December 24, 2024

Spinach Pakoras with Royal Dip

October 23, 2015 by

Spinach Pakora

I first had these delicious veggie fritters at a stand at the farmer’s market.  I’d never seen them before, but it was love at first bite!  I swore I’d have to find a way to make them at home – and I did!  Spinach Pakoras with Royal Dip are healthy, tasty, vegetarian and gluten-free too!  These Indian snacks are eaten with a minty yogurt dip and are a popular street food.

The only ingredient that may be a bit tough to find is chickpea flour.  Also called gram flour or besan flour, it’s just dried garbanzo beans ground powder-fine.  I made it at home, and while it took a bit of time because my food processor is wimpy, it worked very well!  If you do grind your own, you will need to sift it through a fine sieve, and return any pebbles to the food processor for a finer grind.  After that, it’s smooth sailing.  If you’re lucky enough to have an Indian grocery store nearby, stop in and buy some chickpea flour – and whatever else catches your eye and tempts your nose!

Spinach Pakora with Royal Dip

Spinach Pakoras with Royal Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon mint, finely minced
  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon  ground fennel seeds
  • 2 tablespoons rice flour (or use more chickpea flour, or use regular flour)
  • 2 cups fresh spinach or other hearty greens (mustard, collard, kale), chopped
  • 1/2 onion, cut into very thin strings
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup water (may use more or less)
  • oil for frying:  grapeseed, coconut, peanut, or vegetable oil

Directions:

  1. Make the Royal Dip:  stir together the yogurt, garlic, cilantro, and mint.  Cover and refrigerate.
  2. Mix together the chickpea flour, curry powder, fennel, and rice flour in a large bowl.
  3. Mix in the spinach and onion. Stir to combine.
  4. Add about 3 tablespoons of water and stir.  Mix it all very well.  You don’t want a thin batter – you just want the flour to be wet and coating the veggies.  Add a bit of water until you make a thick batter.
  5. Heat the oil over a medium burner and drop the pakora batter in by the tablespoonful.  Try to flatten them out a bit so they are pancake-shaped as opposed to spherical.  Cook for about 3 minutes until crispy, then flip and cook the other side.
  6. Remove pakoras to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a bit of salt.  Serve hot with the Royal Dip.
Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

This Week…Psalm 119:105

October 23, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have been reminded of God’s promise that His Word brings light for our feet along life’s path.  Our devotional writers have shared their understanding with us in the devotions that they have written.  Please click on each link to read their complete devotional; but here are a few excerpts from their thoughts….

In The Word is Our Light, Ann reminded us that the True Light will help us with the darkness the world brings….

In John 1:9 the Bible says the Word of God is the True Light.  It is the Sword of the Spirit with which you pierce your way through the darkness of life.  If the True Light dwells richly in you then fear, defeat, failure, and all other results of darkness won’t have any place in you.  You won’t fear because the True Light will show you that God has not given you the spirit of fear.

❦

In Guidance, Tina shared the example of the Father of Faith—Abraham—and how God guided him….

But, that aside, how can someone travel through life without knowing God?  God designed us for fellowship with Him.  Not for us to be separated from His perfect love. God chose a people to be called his own, a people to be set apart.  As God searched, He found Abram.  God calls Abram to leave his family…

❦

In His Word – Our Light, Our Lamp, Cynda brings our attention to a couple of important points about our steps along God’s path….

The Word of God can make our steps clear.  The Bible should be used to help us walk the way God wants us to walk and live the way He wants us to live.  When we choose not to use His Word, our path becomes unclear.  We aren’t sure if our next step will be on a firm foundation or down a dangerous alley…

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Were It Not For Grace

October 22, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Time measured out my days, life carried me along
In my soul I yearned to follow God but knew I’d never be so strong
I looked hard at this world to learn how heaven could be gained
Just to end where I began where human effort is all in vain

Were it not for grace…I can tell you where I’d be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
And I know how that would go—the battles I would face
Forever running but losing the race…were it not for grace

So here is all my praise expressed with all my heart
Offered to the Friend who took my place and ran a course I could not start
And when He saw in full just how much His Love would cost
He still went the final mile between me and heaven so I would not be lost

