg foo yung, gringo chicken, hengrenade chicken, jade red chicken, Jen red pork, jerk chicken, emerald chicken, teriyaki chicken, veggies (basically a salad), pollo diablo, machaca. Somehow all the different combinations imaginable add up to 90,000 different plates.

Now you sort of understand……..Here’s how it goes! You walk in and wait in line.

You look up at all the different choices and wait till it’s your turn to order.

The person at the counter is helpful and walks you threw ordering. They also offer samples. You can fill out a sheet for your order but unless you’ve done it before it is too easy to FORK it up so you are better off if you let the person at the counter take your order.

Here’s the other ordering counter with a view of the kitchen…they have two lines. You pay here and they take your name. You get your drink and plastic silverware and seat yourself.

Maybe by the Bandido Panda Cowboy Mascot?………Chino Bandido himself?

Or by the fresco on the wall.

It’s not a fancy place but HEY…it’s not a fancy food place either…..but they do have an oil painting by the condiments of an Asian Panda eating a quesadilla from a big pan of food.

Soon someone runs our food out and calls our name.

My husband gets his pan.

He got a carnitas burrito, emerald chicken, jerk fried rice and black beans. He’s a fan! He said the carnitas burrito is really good and the white meat emerald chicken is moist and flavorful. He likes the black beans and said they are very tasty and of course he likes the jerk fried rice.

I got the Chile Relleno and hengrenade chicken with white rice and vegetables.

GOD this is a Forking ENORMOUS plate of food for only $8.90 and it comes with a fresh baked snickerdoodle cookie. The Chile Relleno is an Anaheim Chile Pepper that is stuffed with gooey melted cheeses. The coating is very unusual……The menu says its breaded and the coating appears to be made of LOTS of broken saltine crackers.

The hengranade Chicken is sliced chicken thigh that is spiced up and a little smoky. It’s very flavorful and moist but lacks sauce or something like sautéed vegetables to go with it. Perhaps the hengranade is a flavor that’s best for quesadillas?……….Or maybe better with beans to add that something I’m missing here. Got a mountain of white rice and a whole field of salad with fresh broccoli, and some pico de gallo. The salad is also served unadorned (with out a sauce) I was really hungry when we got here….Was only able to eat maybe half of everything. It’s quite a value. I think this plate is two dinners for most people.

We shared one of the cookies.

The snickerdoodle is large, but tasty.

Checked out The Great Wall of Chino when we left.


YEE HA!

That was my Trip to Chino Bandido! Fast food priced and better quality, value and taste than fast food!

www.ChinoBandido.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

www.FoodNetwork.com

Forking Delicious Cheesy Cauliflower Puree Recipe

Forking Delicious Cheesy Cauliflower Puree

WOWEE this cauliflower puree came out really incredible. I wish I could offer you a spoonful to try. It’s so cheesy and mousse-like. It’s the PERFECT Forking PERFECT macaroni and cheese taste. You can use it as is or as a healthier cheese dip. I think it work be great a number of ways. It could be used as spread for a sandwich, to top a flat bread or non-traditional pizza topping, a modern fancy adornment to upscale nachos, it could be a part of a filling for a lasagna or a topping for a baked potato. The flavors are perfection and it’s not too heavy either. To get the same results as I did you have to follow the instructions exactly. I used a commercial stick blender for blending that worked really well but if you don’t have as good a stick blender you might need to use a regular blender so you get the same smooth mousse-like texture.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 large head orange cauliflower (the orange cauliflower has a better flavor, is sweeter and isn’t as watery as the white cauliflower)

2 oz parmesan cheese – grated

2 oz sharp cheddar cheese – grated (I used Costal Brand English white cheddar from Costco)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons Arla Brand cream cheese (Arla Cream Cheese is all natural and doesn’t have gum or chemicals in it I used reduced fat Arla cream cheese that is amazing)

1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions

Remove the florets off the core and discard or pickle the core. The florets go in your steamer basket that you set over a sauce pot of medium/slow boiling water. About every 5-10 minutes you might have to lower the water temperature slightly to prevent water from boiling over. Cover the steamer basket with foil and steam till the florets are VERY SOFT….depending on size this should take around 15-20 minutes.

