Summer Memories - Ratatouille

For any of you who've seen the movie, "Ratatouille," you'll know that a big theme for this silly little movie is the power of a favorite dish to take you back to your childhood. I was subjected to the whole movie in Greek on a flight a couple of years back! Anyway… I guess that explains why, when my kids asked me to make some ratatouille, I actually had no idea what it was, even after supposedly having seen the movie.

I looked it up and made my own version, all the while thinking it was beautifully reminiscent of years gone by. My first few bites made me realize that perhaps this is a gardener's favorite everywhere, though by different names, as I had never heard the name until I was an adult. It's something I've had many times during the overabundance-of-veggies-harvest time that lasts a few weeks every (garden) summer. I hope that you decide that you want to revive or create memories with this lovely recipe!

Ratatouille

1 small eggplant, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
1 large zucchini , sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 medium yellow squash, sliced
⅓ cup soy cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 and oil a 9x13" casserole dish well on the bottom and sides with 2 tablespoons oil.

2. Layer veggies in order listed, standing part way up, making as many rows as fit nicely, until all are gone. If you have extra of one veggie or another, cut these into small pieces and sprinkle them in the "blank spots" in the pan.

3. Sprinkle salt and then "cheese" evenly over the top of the veggies and then bake until top begins to turn golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Gluten free and not fattening!

Rescued Scones

 Sabbath morning tradition: Scones - you might have already gotten this idea from previous posts.  :-)

I enjoy "rescuing" recipes or even mixes - taking them and making them more body-friendly. So here's today's rescue recipe. Enjoy!

Healthy Rescued Scones

1 - 6 muffin package Muffin Mix (yes, just from the store)
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup oil
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
colored sugar, optional

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Mix ingredients (all but colored sugar) together and form into a ball. Place ball on a greased cookie sheet and push into a circle about 1" thick. Cut into eight wedges, with a large knife pushing them away from each other with the knife blade (about 1/2 apart).

3. Wet wedges slightly and sprinkle colored sugar over the tops.

4. Bake at 425 until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Better than Butter

So lately, coconut oil is all the rage... It's previously been given a bad rap because of it's saturated fats, but lately has been back in the spotlight because of all the wholesome goodness in it. So let me warn you - this recipe is a condiment - it's fattening. So use it sparingly, but it's more natural than any "butter" you can buy (except the not-so-healthy kind you make from your pet Jersey) and the fat and calories hover somewhere between "Smart Balance" and "Smart Balance Light." I'll see if I can get it lighter at some point, but this is so full of rich, buttery goodness!

Better than Butter!

½ cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon lecithin, liquid
½ teaspoon salt
1 pinch sugar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon butter flavor

Warm ingredients to a liquid state. Blend all with a stick blender or mixer on medium low until thoroughly mixed. Chill and serve. (Looks wonderful in a pretty mold!)

Have a delicious and Happy Sabbath!

Easy Oat Sausages

Here's breakfast this morning... Easy and great to bake half way, freeze, and finish baking (and eating) later!

Oat Sausages

2 cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 teaspoon sage
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
¼ teaspoons Italian Seasoning
¼ cup nutrional yeast flakes
2 cups quick oats

1. Combine all ingredients except the oats and bring to a boil.

2. Combine all and stir well. Allow to set for 10+ minutes.

3. Oil hands and then form patties and place on oiled baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Flip and bake 10 more minutes.

Loving People Differently

Okay, so I'm not eating these... I've had the privilege of being out of town and a bit pampered for the last few days at a summer camp for Mike's work. I love cooking, but a break (especially a tasty one) is always nice. The point of all this is that you don't get what I don't cook - so it's philosophical stuff for you until I can get back to busy in my kitchen...

So much of hearth and home has to do with loving people. When's the last time that you thought about people's needs? Sometimes it's easy to think we're "okay" and to not give much thought to how we love people. It seems obvious if you think about it that people express love through the things that they appreciate. Many people express love and affection with flowers or kind words or home made cookies or doing the laundry or fixing the car or setting aside special time together. You can learn all about this at http://www.5lovelanguages.com - a great source of relationship information.

