I had a fish dinner recently and i keep thinking about how great olives and saffron tasted on fish together. So I tried to do those kinds of flavors in a tuna salad. I didn’t run to the store and purchase $25.00 a pound tuna to make tuna salad…that is crazy and a waste of expensive tuna. I use wild caught chunk light tuna in a packet. I think this kind of tuna salad would be delicious  with mayonnaise but my husband is a mayonnaise hater so that is how I got the idea of adding butter beans because butter beans are so creamy it’s almost like adding something creamy to the salad. The fresh sage goes really well and adds more interest. This recipe makes two big servings or three smaller servings.

Ingredients for 2 servings

1 6.4oz pack chunk light tuna in water

10 Spanish Queen Olives stuffed with minced pimentos – chopped well

1 small celery rib – chopped well

2 Tablespoons golden raisins

1 juicy lemon – use just the fresh squeezed juice (mine was a medium size but it was juicier than usual)

1 cup butter beans – rinsed very well – rinse at least three times

1/4 cup sweet onion – chopped fine

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

pinch saffron – crumbled with fingers

Tablespoon (heaping) fresh sage – well chopped

fresh ground sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. If desired garnish with tiny tomatoes or Sweetie Drop Peppers from Peru.

The flavors are very good together. You might want to give this a try!

This is a slightly different twist on the corn muffin. You must use masa flour for these muffins to have a more interesting corn taste. All the charred vegetables add pops of yummy charred vegetable taste and also helped to reduce the amount of fat and sugar that plain boring corn muffins might have because the charred vegetables turn sweet and delicious and also add moisture. These really are extra tasty corn muffins. They might even be a new favorite for you! This is an easy one bowl recipe that can be hand mixed with a fork.

Ingredients for 12 servings

1 cup flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 cup masa (no substitutions)

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt (this kind of salt makes the muffing even tastier)

1 cup non fat milk (I used dry that I mixed with water)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 cup corn kernels – charred (either char on grill or broil till lightly charred)

6 mini bell peppers (or one large) – chopped and charred

1 jalapeno – chopped and charred

1 large sweet onion – chopped and charred

1 poblano pepper – fire roasted – peeled – chopped

non stick spray

Directions

If you didn’t prepare the vegetables do that now. All the vegetables need to be charred. Either char them up on an outside grill or broil them in the home oven. Be careful with the corn and char that one lightly. Put the vegetables to the side when done.

Set oven to 400 degrees F and spray a muffin pan or two with non stick spray. Set the pan to the side.

In a large bowl add flour, corn meal, masa, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, oil and egg. With a fork beat up the egg and carefully mix till everything looks well combined. The mixture will be very thick. Add the vegetables and mix well again. Fill muffin pan with batter (this recipe makes 12 muffins) Put the pan on a middle rack and bake till done (ovens to differ but in my oven this took 15 minutes)

These are Forking Delicious Muffins! Leftovers also freeze and thaw perfect.

Cauliflower is this magical vegetable that can be transformed into any cuisine. I thought I’d attempt a Jerk Cauliflower and discovered that many people on the internet already came up with the idea. I picked Michelle Blackwood’s recipe because she actually grew up in Jamaica so I thought her recipe would be the most authentic. I followed her recipe for the Jerk Sauce except I used a 1/2 habanero instead of a 1/4….because I didn’t think 1/4 would do much…..If you can’t handle any spice you are not going to make this recipe anyway. I think 1/2 a habanero is perfect for most people this comes out like a three out of five on a Thai Dinner scale. Hot but not too hot. I did make changes to the batter recipe….not because I wanted to change it but because I didn’t have her ingredients. Even if you don’t want to make the jerk sauce you should make this baked batter for cauliflower. It’s quick easy and Forking scrumptious!

ingredients for about 4 servings

1 large orange cauliflower – remove core (either toss or save to pickle) – break down in florets, put in a gallon ziplock bag and put to the side. (I used an orange cauliflower because it was the same price as white cauliflower and it has a better taste and is less watery than white cauliflower.

1/2 cup coconut milk (batter)

1 egg – lightly beaten (batter)

1/4 cup corn starch (batter)

1/4 cup chick pea flour (batter)

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (batter)

1 teaspoon granulated onion (batter)

1/2 teaspoon paprika (batter)

pinch turmeric (batter)

1 teaspoon course sea salt (batter)

1 teaspoon baking powder (batter)

1/2 medium onion – chopped (sauce)

4 garlic cloves (fine chopped) (sauce)

2 teaspoons fresh ginger – grated (sauce)

6 allspice berries (ground) (sauce)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (sauce)

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (sauce)

1 teaspoon dried thyme (sauce)

1/2 scotch bonnet or habanero – USE GLOVES and fine chop (sauce)

1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce (sauce)

1/4 cup tomato sauce (sauce)

1/4 cup orange juice (sauce)

1/4 cup sugar (sauce)

2 Tablespoons molasses (sauce)

1 lime (just the fresh squeezed juice) (sauce)

2 Tablespoons scallions (sliced thin to top cauliflower with)

non stick spray

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray and set to the side.

In a small bowl combine the coconut milk, egg, corn starch, chick pea flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Pour mixture into bag of cauliflower and shake it up well till the batter is all over the cauliflower. Then sprinkle out the cauliflower on baking sheet(s). Make sure to spread the cauliflower out. They go in the oven till they are cooked threw, a bit crisp and slightly browned. Timing will differ because your idea of a floret may differ from my idea of a floret plus our ovens differ (around 25 minutes in the oven)

While the cauliflower is in the oven make the sauce.

In a sauce pot add the onion, garlic, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, habanero, tamari, tomato sauce, orange juice, sugar, molasses and lime. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes and reduce to simmer till the sauce reduces a little. Shut heat off and leave pot on burner so the sauce stays hot for the cauliflower.

Cauliflower should be coming out of the oven now. Either dip or drizzle sauce on the cauliflower and Finish with scallions.

This is really tasty! Most people will enjoy this!

A special thanks to Michelle Blackwood for sharing this wonderful recipe.

I recently discovered that steaks taste better with something pickled. I had some of the pickled vegetables leftover after we had steak and discovered that these pickled vegetables are even better on burgers..The combination of peppers…hot and sweet, carrots shallots and apple sort of POPS on beef. .One you try these pickled vegetables on a burger or a steak you will find out on what you were missing……Oh by the way….regular quality or frozen New York Strip Steaks get salt, peppered and Sous Vide at 130 degrees F for 3 hours and then you just sear them in a hot pan with oil for about a minute on each side and ends. They will taste like a quality steak if you treat them that way.

Ingredients for around 10 servings

4 Anaheim chili peppers (around 12 oz.) sliced up and remove core of seeds

1 carrot – peeled and sliced very thin on a mandolin

1 large apple – cut into thin smaller pieces

4 oz shallot – slice very thin on mandolin

1 serrano pepper – slice VERY THIN on mandolin – this will add a little heat but not a lot of heat – use 1/2 if you are a whimp. Day two not all but some of the heat goes away.

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

Directions

Get a sauce pan on medium high heat with the vinegars, water, bay leaf, sugar and salt. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer let it go a couple minutes.

The peppers, carrot, apple, dried oregano go in a container. (a tub or a jar)

Pour hot liquid into container with vegetables and let sit on counter till it cools down. Add lid and refrigerate when cooled down. Tomorrow these will be mighty tasty on something.

ENJOY!

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.

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

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!

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.

ENJOY!