Chorizo, Chickpea, Potato Soup

This is my own creation, so I'm writing it down in case it comes out okay.  Unfortunately the truth is that whenever I blog creations, they're usually a disaster.  It's always when I don't that I make something divine that never gets remembered.  Murphy's Law I suppose...

Falafel Waffles with Creamy Lemon Yogurt Slaw

As soon as I saw this on food t.v., I knew I had to make it.  I was surprised that I only had to soak the chickpeas, but I guessed the waffle maker would cook them hopefully.  What I used:

Pork & Beans Casserole

I had leftover pork shoulder from our Sunday roast last night so looked around at what I had in my fridge/pantry.  I came up with this after pondering countless casserole ideas in my head made with rice, pasta or potatoes.  I finally decided on beans instead.

Instant Pot: Spicy Black Bean Soup with Smoky Bison Sausages

I saw this on Food Network one time and wanted to give it a try so I based my recipe on it.  I soaked my beans overnight just to make sure, but with an instant pot you probably don't have to.  I just didn't want any surprises.  I remember in the show she said lard was a must for this and I bought it for this recipe.  She said it made a great difference to the flavor profile (paraphrasing as it's been a while since I watched it).

Greek Lentil & Spinach Soup with Lemon

Somehow I stumbled across this story "surfing" and when I finished it, I knew I had to make the soup.  What an entertaining piece to read!  I won't spoil it, but I do suggest you click that link and enjoy.  And bonus, not once is "covid" mentioned  😉.  My friend gifted me some fresh lemon balm from her garden so I thought I'd throw a bit in here, and it's pictured below.  

Stewed Puy French Lentils & Tomatoes

I have a big huge bag of French lentils in the cupboard that could use some love.  I was watching Ina Garten on food t.v. make this and decided it looked good enough to try myself.  She used fennel on the show but I didn't have any today.   I decided to add some feta cheese and a fried egg to finish.  I also served with homemade crusty bread.  What I used:  

Pork Hock, Andouille Sausage, Collard Greens Soup

I wasn't really sure what I was making out of this so called it a "soup" and was all over the map with it.  I was hoping for smoked ham hock when I did my grocery order but instead received raw pork hock.  Hmmm, what to do, what to do?  So, I took out some Andouille sausage and decided to throw some greens and beans in and see what happened... I was fortunate to find some collards.  Mmmm...  Below, I'll start with the "stock" I made for the dish:

Gomae (Japanese Spinach Salad)

I had about 8 oz of organic baby spinach in the fridge that I knew I was going to have to use soon.  I saw this recipe flash by on Social Media and went ding ding ding.  My son loves this and always picks it when we order Japanese food.  What I used:

Taco Hotdish

I saw Molly Yeh make this on her show on food t.v.  A "hotdish" is basically a casserole but that's what they call it in the mid-west apparently.  It has a protein, a starch and a veggie held together with a sauce.  I had ordered my Fritos in the last grocery delivery, so I was all set!  I also had tons of leftovers from a Pork Loin Roast last night so it would be perfect as the protein in this.  I edited her recipe for my own take on it:

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:

Roasted Yam Burritos

Happy Cinco de Mayo 🌮.  I'm trying to stay positive in the pandemic, but honestly I'm not right now.  I'm glum and depressed, not going to lie.  Anyway, I decided to try and make something to celebrate the day, mostly just trying to occupy my mind for a short while giving it something to focus on.  I totally stole the idea from my favorite food blogger, so I thank her for the inspiration.  My burrito is not traditional and has no rice either, it's just what I put together.  I love, love, love pico de gallo so that is always the star of the show for me.  What I used for two:

Instant Pot: Red Beans and Rice

"Southern" food is my favorite over all others if I had to choose.  I recommend when in New Orleans to try red beans and rice if you haven't already.  While it is not a pretty dish, it is a carby comfort food and soooo delicious.  I decided to give this a go today in my instant pot.  I was going to make a dish using beautiful Swiss chard I obtained, but I will make that tomorrow as a side for this.  I had to use what I had in the house, so this is not "southern authentic" by any means.  It's just my spin on the classic recipe.  One thing I've been trying do during this pandemic is buy local food and support our own purveyors.  I think it's something I will try to continue, though it is pricier...

Pork, Peppers & Black Beans

In my online grocery order, I requested bone-in center cut pork chops but received some boneless rib end chops.  That didn't make me happy as I wouldn't buy these normally.  I thought about pounding them out and making schnitzel, but I was too lazy today.  I didn't know what to do with them, but decided I'd whip up some kind of stir-fry with what was in my house right now.

Garlic Cilantro Hummus

I had company coming for dinner.  I was putting together a cheese/meat board and decided to make some hummus.

Ina Garten's Lamb and Chickpea Curry

I was watching Food T.V. and saw Ina Garten make this on her show.  Said this was the only dish she would order at this restaurant because it was sooo good, then finally asked Chef for the recipe, which they shared.  I knew this would be the next special dinner I made.  There is a shitload of ingredients in it, so I went through my pantry to make sure I had everything that I needed and shopped for what wasn't there (only 5 ingredients, including lamb!).  The grocery store I went to only had shoulder chops, so I removed the bone and cubed them myself.  I bought  2 & 1/2 lbs but probably ended up with less than 2 lbs when all the bones and fat/gristle were removed.  It was not fun either.  Next time I want boneless, shoulder roast for this recipe.  What I used (with my minor edits):

Ham Bone Pinto Bean Soup with Okra

I had a ham bone, so soup was on the menu.  It was a high-end ham, uncured, no nitrates, antibiotic free, low-sodium (compared to all others) and I had a ton left over.  I soaked my pinto beans overnight and thought about how I'd put this together... I knew I wanted some heat in it but that was all.  I slept on it and below is what I came up with today.  I will say my ingredients may have been inspired as I marathoned a 20 year old cooking show today called "Great Chefs of New Orleans" on Amazon Prime...😊

French Lentil Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

My son and I were out for Happy Hour at this Greek place.  We tried this lentil salad below.  When it arrived, it didn't look promising - not the most attractive dish, but its taste blew us away.  We gobbled it all up.  I had to try and recreate it at home.  This became Friday night dinner...

Chickpea Salad Pitas

I was watching this on Food Network before I went to bed last night and decided it would be good to make for lunches.  It looked like egg salad but without the cholesterol.  Frankly, this is the first and only Trisha Yearwood recipe that I've considered making.  She's not my fave on the network.  I went out and bought the ingredients I needed today.

Falafel Pitas with Homemade Hummus

I didn't make the falafels (vegan), another time, perhaps.  I didn't make the Tzatziki either.  I picked up both of these items at Costco.  I bought whole wheat pitas as well.  I mixed up some thinly sliced red onion, halved grape tomatoes and finely chopped parsley.  I mixed it with some extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and S&P.  I let this sit in the fridge.  For the hummus, I just used a really basic recipe.