Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Bamboo Vegetable Soup May 13, 2015

Welcome to my blog, today I am linking with-

Woman 2 Woman Ministries hosted by Shari

The Art of Homemaking Mondays hosted by Jes

Women With Intention hosted by Jenny

Mondays @ Soul Survival hosted by Donna

I've been reading some Japanese blogging friends talking about cooking and using bamboo shoots, so I thought I would like to share a recipe using bamboo shoots.  This is the kind I can get at the Asian market, it has a very interesting interior, Japanese artistic cooks slice it in ornamental ways-

Recipe- Bamboo Vegetable Soup
1 large cone bamboo, sliced and chopped or 1 can bamboo shoots
1 cup / 250cc celery, chopped
1/2 yam or sweet potato, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2" / 5cm ginger root, minced
1 turmeric tuber, minced,
and/or 2 Tbsp / 30cc turmeric powder
1taro root, peeled and chopped
1 cluster oyster mushrooms
2 cups / 500cc broccoli or kale flower bud heads, chopped
1 cup / 250cc Chinese pea pods, optional
Water for cooking level
Lemon pepper to taste

Instructions-
Boil water, add Turmeric powder, add rest of ingredients, simmer to desired degree of doneness.
Season with Lemon pepper to taste, serve with chicken, poached eggs, or other protein source.

Part of the ingredients, the taro root is the small fuzzy kind, R of the ginger root-

Served with poached eggs-

Served with pea pods-

The taro root, along with conjac root, purple yam (brown on the outside, purple streaks in the flesh), and 4 other Japanese root vegetables, contain Hyaluronic acid, which is the basis for collagen and causes the people in the small Japanese town of Yuzurihara to live to very old ages.  Their joints stay flexible, their skin doesn't sag, and they don't have problems with the usual level of heart disease and cancer.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/312974-yuzurihara-diet/

These may be available in your local Asian market.   Some foods that also boost Hyaluronic levels according to this article are potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, peppers, citrus fruits, berries, cherries, bananas, brown rice, pumpkin, beans, parsley, and cilantro.

Turmeric powder, for best absorption and health benefits as an anti-oxidant, must be added to boiling water and then kept at boiling temperatures for 10 minutes, so I add the powder at the beginning of cooking but use a pressure cooker since it cooks the food in 3 minutes after pressurized, I hope this doesn't decrease the absorption.  Cooking in a normal pot would probably take 10 minutes or more.   The recipe could be stir-fried but would not benefit from the Turmeric powder as much, though that could be boiled alone on the side.  The yam has a pleasant sweet taste.  I enjoy the intense taste and crunch of the minced ginger and turmeric, but it might be an acquired taste for some.

The lowly bamboo root does not look appealing as it emerges from the ground, it takes skill to turn it into a useful and tasty food.

The Asian people are resourceful to use many of the plants in their environment, and treasure bamboo roots in the spring.   It takes knowledge to use them since they must be specially cooked and processed to take away harsh tastes, and picked correctly as well since at some point they develope cyanide.

We similarly have a sin nature that renders us unuseful and unappealing, but God through His great grace sent His Son to take our sins in His own body on the cross and wipe out all the law that was against us, so the penalties of our sin are paid in full.

Since we have been given such grace and mercy, we are to be ambassadors for Christ, telling others this message, that when we come to God in faith, Jesus' righteousness covers us and we become new creations, so we can stand blameless before God.  So reconcile others to God, don't try to shame, blame, or guilt trip them into the kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NKJV
17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19. that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
21. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The finished work of Jesus to take all our sins makes us righteous in God's eyes, He can not see sin in us because the bill was fully paid.   Micah 7:19 NKJV:  "He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities.  You will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea."  

So we can come to Him in confidence that when we confess our sins, they have been taken away and cast into the sea, never to be seen again.  So we are enabled to walk in love.

Hannah

©Transforming Path, all rights reserved.  I enjoy reading your comments and thoughts on my post, and will visit you and comment as well.




Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Savoury Roasted Eggplant May 6, 2015

Welcome, today I am linking with-

Woman 2 Woman Ministries hosted by Shari

The Art of Homemaking Mondays hosted by Jes

Women With Intention hosted by Jenny

Mondays @ Soul Survival hosted by Donna

I am sharing my favorite side dish I make when I am roasting chicken or lamb- eggplant.  I also
 roast sweet potatoes or  cut, cleaned squash halves, and white potatoes at the same time.   

Recipe- Roasted Eggplant Side Dish
2 large eggplants 
or 6 long Asian eggplants
Slice, put in 2 large baking dishes
Top with-
1/2 chopped onion or 2 shallots, optional
6 oz / 170 gm butter or coconut oil or olive oil
Roast at temperature of meat, from 325-400ºF  / 163-204ºC
Flip when bottom of eggplant pieces is getting brown, then several more times to brown evenly
Remove when browned to taste
Sprinkle on Lemon Pepper
Top with Onion/Garlic or Herb Tomato Sauce, optional
Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese, optional
Or top with Sour cream, optional


With spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese-

Plain with sour cream-

This dish is very savoury, I sprinkle the eggplant on vegetable dishes, rice, or rice noodles for flavor.  Or serve plain with Sour Cream.   A vegetarian can use roasted eggplant as a substitute for meat, to give dishes a meaty taste.

A sweet savour is mentioned for the first time in Genesis 8:20-21, when Noah offered one of every clean animal and bird on an altar to the LORD, Yahweh, and as the LORD smelled the sweet savour, or fragrance, He said in His heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done."

Jesus says we should be like the savour of salt to the unbeliever, through the knowledge we have of Him.   We should spice up the other person's life and give them a thirst for the things of God.  We do this when we have the fruits of the Holy Spirit manifesting in our lives, Galatians 5:22-25 NKJ-


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.


As other people observe us in the circumstances and pressures of life, they should experience these strengths in our lives that would make them desire to also have them to cope with the stresses and hardships of life. 

I've had experiences with people who viewed me with some prejudice and persecuted me, sometimes rather vigorously.  Because I always reacted with love and patience, over several years I actually experienced a reversal of their attitudes, indeed even love and affection.  A verse that helps me when people are difficult is Proverbs 16:7- 

When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

I want my life to make a sweet savour for my Heavenly Father, so someday I will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant.  I can't think of a better goal to strive for.    -Hannah

©Transforming Path, all rights reserved.  I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on my blog, and will enjoy returning your visit and commenting on your blog.