Citrus Asparagus Salad

This is another recipe from Yum In My Tum, seriously some great recipes on that site! This was super yummy freshly made!!! =D Though not so good the next day; still alright, just...not fresh lol. So this recipe is approved, though not for leftovers.

Asparagus Citrus Salad
1 bunch fresh asparagus spears, ends trimmed
2 tbsp EVOO (I didn't use this much though...)
S&P
Parmesan cheese
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 ts phoney
Zest of half a lemon
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard (I just used yellow)
EVOO
S&P
1 blood orange, peeled and segmented
1 orange, peeled and segmented
(I just used 3 mandarines, cuz I'm not a big fan of other oranges)

Preheat oven to 350F. Drizzle asparagus with EVOO and season with S&P. Place asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup), and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until bright green and tender-crisp.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar, honey, lemon zest, and mustard in a bowl and slowly whisk in EVOO until desired consistency is reached (I used 1/4 cup but found it was too much). Season with S&P to taste.

Plate asparagus and drizzle liberally with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Top with orange segments and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette to taste. Garnish with thin ribbons of Parmesan cheese (I did not, cuz I didn't have any, surprisingly!).

New Recipes!

So, I got a few recipes from Yum In My Tum, and figured I'd try a few out. So here goes!

Egg Nests
4 slices of white bread (I used rye, came out fine)
2 cubes of chopped frozen spinach, moisture squeezed out (I used fresh, just a little bit, though it definitely could've used more!)
Butter
4 eggs
Grated cheese
Crumbled cooked bacon

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a muffin tin.
Cut the crust off the bread. Gently push each slice into a muffin tin, making a little bread bowl.
Put a bit of spinach in the bottom of each bread bowl. Top with a little bit of butter. Slowly top with a raw egg. Top with salt and pepper if you wish.
Bake for 15-20 min. or until the egg is cooked and the bread is lightly toasted. Top with a bit of cheese and the crumbed bacon.

As you can see, I didn't add the cheese or bacon, but these were delicious nonetheless. And what a brilliant idea, cooking them in a little bread cup in a muffin tin! Delicious, definitely an approved recipe!

Next one, from the same site:

Warm Broccoli and Quinoa Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
1.5 cups quinoa
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag (10 oz.) broccoli florets (I just bought broccoli not in a bag...)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup chopped carrot (about 1 large)
3 tbsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive/grapeseed/flax oil)
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt

In sieve, rinse quinoa with cold running water. In saucepan, combine quinoa, water, and salt; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Transfer quinoa to large bowl.

Meanwhile, steam broccoli until tender-crisp. Add to quinoa in bowl.

In blender, combine carrot, ginger, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, water, and salt; blend until pureed. Add to quinoa, broccoli, and tomatoes and toss to combine. Serve salad warm or at room temperature.

This as well is super delicious!!! I was a little wary of the ginger, cuz I'm pretty sensitive to ginger ever since trying candied ginger once, but I'm apparently coming to accept ginger as not such a terrible thing after all! I was also a bit worried that there might not have been enough dressing to cover the salad, but it's actually the perfect amount, considering the such strong flavour of fresh ginger. Approved!

Thoughts

I have quite a bit of stuff on my mind tonight, a few things that God has put in my head tonight when I was at my friend's Awakening art show.

First of all, there was a point where there was a girl who was using like, flag-type things and dancing, and it was explained that what she was doing was completely inspired by the Holy Spirit, not rehearsed at all. And it lead to explaining how we can worship God by simply following the Holy Spirit and doing whatever He leads us to do.

And it got me thinking about music. Especially when listening to music. I find that if I am listening to music, I move. Like, not get-up-and-dance kind of moving, though I have been known to randomly do that too haha! But like, foot bobbing or tapping, or playing table drums with my index fingers (y'all know what I'm talking about, right? =P)

Which led to me thinking, what is it about music that makes me move? Why is my body so prone to moving in response to moving?