Sandi Patty
written by David Hamilton, Phil McHugh
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

“Were it not for grace!” (Were you belting out this chorus along with Miss Sandi Patty?)  I believe you (me, too!) are thoroughly and thankfully cognizant of the awesome goodness of Almighty God to mankind in the incredible provision of His grace.  And it is SO good to be aware of where we would be…but perhaps even more important to recognize that, because of grace, we are where God would have us to be.  We—all of mankind!—are constant recipients of God’s amazing grace!  Throughout the Bible, we find many believers well aware of and thankful for God’s grace!  Whether it was James offering motivation to the Hebrews living in dispersion throughout Europe or David’s exclamation of praise, these are just two examples of men who were assured of the truth regarding grace.

But He gives more grace.
Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
James 4:6

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11

Equally we, too, should be assured of all that Jesus’ sacrifice and death has given to us by God’s grace.

[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God,
freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy),
through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
Romans 3:24

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1 and 2

And so we can also praise our God declaring how good and kind He has been to us! We are redeemed, saved, freed from slavery to sin and now live, in that freedom, under grace.

For sin shall no longer be your master,
because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14

Paul shared the following with Titus as he urged him to encourage and reprove the people in Crete.  May we have the same heart—keeping in mind the grace we have received and do constantly receive!

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
waiting for our blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness
and to purify for Himself a people
for His own possession who are zealous for good.
Titus 2:11-14

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

His Word – Our Light, Our Lamp

October 21, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105 NLT

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

The simplicity of this verse astounds me.  So easy to say!  Yet often, it is very difficult to do.  According to Bible.org, the “Word” /(imrah) denotes anything God has spoken, commanded or promised—His thoughts, His commands, His promises give guidance and instruction for our lives.  The Word of God can make our steps clear.

The Bible should be used to help us walk the way God wants us to walk and live the way He wants us to live.  When we choose not to use His Word, our path becomes unclear.  We aren’t sure if our next step will be on a firm foundation or down a dangerous alley.

For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,
and corrective discipline is the way to life.
Proverbs 6:23 HSCB

His Word shows us not only where to step but where NOT to step.  It doesn’t always light the whole path but it does provides direction for the next step or two.

I was pondering this verse during my morning walk.  As I started to pay attention to the path, I noticed it wasn’t always clear. Sometimes it was cluttered with leaves, making it hard to determine where the edges were. Other parts were shaded by tall trees blocking the sun.  And sometimes the path wasn’t clear because I had forgotten to remove my sunglasses.

My spiritual path is like that as well.  Sometimes it is cluttered with the junk I allow in my life.  Other times it is shaded by worldly views or my opinion. Often I cannot see it clearly simply because I have forgotten to spend enough time in His Word.   Then I begin to wonder things like:

  • Why do I neglect to consult His Word throughout the day?
  • Why do I only seek His guidance sometimes?
  • Am I too busy?
  • Do I trust my judgment more than His?

I don’t know; it could be all of the above.  But I do know that, when I neglect His Word, my steps falter.  The more time I spend in His Word, the more I study His Word, the more it will become an ingrained part of me.  Job 29:3 tells us “He lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness.”  My path will be smoother because He will be directing my steps. And surely there won’t be nearly as many wrong turns, dark alleys, or so much time spent going in circles.  I know I need His Light but sometimes I forget to turn it on.  How about you?  Is your path well-lit?

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let’s use Psalm 43:3 HCSB as our prayer:

Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me.
Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place.
– Amen, it is so!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Word is Our Light

October 20, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Life is filled with choices that can either make you or break you.  At different stages of life you are presented with a variety of choices.  And to make such decisions without errors you need proper guidance—which only God’s Word can provide.

In John 1:9 the Bible says the Word of God is the True Light.  It is the Sword of the Spirit with which you pierce your way through the darkness of life.  If the True Light dwells richly in you then fear, defeat, failure, and all other results of darkness won’t have any place in you.  You won’t fear because the True Light will show you that God has not given you the spirit of fear.  You won’t be defeated because you will see that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  You won’t be sick because you will discover that by His stripes you were healed.  The Word of God will reveal to you what God sees you to be.