When the florets are soft remove the steamer basket with the cauliflower and set down on the foil you just removed. Throw out the water from the sauce pot. Add the butter and cream cheese to the hot pot you just used. If you have a good stick blender add the hot cauliflower and start blending. Keep blending and add the cheeses and remaining spices. Keep blending till smooth. If you have to use a standard blender you have to let the cauliflower cool slightly and do this slowly to you don’t have the hot cauliflower mixture bursting out of the blender.

Forking Delicious Cheesy Cauliflower Puree

Everyone will love this! Very Cheesy Tasting and mousse-like.

The Forking Truth

Gordon Ramsay’s Pickled Celery Recipe makes a Forking Great Turkey, Cauliflower and Cucumber Salad Recipe

Projection of Gordon Ramsey at Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas

Who the FORK knew that Gordon Ramsay’s Quick Sweet Pickled Celery Recipe would make an INCREDIBLE FORKING GREAT Turkey, Cauliflower and Cucumber Salad. This how it all happened. It was around holiday time and I thought I had an extra celery to pickle so I wanted to try Gordon Ramsay’s Recipe…..for Quick Sweet Pickled Celery. I didn’t have much celery left so I used a cauliflower instead. This recipe was good on the cauliflower and after a few days of snacking on the cauliflower I got the idea to add cucumber and some PERFECT Sous Vide Turkey Breast I prepared (my recipe for Sous Vide Turkey Breast is here on The Forking Truth) I added just a few shaved slices of sweet onion and mixed them together and we couldn’t believe how FORKING DELICIOUS it all was together……I didn’t take a picture because this was just something I threw together. But it really was Forking Amazing Together! Here’s how I made the cauliflower. For my taste the cauliflower taste best about four or more days after you make it…..For when your ready for the salad just shave as much English cucumber as you like. Add some shaved onions. Break down cauliflower to manageable florets for your salad and add some of the liquid from the cauliflower as a dressing. For lunch add about three ounces of perfect Sous Vide Turkey Breast sliced thin or for dinner increase the turkey by an ounce and serve with some bread or crackers. The flavor is Forking Amazing….you and yours will be thrilled!

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1 head cauliflower (mine was a large one) broke down into florets

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns (I used tellicherry)

1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt (for pickling I use kosher salt)

3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions

Boil the water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Turn off heat and add the rest of the ingredients and pour over the cauliflower. It’s not enough liquid to cover the cauliflower so when it cools some you need to put the cauliflower and all the liquid and spices into a gallon ziplock bag that you should sit in a bowl. Every day turn the bag on another side twice a day so the cauliflower gets nice and marinated. Eat some when you like and use shaved cucumbers with some onion to your desired amount of cauliflower. Add Sous Vide Turkey Breast so it’s a Forking Delicious Meal.

To Sous Vide The Turkey Breast you need to vacuum seal it with a small amount of frozen roasted garlic confit, a little fresh rosemary, fresh sage and fresh thyme, sea salt and ground black pepper. Set the Sous Vide at 140 F and the turkey breast will be amazing in 4-5 hours.

The Flavors together are really Forking Amazing!

Worth a Pitchfork – A Special Thanks to Gordon Ramsay for sharing his GREAT Quick Sweet Pickled Celery Recipe that helped me to come up with this Forking Great Combination.
The Forking Truth

Miso Glazed Marinated Tofu Skewers Recipe

Miso Glazed Marinated Tofu Skewers

I had some tofu and some white miso hanging around and I was thinking about a marinade I might use on chicken and that’s how I came up with these Miso Glazed Marinated Tofu Skewers. Somehow they came out delicious! The whole house smelled delicious when I made them. My husband ran out from the other end of the house and said what smells so good? Well here are tasty Miso Glazed Marinated Tofu Skewers. The vegetables you use can differ because I would have used mushrooms if I had them…Use whatever vegetables you have in your kitchen. Today I used zucchini and bell pepper because that’s what I had.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 18oz pack of soft tofu – cut in cubes (about 1 inch cubes)

1/4 cup sriracha (I used shark brand) (marinade)

1/4 cup tamari (marinaide)

