Happy Halloween

Happy Happy Halloween! Hope everyone survived the weekend in IV and was able to rest and find joy. God be glorified, Jesus Burger's was great, lots of great testimonies were shared today at the service. 24-7 Prayer was a on this week and God showed up. The church is reaping now what's been sown for years, thank you to all who have been committed to this city. Redemption is coming to Isla Vista. Keep praying!

Blessings,
<3 Dani

Pinto, Amaranth and Chard Soup

As I said, more soup recipes coming. Bianca has been waiting for a chance to perfect her soup making abilities since she made that minestrone from her Nonna's typical recipe. Her goal: a soup, not a stew. As Bianca began acquiring things for the soup, I liked the idea of Bianca taking control and changing up the usuals. She bought pinto beans this time and together we chose amaranth for the grain. The chard was a last minute surprise from a friend's garden. I told Bianca she needed to make this recipe her own which she had really already done, but one thing was still needed: a secret ingredient! Now this was last night, she wasn't too fond about the idea but she had all day to think about it and what does she come up with.... garlic! When I didn't react too excitedly since garlic is one of the most common ingredients, she responded, "hey, I didn't put garlic in it last time!" This is true, so everyone, the new and secret ingredient is garlic!

Recipe
Ingredients List
1 leek
1 small red onion
2 quarts of low-sodium vegetable broth
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of chard leaves
2 zucchini
3 or 4 little carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 can stewed tomatoes
3 bay leaves
a pinch of cloves
thyme, rosemary, basil
black pepper
3 cloves of ...garlic!
pinto beans, about 1 1/2 C
amaranth, about 3/4 C

Step 1) Chop the leek and the red onion, and saute in until golden brown. You may choose to saute them in a couple tablespoons of olive or grapeseed oil.
Step 2) In a large soup pot, pour all the vegetable broth and add the leek and red onion. Slice the zuchinni, carrots and celery into 1'' slices. Remove stems and chop parsley, you'll want to use about two cups. Add all of the spices and don't forget the secret ingredient! Of course you'll want to crush it before you add it in there. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cook for 2 hours.
Step 3) Wash the chard and de-stem. Slice and add to the soup with the beans and amaranth. Cook for another hour still on low temperature.
After 3 hours the soup is ready and can be enjoyed! You can always add more broth or water to make the soup the consistency that you would like. Bianca and I have decided that the soup comes out with a thicker broth because of adding the grains and that in soups with no grains you get a thinner broth. However, she really liked it and I enjoyed it as well. Amaranth is fun because it's so tiny, I'm sure most of you have never even heard of it so please try this one out! This soup paired nicely with thin slices of crispy polenta.

Also, take note that this recipe makes a large batch of soup. Bianca and I like to make a lot because then you have leftovers for busy nights when you don't have time to cook. Soups always freeze well so we tend to freeze the leftovers so they will last even longer. Be careful with freezing thought because once you defrost it you can't freeze it again, so watch the portions you freeze. It helps to use two Tupperwares so you can have two nights of the leftovers :) Just some tips for college cooking.

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Bean Lentil Spinach Soup

I saw this recipe on Tastespotting* months ago but that was in the summer and you really got to wait for the right weather to be able to enjoy a good warm soup. And the perfect soup weather is officially here! Get ready, I love soup so there will be lots of soup posts to come!

This soup was delicious, but what really got me was the wonderful colors, I'm all about food coloring. Which can seem a little weird but it was so cool because the blogger who I got the recipe from said that he's all about food coloring too and that was his favorite thing about the soup! The orange soup broth, with the dark red kidney beans and the vibrant green spinach is a beautiful combination! But on a more important note, the flavors were great and Bianca and I both really enjoyed it.

Recipe
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 t coriander
1 t turmeric
1 t paprika
1/2 t cinnamon
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 C red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
juice of 1 lemon
1 t dried mint
1 lb spinach leaves
In a large pot over the stop top, heat the vegetable broth with the red onion, garlic, lemon, seasonings, kidney beans and lentils. Let boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20-30 minutes. Wash spinach well and remove all stems. Add in during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Enjoy right away!
The soup would pair well with any grain or loaf of bread and a light salad. We had millet, which I insisted we make because Bianca has only had it once and didn't like it at all. I was convinced it was because she didn't make it right. Somehow it came out exactly how it was when she first made it, and it's never been like that ever when I made it. So it's official, Bianca does not like millet. But she loved this soup, so please try it!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

*If you haven't already heard me ranting and raving of Tastespotting, it's a "visually driven potluck" where you can find hundreds of fabulous recipes all gathered from various blogs. Check it out: www.tastespotting.com!

Fall-ing Out Your Room

Kinda like changing out your room, only for the Fall! Which I know began quite a bit ago, but still we have a ways to go before Christmas. Fall is my favorite season, maybe because I'm a September baby, but I have always loved the wonderful, warm colors and though it's getting colder, it's not too chilly yet. The fashion for Fall gets me too, boots and scarves, oh I just love it!

