Raspberry Jam Oatmeal Bars

Son loves oatmeal anything and I had company company for dinner so thought this would accomplish a couple of things, dessert, breakfast and treats for everyone.  There were oodles and oodles of recipes online and I decided on this one.  What I used:

Bacon Fried Buckwheat Groats

This was my first time using groats.  I found this recipe and followed it exactly on how to make it like brown rice.  It was real simple; 2 cups groats, 3 cups boiling water and 5 minutes manual on high in the instant pot.  Natural release and let sit on warm for 2 hours.  I decided to stir-fry it for a side with smoked pork butt for dinner.  

Mujadara Hamra (Lentil Bulgur Pilaf)

I wanted a healthy side dish for dinner tonight and this is what I found.  There were many variations as I searched recipes and I used what sounded good to me.  This dish is all about the caramelized onions...

Blueberry Banana Hemp Muffins

This wasn't my recipe.  I have never used spelt flour before and once I made almond flour muffins for a gluten free friend and I couldn't get them out of the pan!  So I needed some help and I found inspiration here.  What I used:

Tabbouleh Greek Salad

I quite like bulgur wheat.  I have some in my freezer and was craving a healthy salad so this is what I made.  I guess it'd be called a "mash-up" - half Greek , half Tabbouleh salad.  I served it with falafel pitas and it was dinner.

Ras el Hanout Lamb Shanks with Prunes and Pearl Couscous

I have always wanted to try the spice "Ras el Hanout".  I picked some up at a local gourmet shop in town.  I had some antibiotic/hormone free grass fed lamb shanks in my freezer from a local farm and thought this would be suitable to use with it.  This is what I created:

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Muffins

This came across my social media so I decided to make them.  I watch Molly's show on food t.v. and I really like her, makes me smile.  She certainly knows her baking.  Lots of ingredients but all pretty healthy.  What I used:

Caci-Oat Pepe

I saw this on food t.v. and knew I had to give it a try for the next brunch. Plus I admire chef Michael Voltaggio and wanted to try his recipe as I thought it was ingenious.  He made avocado toast pizza too!  I added an over-easy egg to each dish, bacon on the side and fresh raspberries to complete plating.  What I used:

Bison Sausages with Onions & Peppers

I took sausages out of the freezer this morning and this is what I came up with for dinner.  I would have loved to serve this on baguettes, had I had them...

Turkey Vegetable Barley Soup

I made the turkey stock yesterday and added a bag of duck bones I had in the freezer to it as well.  This simmered all day for about 8 hours. I strained it and let it cool in the fridge overnight.  

One-Pot Ground Turkey Chili with Quinoa

 I wanted to make an easy healthy meal that wouldn't have many leftovers.  I came up with this:

Oven Cheese Grits

I saw this on food t.v. and had to give it a try.  It looked so easy and most times I stand stirring over the stove like a slave when I make grits.  Of course I used my stash of Anson Mills stone-ground grits for this.  On the show I watched, they made it for brunch with an egg on top.  I made breakfast for dinner and served this with eggs on top and fried ham with sourdough toast on the side.

Instant Pot: Bacon Cheese Fried Grits

Tomorrow's dinner will be short ribs.  I decided to do most prep work today.  I thought rather than standing over my stove for an hour tomorrow, I'd make the grits today and then fry them up when dinner was ready.

Black Vinegar Pork

I've slowly been working my way through freezer items.  I found some pork loin and decided to make this recipe.  I love black vinegar (Chinkiang), plus I had all the ingredients in my home, which is always a bonus.  I doubled the recipe as I had 2 lbs of pork in the freezer.  I served this with roasted broccoli w/ Everything Bagel seasoning and coconut cilantro quinoa with lime zest.

Beef Barley Soup

I always make my barley soup with ground beef but today I decided to use stewing beef.  I bought a blade (chuck) roast for it.

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Garlic & Herbs

Well this is special for dinner, isn't it?  Costco had a good deal on frenched lamb racks ($4 off) so that's what was on the plate this evening.

Cheesy Mushroom Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Good Eats - The Return came back to food t.v.  I was happy to see this again, as I was sick to death of the old re-runs.  Cooking Channel Canada plays them for multiple hours on a daily basis.  So much that it made me cringe and flip the channel whenever I saw the old show repeats.  I was even happier to see a quinoa recipe from him so decided to give it a go.  I followed it exactly with no edits of my own.  I DVR'd the show too, and watched it again before I began making this tonight.