Things are looking more festive here now that the Christmas tree is decorated.
And so is our orange tree in the backyard.
It’s freezing, temps are supposed to be in the low to mid 20s tonight. Orange trees, like chihuahuas, do not like freezing temps. Luckily I still had some old-school C9 Christmas house lights that might produce more heat than light and perfect for protecting a citrus tree from freezing.
I’ve also been dreading these freezing nights with Skipper sleeping outside in his doghouse. I know that sounds awful and I hate having him sleep outside. But with canine diabetes, he still drinks a lot of water and needs to pee frequently, more frequently than I can get him out during the night. That has improved since putting him on insulin, he used to need to go every 30 minutes and now it’s about every 2 hours. But still not long enough to make it through the night. Tonight it looks like it’s gonna be too cold for him in the backyard, so he’ll be sleeping in one of our bathrooms with a comfy bed and potty pads.
And it’s also too cold to have a salad for dinner, I was craving something hearty and warming and created a lentil and quinoa one-pot-meal.
Lentils and quinoa are perfect to cook together because they have similar quick cook times and liquid ratios, but complimenting textures. They’re the perfect foundation for a quick, whole foods dish on a busy weeknight. And this recipe came out very warming with a nice spice level and savory creaminess.
Warming Lentils and Quinoa
- 1/2 cup split red lentils (or green), rinsed
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 leek (or onion), chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne
- 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 cup frozen peas or veggie of choice
Place water, lentils, and quinoa into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a high simmer and stir in leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, turmeric, cayenne, peas, and ginger. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy. Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.
The split lentils take on a creamy and hearty texture in this recipe while the turmeric, garlic, and cayenne add a warming and comforting level of spice to this dish without being too spicy. Very satisfying for a cold night.
And I had a dinner guest tonight, Leela decided she needed some extra attention and claimed her own chair at the dinner table.
Lovely decor! Very nice! Leela is so sweet! Great pic! The Lentil Dish looks TERRIFIC! I have been in the mood for them lately, too, I posted about a fusion dish of sorts I made last night this morning! I also posted about my new Excalibur! I have 1 or two other posts on tap, too! I think I will post one about the Protein Balls later today and wait until tomorrow to post about the Smoothie!!!!