No, I don't really have an answer, but it just got me thinking about it... Am I meant to dance? To dance for God, like David did? (But preferably clothed...)

Another thing I was thinking about was the story of Ezekiel prophesying to the dry bones. The group at the show did a piece about it, where they sang and read the Scripture passage:

Ezekiel 37:1-15 - The Valley of Dry Bones
The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

Let's stop here. Can you picture being Ezekiel in this situation? Being asked by God, "Can these dead dried up bones live?" I don't know about you, but I would've been like, "Uh... No." And yet Ezekiel says,

"Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

Wow. It almost sounds like Ezekiel doesn't want to give a straight answer for fear of being wrong. Had he said outright, "No," it would have shown lack of faith that God can do anything. And yet he doesn't straight out say, "Yes," which to me says that he doesn't quite have the faith that God could do it, but he's afraid to reveal that to God.

Moving on:

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"

WHAT??? These bones are dead! They've been dead for a long time, long enough to be dried up and all piled up like this! You're trying to tell me that these bones could come to life?

It's almost like God was asking Ezekiel to test Him. "Do it! Tell these bones that! See if I can actually make them live again!" Could you imagine where this story would have gone had Ezekiel doubted God and didn't prophesy over these bones because of a lack of faith? Could God have gotten His point across as effectively? Would He have chosen someone else to prophesy to the bones, and Ezekiel would've just lost out on that opportunity? My mind reels with all the different what-ifs!

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then imagine actually seeing these bones really coming back together as bodies! Seeing that God CAN do something so extreme and impossible! Actually seeing God doing what He said He can do!

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

And then, not only have these bones become bodies again, but they come alive!!! It kinda reminds me of the creation story in Genesis 2, where God molds the mud into a human shape, then breathes life into the nostrils to make Adam come alive. Except in this story, the breath comes from the winds, not directly from God Himself. Huh.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'"

Calling All Prayer Warriors!!!

I met some AWESOME people tonight during soup van, and lot of people are in need of prayer! And so I am calling YOU to pray too! I cannot name them because there's rules around that, but I can let you know what to pray about!

A lady needing forgiveness
A lady needing strength
A lady needing to kick her alcoholism
A man who has accepted Christ as his Saviour, HALLELUJAH!!!
Two AWESOME dudes who pretty much travel around on their bikes and witness to people! They are the ones who led the man to Christ tonight!
A lady who believe in the Lord and struggles with addictions

I am SO pumped right now from tonight! I had the honour of praying for the first two ladies, and was a part of the prayer for the third lady. I was serenaded by God through the two dudes and their guitar and harmonicas, and even danced around with them, absolutely amazing those two! I was able to bless the lady who believes in the Lord with a new hat, it's amazing how something so simple as that can make someone's day!

Man, God is so incredibly cool!!!!! =D

"Charade" Amanda Falk

Another day, paint on a face that they expect to see
It’s not all I want, but it’s all I’ve got to make this world believe
Nothings wrong with me...
I’m an artist of emotion, a master of deceit
And the many faces I portray are nothing at all like me
How I long to be free

From this never-ending maze, oh my head's in a daze
Every time I think
Of this over-played charade, oh my hearts gonna fade
And I can’t go on...

It’s a tug-of-war each moment, to hide this pain inside
Or to open up and spill this cup of feelings that I hide?
But what would people do, what would people say?
When hear the truth, will they turn and run away?
Will they throw a stone, or lend a shoulder to lean on?

From this never-ending maze, oh my head's in a daze
Every time I think
Of this over-played charade, oh my hearts gonna fade
And I can’t go on...

It’s not fair, I can’t take this anymore
Oh these tears are drifting me from shore
Is there hope for someone just like me?
Then I hear a voice inside me say, "I can set you free

From this, never-ending maze, I will be your strength
If you let me in
So just, take my hand and see, if you follow me
You can be free..."