A Savory Pumpkin Side Dish

Who doesn’t love pumpkin pie?  I know I do, but I also enjoy savory pumpkin dishes, like my Pumpkin Quinoa Pilaf with Bacon.

Copyright 2013 by RA Robbins
Copyright 2013 by RA Robbins

 

Pumpkin Quinoa Pilaf with Bacon

Ingredients:

6 strips turkey bacon diced check the label for gf turkey bacon — I use Jennie-O

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

2 cups pumpkin puree

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon lemon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Directions:

1. Brown turkey bacon.

2. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels. Reserve for later.

3. Add 1 Tablespoon oil to skillet. Add quinoa and cook, stirring until lightly browned.

4. Add water and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until just a little liquid is left on the quinoa.

6. Add pumpkin, nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon.

7. Reserving 1 Tablespoon of bacon for garnish add rest of bacon to quinoa. Stir.

8. Return pan to stove, cover and allow remaining liquid to be absorbed.

9. Pour pilaf into serving dish and garnish with remaining bacon.

Serves 6.

Like this recipe?  Find more of my holiday recipes in Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday available at Espirational Books.

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Thought for Today

Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins
Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins

 

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
Epicurus

Thought for Today

Copyright 2014 R.A. Robbins
Copyright 2014 R.A. Robbins

“Real life isn’t always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach [http://daringtolivefully.com/gratitude-quotes]

Thought for Today

 

Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins
Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins

“Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.”  — A. J. Cronin

Thought for Today

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude
means to take nothing for granted,
but to always seek out and value
the kind that will stand behind the action.
Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course.
Everything originates in a will for the good,
which is directed at you.
Train yourself never to put off
the word or action for the expression of gratitude.”

Albert Schweitzer

Thought for Today

Copyright 20014 by R.A. Robbins
Copyright 20014 by R.A. Robbins

 

“Pointing to another world will never stop vice among us; shedding light over this world can alone help us.” ― Walt Whitman

Thought for Today

Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins
Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins

 

“It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” —Wallace D. Wattles

Update on I Aspire to be a Giant Squid

I’ve noticed people looking at an old post about Squidoo called I Aspire to be a Giant Squid. Did I ever become one?  Yes, I did after graduation from Rocket Squids.  However about a week after that I received notice that many of my lenses, including my Lens of the Day and several Purple Star Award lenses. were suddenly “substandard” and would be locked,

This was during a time of change and great turmoil at Squidoo.  Rules were changing and people were resisting.  I decided Squidoo was not for me, deleted my lenses and left.

Do I consider my Squidoo experience a failure?  There is no failure only lessons.  So what did I learn?

1.  I can write for the web.  Anytime you can take a free online writing course do.

2.  I can stretch and write about topics not really of interest to me.

3.  Doing anything from a feeling of desperation rarely works.

4.  There are certain things I do not want to write even though I can.

5.  I also walked away with some of my best writing.  Someday a few might show up here if I can figure out a way to shorten them.

After trying Hub Pages and the Yahoo Contributor Network I decided these types of programs were not for me.  The Yahoo Contributor Network and Squidoo are now gone.  Some of the content from Squidoo was acquired by Hub Pages.  Whether or not to try Hub Pages or similar sites is a personal decision.  They might work  for you where they did not for me.

Was writing for these websites a waste of time?  Back then I thought so, because I was feeling desperate to make money.  Now I realize it wasn’t.  Look at everything I learned!