So did you know that there is a sixth love language? BUGs. My number two child has always had a passion for all things creepy and crawly and today, with great joy, he came bounding in, "Close your eyes! Close your eyes!" (as I was sitting on the couch) I said, "No, I will not open my mouth!" He laughed and said I didn't have to. So I closed my eyes and screamed a tiny one when I opened my eyes to locust skins on my belly! But (not a chicken), I smoothed my voice and had a talk with him about locusts and other things that were on his heart.

Even though there are locusts on my belly, this post isn't really about what's in my belly. But it is about how you love the bellies that you are filling. I could've rejected the silly gift in revulsion, but I chose to engage my boy instead on something that he cares about deeply (though I do not). How can you seek to enter into the world of those that you love? Watch them carefully, love them individually, brace yourself and "stomach" the oddities of other people - and watch your relationships blossom!

The Desires of Your Heart

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4

When Mike was in seminary and our two older boys were small, we were definitely there by faith! Many times couples in seminary have to tighten their belts on the tiny stipend provided by their sponsoring conference - but we went their unsponsored and were both unable to find consistent work in that slightly flooded market.

Thankfully, many years before a kind man had started the "married food program," where local businesses donated expiring or damaged products to help the temporarily needy families. This program was a source of many new friends and of the food that kept us during the first of our stay there.

Because we were unable to find permanent employment and I was quite sick but recovering from a longterm illness, eventually we got onto food stamps and WIC for a short time. So we now had an abundance of food, but I still volunteered with the food program that had been so helpful to us and enjoyed blessing especially the families that didn't qualify to work or receive any other benefits because they were foreign - talk about there by faith!

One day as we were driving past the many grape vineyards with the smell of ripe grapes wafting through the window, Mike (a country-hearted boy who adores home-canned grape juice) sighed, "I AM so thankful that we have all this food, but what a pity that we are in the heart of grape territory and we can't afford ANY fresh grapes for grape juice!"

Would you believe that the very next day at the food program they made the announcement that a local grape farmer had a large vineyard that he wanted to use as an offering, so he offered for the married pastoral student families to come and harvest as much as they wanted - it wasn't even true "gleaning," as this field hadn't yet been touched!

So, not only were our needs, but even our unnecessary little preferences were filled by a loving God (and a friend or two - isn't that his favorite way to answer prayer?!). We ended up with 125 quarts of the finest grape juice money can't buy, as well as all the grapes we could eat for a couple of weeks!

What is the desire of your heart? Have you been sacrificing and seeking to be content with the little you have? Know that a loving Jesus delights in giving gifts to you. He promises to care for your needs, but know that sometimes, like a charmed lover, he delights in fulfilling the longings of your heart, too - just because he can!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Ridge Pkwy,Alexander City,United States

Cross-Over Naan and a Expanding Your Hospitality

Many of you may know that my all time favorite food is Indian food, so it shouldn't surprising that my favorite bread is probably naan, the warm, chewy inspiration of Indian Cuisine. I'm also very into hybrid or cross-over foods. What's more interesting than Greek Chow Mein or African Ice Cream? I'm not sure what this naan is - Indian crossed with...? You'll have to give me your opinion. Maybe Indian Greek? :-)

By the way - this dish is a tantalizing company food. It's pretty easy to impress with naan. Maybe this conversation will tempt you to pull out your old hospitality hat and invite someone over this weekend! See what you can do for peace, love, and the kingdom of God - by having a "cross-over" meal. Invite someone who's not like you, and see how much you can enjoy their company!

Garlic Chive Naan

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons Vegannaise
2 teaspoons salt
4 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic, optional
¼ cup chives
oil

1. Mix all but chives, garlic and oil. Mix in food processor or dough machine for 2-3 minutes, then allow to rise, covered, for 1-2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 500 and grease a large cookie sheet. Mix in chives and garlic and tear into 6 balls. With oiled hands, stretch and push each ball into a large flattened piece. It doesn't need to be real even or smooth, but try to avoid many holes.

3. Place on oiled cookie sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes, then flip and bake for another 3-4 minutes.