1 teaspoon honey (marinade)

1/4 cup reduced sodium miso (looks like white miso but doesn’t note on package I used marukome brand that notes all natural)

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon shaohsine cooking wine

1 Tablespoon black vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1 garlic clove – either ground to paste or microplane

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon mirin

pinch crushed red pepper

pinch ground ginger

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (to finish)

1/4 teaspoon furikake (to finish)

2 teaspoons scallions – thinly sliced (to finish)

1 teaspoon fresh cilantro leaves – torn

some vegetables for your skewers a large bell pepper and a zucchini. Other vegetables that would be good are onions, tiny tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms and eggplant. You don’t want any vegetable that is too hard. The vegetables get cut to be put on skewers.

Directions

In a small mixing bowl add the sriracha, tamari and the honey and mix well. Get a gallon ziplock bag and add the small bowl mixture and the tofu cubes. Let the bag marinate in the refrigerator for two hours. Turn the bag over ever 1/2 hour so all the tofu gets seasoned well.

Now make the miso glaze. In a small bowl mix together the miso, rice wine vinegar, cooking wine, black vinegar, honey, garlic, sesame oil, mirin, red pepper and ginger. Refrigerate until the tofu is ready.

Set oven to 400 degrees F

After the tofu has marinated for two hours they get put on skewers that you alternate with vegetables. When you are finished brush the skewers with the miso mixture on all sides. Place on baking sheet(s) and then place in the oven until done and slightly browned. (about 25 minutes)

Finish the skewers with toasted sesame seeds, furikake, a little cilantro and scallions.

Miso Glazed Marinated Tofu Skewers

ENJOY!

The Forking Truth

2nd Trip to D&Y Chinese in Glendale AZ was NOT Fintastic

Rock Fish

D&Y Chinese Restaurant is located in an older strip mall in Glendale.

They serve Chinese Take Out Food and also a Chinese Menu of Canton and Mandarin Foods that include fresh live fish. It’s not a fancy place. On both of my visits the dining room is partially used for a storage room.

On my last visit I enjoyed a fresh killed tilapia. It was prepared to perfection and it was so fresh it melted in my mouth. It didn’t even seem like tilapia and even seemed like a more expensive fish. We also had a Black Pepper Beef Dish that was ok but chewy. On my last visit the fresh fish was the sweet spot here.

Tilapia
Black Pepper Beef

I decided to try fish again….I remembered from my last visit all the fish offered were extremely reasonable in price and varied from under ten dollars a pound to $15.99 a pound so I didn’t even question the price when I ordered the rock fish. Last years fish prices were crab $15.99 lb, tilapia $8.99lb. striped bass $10.99lb and red grouper $15.99lb. Last year I had to go with tilapia because it was the only live fish left. I was so thrilled to get rock fish because it’s a general name for fish that hide in rocks. Many different fish are considered to be rock fish….I know that grouper and striped bass can go as rock fish.

The fish price board wasn’t posted this time. (insert shark music like from the movie Jaws here)

I thought that it was odd that after I ordered the owner steps out from the kitchen at just stares at me………for a few seconds……and doesn’t say anything. Did he want to say something to me? ….. Then he goes back into the kitchen……

In reasonable time our vegetable dish comes out……The Shiitake with Asian Greens.

Shiitake with Asian Greens

This dish looks GREAT until I try to eat some………..The vegetables are in a sauce that is unusual in texture……….actually frightening in texture…….This is not a dish that we can eat because of the sauce………This might be a food that most Americans won’t eat……….and perhaps is for an inquired taste………It’s slimier than I can ever describe………..It might be great dish if you are accustomed to eating this sort of food…..But to me and my husband it was like snot mixed with a rubbery glue…..it has a frightful amount of boing to it like it’s shapeshifting………maybe Odo from Deep Space 9 is in here.

Now to the fish…….

Rock Fish…that didn’t rock my world.

