And Tonight's Dinner Is.....

(drumroll please!)

Brown Lentils with Bacon and Chard.

I cooked the lentils in one pot, with plenty of water and a bit of salt, for about 20 to 25 minutes. Do not use red lentils as they turn to mush (which is perfect for dal, but not for this dish).

In a cast iron pan, I slowly cooked my homegrown bacon, took it out and chopped it.

In the same pan, I cooked chopped onions (from the farm down the road) until soft then added roughly chopped Swiss Chard, stirring until wilted then added the bacon back in.

I added the veggie mix to the cooked lentils, and coated with a simple vinaigrette made of Dijon mustard, walnut oil and cider vinegar. A quick turn of the pepper grinder brought everything together.

This one bowl meal for one (or two!) washed down with a dark beer was perfect for this wintery night. I finished off my meal with a large spoonful of homemade, creamy rice pudding topped off with a drizzle of a friend's maple syrup.