The unfolding of your words gives light it gives understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:130

It’s your responsibility to invest the Word of God in yourself by studying it regularly. If you can feed your mind with it and store it in your spirit, the Word of God will produce great results in you and you will glow with the glory of God.  You will have a clear direction in life and others will acknowledge that you are different.

We can live victoriously if we keep the Word of God in our hearts.  If there is any darkness in your family, academics, or business just take hold of the light of God’s Word and pierce through the darkness in the name of Jesus.

The Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, thank You for who You are to us.  Your love for us is so great…we bless You, dear Lord.  Thank You for the portion of Scripture this week that we need to walk in the understanding that it is only by Your Word we are given guidance. Thank You that You direct our paths in Jesus’ name.  We pray that You do not leave us alone;  guide and protect us always in Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Guidance

October 19, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Did you know when people traveled at night in the old days, they would attach a lantern to their sandals?  This way the pathway was lit and they could travel safer.  During the day, robbers would lay in wait for their victims, but at night they were usually home with family and friends.

But, that aside, how can someone travel through life without knowing God?  God designed us for fellowship with Him.  Not for us to be separated from His perfect love. God chose a people to be called his own, a people to be set apart.  As God searched, He found Abram.  God calls Abram to leave his family and go to a land He will give him and will make Abram a father of many nations.  So Abram packed up his wife and his nephew went with him to this new place.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country
and your kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:1  

Abram never questioned his walk with God.  He choose to follow and believe no matter what…or how long a promise might take to be fulfilled.  Can we wait 30, 40, 50 or more years for a promise to be fulfilled?  We may not think so.  My friends, we serve a God who looks out for our best, not what we think is best.  He knows the bigger picture.

God promised Abraham and Sarah a son.   And, when Abraham was near 100 years old and Sarah was almost 90 years old, the promise was fulfilled.

And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age
at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:2

How awesome is God for proving His love for these two.  Sarah may have doubted, believing her body was past the time to provide children, but God had a bigger plan for these two.

My friends, God would do this and much more for us—if only we would believe and follow His good and righteous path for our lives.  We need to cultivate our love for Him by reading or listening to His word and by submitting to the teaching of others.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, I thank You for loving us when we are not lovable.  Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who keeps us from walking too far away from You.  Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who fulfilled Your promise and showed us how to walk with You.  Do not give up on us.  Do not take your Spirit away from us when we stray or stubbornly look away. Forgive us for our rebellious nature and for sinning against You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

10,000 Reasons

October 19, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I worship Your holy name

The sun comes up; it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
10,000 years and then forever more

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I worship Your holy name
Jesus, I worship Your holy name
I worship Your holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I worship Your holy name
I worship Your holy name
I worship Your holy name

Matt Redman
written with Jonas Myrin

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name.
Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,
Psalms 103:1-2a AMP

Recently I have seen several FaceBook posts about blessing the Lord.  This song immediately came to mind.  And, as I thought about blessing the Lord, two questions were at the forefront:

1) Why are we to bless the Lord?    2) How do we bless the Lord?

First, WHY  are we to bless the Lord?  The song title says there are 10,000 reasons to bless the Lord.  And in the second verse, it gives us several specific reasons taken from Scripture:

  • The Lord is rich in love

But God, being [so very] rich in mercy,
because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us…
Ephesians 2:4 AMP

Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God,
…rich in faithful love and truth,
Exodus 34:6 HCSB

  • The Lord is slow to anger

Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Joel 2:13 NKJV

The Lord is slow to anger…forgiving wrongdoing and rebellion
Numbers 14:18 HCSB

  • His name is great

Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord
You are great, and Your name is great in might
Jeremiah 10:6 NKJV

I will vindicate the holiness of My great name
which has been profaned among the nations
Ezekiel 36:23 NASB

  • His heart is kind

For His merciful kindness is great toward us
Psalm 117:2 NKJV

“But with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord your Redeemer.
Isaiah 54:8 AMP

The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds
Psalm 145:17 NASB

But, the best reason is because He loves us.  John 3:16 tells us He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place, so that we could have everlasting life.

Augustine explained it like this
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

His plan would have been put into effect even if you or I were the only person on earth. This leaves me speechless!