I have no idea what went wrong here……..because anytime I ever ordered fresh killed fish anywhere the fish always came out really awesome……..The rock fish they served me came out very rubbery and tough……It was next to impossible to eat…..I think I pulled off maybe two ounces of flesh…..It didn’t taste so good either….It didn’t seem spoiled….but it also wasn’t sweet and mild either….and certainly didn’t flake at all………it was like rubber……..So sad….This fish died in vain…..I thought my husband might lose it as he gets very grumpy when he is hungry……..We also were having our meal extra late today and he was starving when we got here….. I was going to tell the owner how it was when he came around… Even though I do have a very strong fear of doing that because I have worked in restaurants and witnessed things that cooks do to food on re-fires…………When the man that I’m guessing was the owner walked by our table to ask how things were- ………… I couldn’t help it and made a face and probably rolled my eyes when he asked……………I was about to say something…….But my husband wanted him to leave, spoke up and just said, “ok” and the owner left real fast………………..

Our server didn’t ask how things were…..Our plates she removed were full of most of the food she served. She did ask if we wanted boxes but we declined.

When my husband got the bill he almost exploded.

Now be real people………From a place like this…..

Would you expect them to charge you $89.10 for a plate of rubbery tough fish that doesn’t even come with rice?

It was before tax and tip $116.13 all we ordered was fish, a vegetable plate and an iced tea and $89.10 was for the rubbery tough fish. I felt FORKING Bamboozled.

My husband would have complained about the fish if he knew how much they’d charge us for it…..He later was sorry that he didn’t complain. But on the other side it is expected that a meal that you pay for should be executed to at least technically passable.

I know now that in the end it is MY FAULT for not asking for the price of the fish.

We left hungry and with a much lighter wallet now.

I’m not a writer I just tell The Forking Truth.

My 2nd trip to D&Y Chinese was not Fintastic this time.

My 2nd Trip to D&Y Chinese in Glendale AZ was also NOT Worth a Fork!

NOT WORTH A FORK!

Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to The 2019 Persian New Year Festival in Scottsdale AZ

The 2019 Persian New Year Festival took place on the Scottsdale Waterfront in Scottsdale Arizona March 9th. Around forty venders participated. What you could find here was food, music, dancing, Persian Tea, jewelry, crafts, Persian Rugs, clothing, fortune telling and more. This was a free event with proceeds that benefit brain tumor research.

ZK Grill
ZK Grill Combo Plate
White Orchid Persian Pastry
1001 Nights
1001 Nights Chicken Kabab Plate
Live Music
Readings and Custom Spells
Persian Tea
Saffron Jak and Killer BurgersFood Food Trucks

A few food trucks participated.

Mobile Asian Fusion Food Truck

Parking was free and close.

www.PersianNewYearFestival.com

The Forking Truth

Zucchini Bomba Calabrese Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Zucchini Bomba Calabrese Stuffed Peppers

Believe it or not each pepper contains a whole zucchini that was spiral cut, salted, drained, mixed with a few vegetables and a small amount of Bomba……… Bomba Calabrese is an Italian spicy pepper condiment that is a POWERFUL BOMB of flavor. Only a very small amount of Bomba transforms zucchini into something delicious. It’s next to impossible to find Bomba Calabrese at any store so you have to mail away for it. I prefer the brands that are made with multiple vegetables but I do find that Bomba is a very inconsistent product. It goes from a little over mild to HOTTER THAN HELL even if you buy the same brand over and over but in general it is suppose to be spicy and it’s always delicious. You only need to use a small amount to make sauces and various dishes delicious.

Ingredients for about 6 side orders or 4 vegetarian meals

4 medium/small zucchini (around 2 lbs) – spiral cut

4 mild peppers for stuffing (today I used Anaheim Peppers…I note that when you use a thick skin pepper like a bell you might want to pre-cook it a little)

1 cup corn kernels

1 medium/large sweet onion – sliced up very thin on mandolin

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon (or to taste) Bomba Calabrese

10 grape tomatoes – cut in quarters

1/2 cup parmesan cheese – grated

1/2 cup panko unseasoned bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

non stick spray

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine zucchini, onion, corn, salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for around a 1/2 an hour. Lots of water will come out of the zucchini so dump the zucchini mixture in a colander and squeeze the water out. Now you can mix in the Bomba Calabrese and the tomatoes. Set to the side.

