I’m really proud of me.

We cut back on Christmas gifts BIG TIME this year.

Our society has grossly commercialized the holiday and I for one am just sick of it!!!! I will not give in!

And also I hate spending money and am not thoughtful in the slightest and it is so stressful to buy gifts for people. Garr and I set a modest budget for each other and bought all gifts with Black Friday coupons. Thrifty McGees over here. The gifts started to arrive the first week of December. We just sort of looked at each other when they started pouring in, shrugged and said, “Oh, whatever, here you go, just open it.” So we have opened all of our gifts. We live for the anticlimactic. The gifts for our family are even better. I asked for a list and I bought the things on the list. No surprises, no thought. Straight to the point. Not only will I not disappoint anyone, I will save us all precious time opening presents so we can focus on good old fashioned Christian fellowship around the birth of our baby Jesus. The gift that keeps on giving.

My parents are probably going to be really disappointed.

Time: 45 minutes (prep + cooking) | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed + drained
• 3/4 cup of dried quinoa
• 1 cup of frozen edamame
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup of roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds
• 1 tsp. of turmeric
• 1 tsp. of cumin
• 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
• S+P, to taste
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil
• Cilantro, for serving

How to:

• Heat oil in a stock pot over medium heat
• Add onion + S+P, cook 3-4 minutes
• Add turmeric + cumin + cinnamon + S+P, cook another minute, stirring
• Add quinoa, stir to coat + add enough water just to cover the contents of the pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover + simmer for about 15 minutes
• Once water is absorbed, stir in chickpeas + edamame + cranberries, cook another 3-4 minutes
• Serve warm with pumpkin seeds + pomegranate seeds + cilantro
• Perform magic trick where you sit in front of the television with the pot of food + aimlessly shovel the food into your mouth + 3 minutes later poof it’s gone