BrownRice Salad

While living in Santa Barbara, CA and working at a photography studio on State Street, my co-worker shared this salad with me.  It's relatively easy and has a lot of crunch and zip.  Use cooked (leftover) brown rice and combine with a simple Italian dressing and curry powder to taste.  Add diced/minced vegetables: celery, carrots, raw mushrooms, green or sweet onions, raisins, green apple, and salt & pepper to taste.  Add diced cooked chicken or tuna as desired.
I would recommend adding the curry powder gradually, to ensure that it's not too spicy!

A Word to Warriors

Yesterday was a real day for warring in the spiritual realm.  The details are not important.

 

At first I was hurt and upset by what I could see & feel with my human eyes.  But I asked the Lord for guidance and just waited, prayed, and kept my mouth shut, and set my mind to move on.  And I did pray in the Spirit yesterday and night.

~~~~~

In my Bible reading last night, (I was reading 1 Chronicles 12) I noticed that when the tribes that battled for David were listed, there were interesting “side notes” that to me, were not “side notes” but inserted there for a purpose.  After the the tribe’s name and numbers of warriors, it states:

They were Brave warriors

Men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do

They were experienced warriors prepared for battle

They had every type of weapon

They helped with undivided loyalty

They were ready for battle

They were experienced soldiers

They were armed with every type of weapon. 

Hmmm.  Think the Lord was trying to tell me something?

 

God wants us to be the right kind of warriors, prepared for, and experienced in battle.  He wants us to be equipped with ALL the weapons he makes available to us.  He wants us READY at any given moment.  He wants us to be BRAVE.  He wants us to understand the times and know what we/the church body should do and how we should respond.

 

I realize that in the midst of the battle was not the time when the individual warriors should be going to David to ask him what they should do in the situation.  They didn’t have time for that in the battle.  And so it must be for us as we do war in the spiritual realm.

 

We must not shrink back.  We must not run, but be brave and fight.  We must use the weapons we’ve been provided, ALL of them!

We must be loyal, so that the enemy cannot lure us away from our purpose and task.  God says that we are to have no other gods – because if we do, we then can be “bought” with those gods.  So therefore we must have singleness of heart, singleness of mind, dedicated and not love our lives so much that we shrink back from death.

 

We must fight now and tend to our wounds later.  :O)  There is no time for that when the battle is fierce.  Every moment counts!  We must deny ourselves (our feelings as well) and push ahead.

Cold Soba (Buckwheat Noodle) Salad

I've been wanting to find a good recipe for Cold Soba Salad. Finally today at the market, I recognize that I have all the ingredients (at the same time) for a Soba Salad! I have adjusted the dressing recipe so that next time, it'll be PERFECT!

INGREDIENTS:
1 package soba noodles, cooked as directed
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded in bite-sized pieces
Quickly blanch in boiling water, then shock in ice water:
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 lg handful sugar snap peas OR asparagus, sliced into bite sized pieces
1 bunch green onions (white and green parts) sliced thin, diagonally
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tblspn roasted/toasted sesame seeds OR use the black variety.

DRESSING:
4 Tblspns soy sauce
3 Tblspns rice wine vinegar
2 Tblspns peanut OR canola oil
1 Tblspn Asian sesame oil
1-1/2 Tblspns creamy peanut butter
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 Tblspn minced fresh ginger
1 Tblspn sugar

Combine all (cooled) ingredients together. Sprinkle peanuts over individual plates just before serving. YUM!

Inside is good; Inside is VERY GOOD!

So, it’s taken me a week to recover. I was alone at home, getting ready for my friend Robin to come over and eat some leftovers with me (she’s a nice friend).

It had begun to snizzle a bit and there was some snow on our front porch. Being in my routine “home uniform” (my comfy knit black nightgown and no socks), I stick my head out the door. Hmmm. Just around 40*F; not bad at all. I don’t need a jacket or shoes.

I step out onto the porch with my broom and begin sweeping the snow off the cold cement. If I stood on the grass coir doormat, I found it wasn’t so cold. So I’m sweeping, . . . and felt/heard something. I turn around and the front door is closed. Must have swung closed.

I grab the doorknob and wiggle it; LOCKED! I tell myself, “No, I can’t be locked outside; I won’t be locked outside!” More intense door knob wiggling; nothing!

Now I’m thinking, I will push/kick in/bust this door down before I am locked outside.

That didn’t work either. I am locked outside. In 40*F weather. With no shoes. In my pjs. Holding a broom. No keys. No phone. Curt is on the road.

I am now running in bare feet to my neighbor’s house. Ring the door bell. Wait. Ring the door bell. Wait. No one home. Pause. Run back home in my bare feet.

Mind you, it just snowed so the grass is frozen and crunchy. And cold. My feet are stinging and I’m asking myself, “Whose idea was this to go outside with no shoes?”

Back on my stoop, I scan my options. Across the street I can see my neighbor Connie is home. Cars in the driveway. Probably a holiday family gathering. I take a breath and run across the yard, across the street, across their yard and up their deck. Their front door opens and her adult son takes a scan of me, from my head to my toes and asks me, “Can I help you?”

In my mind I am thinking, “No, I am not a homeless beggar.” There are not many ways to introduce yourself in a very pathetic situation. I’m your neighbor? From across the street? I was sweeping my porch and got locked out. Can I borrow a phone?