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.'" Genesis 1:14

It's cool to think about how God had all the seasons in mind when he created the world and he planned exactly when each should start and each should begin. He truly is so creative. So the least I can do is get a little creative in decorating my room according to the seasons! Here's what I did to welcome the Fall season into my room, just some simple changes, but even the simple things can make a nice difference.

While in Pismo the other weekend, Bianca and I spent the day with one of our closest friends, Cassie. She had been wanting to take us to the Avila Beach Barn, where they have a sort of farmer's market but in doors and all the time. It was a wonderful time to take us there because they are tons of pumpkins and squash. I mean I have never seen so many, of all types, shapes, sizes and colors! It was so much fun! We picked up some little pumpkins there, you can spot them on my dressor in the picture below. This is so easy to do and you can pick up pumpkins like this at any grocery store right now. If you live in IV, the Co-op has some great heirloom pumpkins and you can expand my idea and put larger pumpkins on your porch or outside your door.
Then for my desk I needed a change also. Ryan has been bringing over apples for us from some trees at his house. I thought, perfect! Apples are totally Fall fruits and in this white barrel I found they'll look great! Overall, I was exctied by my new additions and I think the best part was I only spent $3 on the pumpkins and got creative with stuff that I already had.
Bianca got a little inspiration and after walking out to bluffs today she picked up some acorns and wallah, perfect Fall decor! She is so wonderfully creative like that, always picking flowers while on walk. It's easy and fun to get creative so Fall-out your own room!
Have fun,
<3 Dani

Open- Faced Bagel Sandwich

Bianca bought some sprouted wheat bagels at Trader Joe's and has been making these wonderful open-faced bagel sandwiches all week. I thought I would share them with you all. You don't have to miss out on bagels on a whole foods diet! Sprouted wheat is tens times better for you and if you're body can tolerate some gluten these are a great way to get healthy grains into your diet. Plus I know how much everyone likes bagels, including me :)
Recipe
sprouted sesame wheat bagel
hummus
cucumber
tomatoe
bell pepper
sprouts, micro-green mix
Slice bagel in half and lay open on a plate. Optional to toast, Bianca likes it that way. Spread a generous amount of hummus on both slices, any of your favorite flavors would work great. Layer sliced, tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers. Load the sprouts on top and enjoy! Caution: this meal can get a bit messy!

Bianca added that next time she wouldn't put the sprouts on top because it's really hard to eat it this way. So maybe try sprouts, then a layer of cucumbers to hold the sprouts in.

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

God

God is in control.

Yes, our God, the God of Abraham, Israel, and Jacob, the God of the heavens and the earth, the God of the whole universe, yes, our God is in control.

"See I have inscribed you on the palm of My hands, Your walls are continually before Me." Isaiah 49:16

I think with all the busyness of school during this season of studies that I am in the most valuable lesson God is teaching me is that He is in control. It might seem so simple, like duh, Dan, we all know that by know. But really this profound truth should leave us living in complete peace, experiencing the fullness of His joy and waiting on a God who is and has always been faithful. We should be expecting God to show up in a powerful way every single day! Can we all say we're doing that? I don't think so. I think I've lost sight of the Jesus I believe in, standing right before me, walking with me through everything. As I drove to school this morning praying, Lord be with me as I take this midterm, He gave me his perspective for my life. I was made for something so much bigger, I was made for heaven and I can live like that right now.

Someone told me this week that it's so obvious I know my citizenship is in heaven, that it's written all over my life. It encouraged me beyond expression, I don't even think I would have thought that about myself in a million years. But God is just teaching me that He is in control, that He is my God, and where does He reign? HEAVEN! So that's where I live! This life is fleeting, but the life to come is eternal. Anything in your life that doesn't reflect heaven, don't let it shake you, you have a God who wants to give you a rock to stand on, let Him.

"While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Seeking His peace,
Dani

p.s. Hope this makes up for my lack of devotionals this month ;)

Soft Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies

Wednesdays are movie day at our house where a bunch of our friends come over from our Religion and Film class to watch the film every week. Becky and Wes are so hospitable and invited everyone to stay for dinner a couple of times. Tonight Becky made these fabulous Molasses Cookies that just so happen to be fairly healthy! I was just DYING at how delicious they were. She thought they didn't come out that great because she milled the barley into flour herself and it didn't get fine enough but I thought they were just wonderful! Not entirely vegan but sometimes we need to be able to make exceptions, it's only healthy :)
Recipe
1 C vegetable oil
1 C dark molasses
1 egg
1/2 C honey
5 C barley flour
1/2 t salt
2 t soda
2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t ginger
1/2 t cloves
Mix oil, molasses, honey and egg. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little a time until completely smooth. Chill the dough for tow hours, it handles better that way according to the recipe. Shape into 1/2'' balls and place onto a greased cookie sheet about 2'' apart from one another to allow to spread while baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. This recipe will make about 5 dozen so you may want to halve it.

Enjoy,
<3 Dani