You have to put slits in the peppers for stuffing. Make the slit with a slight “T” shape towards the stem part of the pepper so they are easier to stuff. Pull out the seed core.

It’s easier to fill the peppers if you squish the filling down to the bottom first and work your way up.

Repeat till you’re done and place peppers on sprayed baking sheet.

In a small bowl mix together the cheese, panko and dried basil. Sprinkle over the top.

“This smells FORKING GOOD!”

I put them in a 350 F oven and after 20 minutes They smelled done but I wanted them to cook more so after 20 minutes I loosely covered with foil so they wouldn’t burn and let them cook another 20 minutes.

Zucchini Bomba Calabrese Stuffed Peppers

They are very tasty with a cheese crisp bottom and top.

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on Thai Coconut, Mexican Jalapeño & English Toffee M&M’s

Three NEW Internationally natural and artificially flavored peanut M&M’s have just come out. Here are Thai Coconut, Mexican Jalapeño and English Toffee Peanut M&M’s. It reads on the bags that if you vote for your favorite that it is a possibility that you might win a trip around the world.

I opened them all up and tried them all. The one really weird thing about all of them is that after trying all the flavors I noticed all the peanuts break down the middle in your mouth….M&M’s are one of the few candies I’ve eaten all my life. It’s been decades since I was a child but I remember decades back the peanuts never separated…….This might sound gross but as a child when we had a dinner I didn’t like at home I’d eat M&M’s instead for dinner( as a child remember)……..I ate them very slowly and saved the peanuts for last sometimes…..so I do indeed REMEMBER!…………..it seems like they use peanuts that are more dry……..or maybe older these days?

I’ll start with my least favorite….It’s the most unattractive one the English Toffee in colors that I’ll be nice and not describe…..I open the bag and it sort of smells something like butterscotch. Then I go to taste one and I almost gaged. It taste like a spoonful of bitter instant coffee followed by other taste like maybe artificial butterscotch and maybe artificial caramel all there….This has the usual chocolate with a peanut center but this one leaves an unpleasant chemical aftertaste……..This one I don’t like at all

NOT WORTH A FORK!

For me it’s a bit of a toss up between the Thai Coconut Peanut and the Mexican Jalapeño. After my first taste of them I thought the Mexican Jalapeño had a slight edge because it tasted more like a Peanut M&M but with a burn…..When you open the bag it just smells like chocolatey M&M’s…….The Mexican Jalapeño M&M’s come in colors of yellow, red and green. They taste mostly like regular peanut M&M’s with a slight burn. Slightly disappointed because the burn doesn’t taste like jalapeño……….it just burns…….there is a very slight other flavor that might be something like cinnamon…..Not bad but not great.

1/2 a Fork…OK

The Thai Coconut package smells like coconut when you take a whiff. These Peanut M&M’s come in blue, lime green and yellow. The candy shells taste slightly different to me. Like the inside is coated with something that taste similar to saccharine mixed with coconut……but much more coconut to saccharine. It’s easy to taste the chocolate with this one. There is a slight other taste with the coconut but so slight and maybe too artificial for me to tell what it is suppose to be…….A few more Thai Coconut M&M’s later these M&M’s build up and remind me of coconut Easter Eggs. These Thai Coconut M&M’s are OK…not great..They differ from the Coconut M&M’s that were out years ago…..These are not as strong with coconut and also not as sweet. They don’t take me to anything Thai Food…….They are OK….like Easter eggs….kind of tasty……the peanut goes very well with these flavors…….not bad…not great.

1/2 a Fork…OK

Those were my thoughts on the International Flavor M&M’s of English Toffee, Mexican Jalapeño and Thai Coconut.

I do note your opinion and experience may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth

Confluence Restaurant in Carefree AZ – Always Worth a Fork! Astonishing Masterfully Crafted Foods

Confluence is a small casual but upscale restaurant located in beautiful Carefree Arizona. They offer Painstakingly detailed farm to table elevated modern cuisine.

The atmosphere is classic with modern touches.

Seating is available at traditional tables, the bar or on the patio with mountain views.

Tonight they started us off with delicious crusty complimentary house made country bread with house made black pepper and lemon ricotta cheese.

We picked a cold appetizer of Ceviche.

