Monthly Archives: January 2013

Jan23

Toasted Pine Nut Hummus

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pine nut hummusWe came to hummus late in our family life but we have finally embraced it. Joel and I especially look forward to slathering it on pieces of toasted pita. Yum. And it has around 70 calories and 1.5 grams of fiber for 2 tablespoons. So it is good for you!

On a retreat a couple of years ago, I decided to make Greek food for the meal I was responsible for. I had some great recipes, but wanted an appropriate appetizer. So I tried my hand at homemade hummus. It is so easy and incredibly good. And I found that I can flavor it any way I want—garlic, lemon, red pepper, lime and jalapeno. I’ve played around with recipes and am still experimenting. I discovered that if I have no tahini I can substitute Greek yogurt. The flavor is a little different but just as creamy and yummy.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was originally posted by thelemonbowl.com. You can go there and get nutritional info if you are interested. I’ve changed it a little to fit my family. I made some today and shared the photo on Facebook. A few people asked for the recipe. So here it is. Enjoy!

Ingredients
  • 15 oz can chick peas – drained and rinsed
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 tsp chopped garlic
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ c Greek yogurt or tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 3 tbsp lemon flavored olive oil (divided)*
  • 2 tbsp parsley – finely minced
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts – toasted (be careful toasting, they burn easily)
Instructions

Place the first six ingredients and 2 tbsp of the oil in a food processor and puree until smooth. Check for seasoning and add more garlic, lemon, or salt as desired. Drizzle remaining oil on top and top with toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley. Can be stored in air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

*If you don’t have lemon flavored olive oil, use extra virgin olive oil and save a good squeeze of lemon to add to the top of the hummus.

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Jan20

Faithful with Small Things

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Thirty pieces of silverThere is a story in Matthew about a man who gives bags of silver to his servants and asks them to watch over the money while he goes on a trip. One servant gets five bags of silver, one servant two bags, and one servant one bag. The first two servants invest the money and double the amount for their master. The third servant buries his and makes no money. Nada. Zero. Nothing.

When the master comes back, he parties with the first two servants and rewards their investment smarts. He tells them that since they can be trusted with small amounts, he can now trust them with more. The third servant gets thrown out. Yikes.

So many times when I am trying to accomplish something, especially some spiritual discipline like Bible reading or better self-control, I feel like that third servant. Like I have failed and God is going to throw me out.

Screen Shot 2013-01-18 at 11.31.13 PMLast night I played some brain games on Lumocity. One of the games was a memory game where they show you a grid with a certain number and pattern of colored blocks. As you successfully recall the pattern of blocks, you get a bigger grid with more blocks. If you mess up (and most of us do) you aren’t locked out of the game or sent back to the beginning. You simply go back to the last grid where you were successful. Then you keep going from there. Your small successes are acknowledged while you attempt larger and larger puzzles.

That’s when it hit me that I have been looking at my spiritual efforts in the wrong way. I am not like the third servant after all. I am not hiding what God has given me and on the verge of being tossed on my kiester. I am honestly trying to use my gifts and talents, improve them, grow them. I may not be doubling the value of what I have been given, but I am investing it into my life and the lives of others. I don’t need to live in fear of being thrown out but in celebration of the little successes I have seen. And, just like the game, the more I practice the better I’ll get.

Now I am energized. Now I have more purpose to my trying. For if I succeed in letting my light shine a little I will be given more and more light to shine on others. That is a pattern for living that even I can remember.

The master was full of praise. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”
Matthew 25:21 NLT