With phone in hand, I am running back to my yard wondering who I call. (The only phone number I’ve memorized is mine and I KNOW that no one is at home!) I see the realtor sign in our yard and tell myself, “Our realtor! I can call our realtor!”

Within ten minutes, I am back in the house. I am “stupid” with happiness. Inside is good. Inside is very very good!

Note to self: Next time I sweep the porch I will unlock the back door, open the garage door, put my keys and cell phone in my jacket pocket AND wear some shoes!!!

Seasons of Pain

ages ago, i began seeing a chiropractor for treatment on my back. i remember that this guy lacked a bit in his bedside manner. in addition, his style of treatment seemed to match his personality. i can remember him walking around the adjustment table. then without warning, he would pounce on an area to adjust my spine. this was my first chiropractic doctor, yet even then, i was sure that his style was a bit on the unorthodox side. i could feel my body, and especially my neck, tensing up as i lay there, watiting to be 'pounced on.' (i soon looked for another chiropractor.)

my point being, even if i knew that doc had a bit of what i later nicknamed a 'kamakazi style,' i still lay there and endured the treatment. i knew that ultimately, the goal was to feel better, or to re-align my back as it should be.

for the last couple of years, i've been going through another type of pain. the kind of pain you have when watching someone you love struggle, suffer, endure brokenness and suffocating discouragement - but not being able to do anything to change it. i'm not the first person in the world to experience this, nor will i be the last. i have very dear friends who are going through a similar season of pain. pain so deep that you can point to a place on your body where you actually feel that pain manifest in the physical realm.

pain is no stranger to life. Jesus even said, "In this world you WILL have trouble, but take heart, for i have overcome the world." The Bible: John, chapter 16, verse 33.

i am no philosopher; i can't answer why God allows pain. but i know he does allow it. it's no picnic. i can remember laying on the floor, thinking that i was going to pass out from the level of pain. i even wondered how someone could go through that much pain and not actually die. know the feeling? in that painful state, it can be easy for some to question God, wonder what the purpose is, wonder what one can do to 'fast-forward' your life to a better time. yet Jesus knew we would have those times, and in doing so, he has already made provision for it.

i am learning that in those seasons of pain, God gives us peace. peace enough to sustain me through each moment of the day. peace to help you get out of bed and sustain you until you lie down at night. i know that on some days, it requires a boatload of peace to get through each moment, let alone the whole day. but God gives enough peace for each day.

God also gives grace. enough grace to encourage someone else going through something equally as painful. grace enough to share the surplus you have with someone else. grace enough to not say the thing in your head which you would like to scream out to someone who, in lack of understanding or maturity, will say the wrong thing. grace enough to give a kind and soft answer. grace enough to swallow your pride and not take offense. i'm not saying i'm perfect or have responded wisely each and every time. but i bear witness that God does give enough grace that brings an option to give grace each and every time.

in painful seasons, it's hard to see around the bend, or to look forward to the future. yet i know that our good shepherd Jesus is here with us now, and will meet us when we get to those turns and bends in the road ahead. and there, God waits for us with more peace and more grace for that time.

if you have been experiencing pain and discouragement, take heart. for he who has overcome the world knows what we are going through right now. and he cares very much for us and promises to be with us - come what may. and if it helps, you are not alone.

Bean & Barley Salad (A Low Glycemic recipe)

Very similar to a cold spaghetti salad! I made this a few times and have adjusted the type of beans and amounts to my taste. I've used garbanzos & black beans and strong onion. I would add a medium sweet onion if I had it on hand. It's a refreshing mix and makes enough to last the week (easy for pack lunches). Adjust amounts to your liking: can of kidney beans, Northern beans (rinse & drain), diced tomatoes. Add cooked barley - rinse & drain, diced celery, diced bell peppers. For seasoning: add splash of Balsamic vinegar, Wishbone Balsamic Vinaigrette (enough to moisten salad), and 1/2 bottle of McCormick's "salad supreme." Optional: minced onion

Cracklin Rice Chx Soup (minus rice)

We got Chinese take out after church on Sunday. I decided to try the cracklin rice soup. It was the sort of thing I remember having in oriental restaurants at home in Hawaii. Clear simple broth with fresh vegetables just cooked until hot, but not soft. Turned out pretty good. Not something that sticks to your ribs or has tons of starch in it. But something that tastes clean and fresh and would be great especially when you are under the weather. Here's how I did it.

Heat to boiling about 2 cups of chicken broth per person. (I used Swanson's.) Ahead of time, I prepped the veggies and small piece of chicken breast:
Soaked dried Shiitake mushrooms until soft, then cut in slices (you can use regular mushrooms)
slice carrots thinly, a few pieces per person
add a few Chinese pea pods per person (snap ends, pull "string" from spine & slice if too large)
thinly slice celery on the diagonal, few pieces
slice bok choi or choi sum (Oriental cabbage varieties) to bite sized pieces (as much as you like)
thinly slice a small partially-frozen chicken breast

Once the broth is boiling, add carrots and shiitake mushrooms, and salt to taste.
Once the carrots are par-boiled, add the chicken.
Once the broth boils again, add all other veggies.
Stir veggies into broth, turn fire off immediately and serve. It's best when the veggies are par-boiled.
The next time I make this, I'd add a sprinkling of fresh Chinese parsley (cilantro) on top.