The Ceviche was very unique and full of delicious changing flavors with different textures. It was made with a mild New Zealand Fish with black garlic, yucca, black beans, cilantro, onions that were turned into crisps, avocado, tomato and guajillo chili.

Next we shared the Sweet Potato Ravioli.

Wow! What an amazing dish. Even the radicchio is ridiculously DELICIOUS….I really had no idea how it was made to taste so good..The waitress told me that the radicchio was cooked with red wine and brown sugar….who knew…? Same thing with the leeks….they taste better than leeks…I should have asked how they make leeks taste that good. Everything on the plate was better than very good…it astonishingly spectacular food………This plate was pure bliss.

I had the Red Sea Bream with moscato raisin, turnip, jicama, haricot vert, meyer lemon and gnocchi.

Not only is this a stunning plate visually……..The Flavors are mind-blowing. The fish is perfect and seasoned perfect. The little green things are the green beans…….They aren’t like anything I can describe…….They almost pop or burst in the mouth with this most amazing slightly sweet pickled kind of taste that is very complex….And then when you hit another vegetable it just adds another interesting layer. Then there are the gnocchi….They really do melt in your mouth…They have a toasted exterior and inside is just melty cheesy goodness.

My husband had the Grilled Pork Tenderloin, pork ragout, pine nut, beet, polenta, bacon.

My husband just kept saying, “this is really good!” and “This guy can really cook!”

Dessert is just as great as the food courses so you have to get dessert.

Was torn between all four offerings but went with the one called Peanut.

It’s a mix of all kinds of things Peanut, Strawberry and Port. There’s semifreddo, brittle, fresh strawberries, crunchy strawberries, cold smooth peanuts, peanut crunch, peanut dust…the port….every bite taste different.

Service was friendly and efficient!

Dinner at Confluence really is like from another planet delicious….The way things get transformed into mind-blowing is thrilling! It seems like magic!

Confluence is always Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

Some prior dishes from Confluence

This Chicken Sandwich was MIND-Blowing like from another planet!
This Eggplant was also amazing

Snapper
Duck
Monk Fish
Guinea Hen
Fruit Granite
The Forking Truth

Southwest Style Individual Turkey Meatloafs Recipe

Southwest Style Turkey Meatloaf

Our local grocery store Sprouts has been having some really good sales on ground turkey lately so here is a Southwest Style Meatloaf. I use a lot of ingredients to make it but it’s very easy and pretty quick to prepare. It comes out very flavorful, moist, a little spicy and Forking delicious. You and yours will enjoy it if you like southwest flavored foods. I placed each meatloaf in half of a pepper (cut not sideways but north to south and removed core) that I broiled first for less than 10 minutes on high and then salt and peppered slightly….so the 1/2 pepper is optional…..I planned to buy mild chili peppers but my Sprouts didn’t have any so I used medium/small sized green bell peppers. So if you are doing the half pepper underneath you need 6 of them. Leftovers freeze and reheat perfect!

Ingredients for 12 servings

2 lbs ground turkey (I used 85% lean)

4 eggs – beaten slightly

2 Tablespoons vegetable base (instead of salt…more flavor and less salt too)

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/2 medium sweet onion (or a 1/4 of a large sweet onion) – fine chopped

1 medium/small tomato – chopped

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 cup plain panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup masa (NO SUBSTITUTIONS because this is for flavor)

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup corn kernels

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with a little sauce – peppers fine chopped

3/4 cup scallions – thinly sliced

1 carrot – finely shredded

4 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

1 teaspoon ground annatto (also called achiote)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro – use only leaves and fine stems – chopped

non stick spray if you aren’t using peppers

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients

You divide the meatloaf mixture into 12 portions. It’s easier to divide in half…..than in thirds and each third in a half.

You either set each meatloaf into a broiled and seasoned pepper half or on a nonstick sprayed baking sheet(s)

The meatloafs go in the oven for twenty minutes.

Today I served them with roasted fresh salsa that I made but they would also be delicious with an enchilada sauce…..

Southwest Style Individual Turkey Meatloaf

They really came out Forking Delicious. I got lots of compliments on them and you can too!

The Forking Truth