And, second, HOW  do we bless the Lord?  What could I possibly do that would bless Him?  Thankfully, in the words of David, we have the answer:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:1-3NKJV

We are to praise the Lord continually—boast about Him, magnify Him, and exalt His Holy name.  That’s how we bless the Lord.  (That’s not asking too much, is it?)

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thy Word

October 18, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.

When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way,
Still You’re there right beside me.
And nothing will I fear
As long as You are near.
You are near me to the end.

I will not forget Your love for me, and yet
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus, be my Guide,
And hold me to Your side.
I will love You to the end.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path,
And a light unto my path.
You’re the Light unto my path.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Lemon Basil Cookies

October 16, 2015 by

Lemon Basil Cookies

If your FaceBook newsfeed or email are anything like mine, you’ve got dozens of recipes to view every day.  From pages you ‘liked’ to friends sharing recipes, I’m bombarded with recipes for tasty treats all day long!  However, I saw this recipe for Lemon Basil Cookies on the Elana’s Pantry website, and I said to myself – that’s the one I’m going to make today!

I still have lots of basil growing in my flower bed, so that was handy to come by.  Almond flour is easy to find at the store now, and you can also make your own if you choose.  These cookies are herbal and fresh tasting, with a nice balance of flavors.  In fact, I tasted a bit of salt in mine from the salted butter I used, which offset the sweetness.  You may choose to add another tablespoon of honey, because these cookies are not overly sweet.  Try them and see – perfectly balanced, deliciously different!

Lemon Basil Cookies  (Recipe from Elana’s Pantry)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup coconut butter (I used regular butter and they came out great!)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the almond flour, salt, and baking soda.
  3. Add the butter, honey, basil and lemon zest.  Blend again until a ball of dough forms.
  4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or use a Silpat mat.  Scoop a teaspoon full of dough and drop it on the parchment paper.  These cookies spread, so give them some room!
  5. Cook for about 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for an hour.
  6. Store in a sealed container.  This made about 18 cookies for me.
Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If We Keep Quiet

October 16, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Hathach came back and related Mordecai’s words to Esther.  Then Esther spoke to Hathach and ordered him to reply to Mordecai:  “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.”  

So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.  Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed.  If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.  Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”  

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”

So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Esther 4:9-17 NLT

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Esther is one of my favorite books of the bible.  I love the story line and how it reads like a romance novel.  In this chapter of the book, there has been an evil plan that will end in the Jews losing their lives.  Mordecai is Esther’s uncle and he has begged her to save them by going to the king and telling him of the plan.  However Esther knows that if she dares go before the king, without being summoned, she is likely to be killed.  Big risk!

Can you imagine not being able to go to your husband that you have grown to love dearly unless he calls you?  And, in this passage, the king hasn’t summoned her in about 30 days.  She is a little afraid, really.  (Wouldn’t you be?)  She sends a message back to Mordecai saying that it’s too dangerous.  After hearing his reply and thinking more about it, she comes to the conclusion that either way she could die…so why not choose the role of hero.  She also knows that her God is bigger than all of this and she would rather trust Him and obey what she feels He would ask of her.

We all have fears and anxiety.  If we let them, they can consume us and actually keep us from the calling that God has placed on our lives.  And what if we, like Esther, are called to do something big, too.  For this season, in this time, you could be changing lives for the kingdom.  Saving people simply by sharing the good news of Jesus!  And if there is any question in your mind about “if” you are called to tell all who will listen,  then, may you be reminded that Jesus calls everyone to go into the world and tell of Him.  This decision to follow Him is life.

And then He told them,
“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”
Mark 16:15

So today, I pray that God will show us those who need to hear the hope of Him.  And that He will give us all the courage to step out and share all that He has done for us.  I celebrate with you today that we have Him as our Father!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let us pray: Dear God, we thank You for giving us the opportunity to live in a free country where speaking Your name is not met with punishment but well received.  Thank You for continuing to bless us and for the free gift of grace that is free.  We don’t deserve it; yet You forgive our every sin.  Lord, today, I pray that You will reveal to each one of us those around us who need to hear Your name and the hope that we have in You.  Give us the wisdom and the courage to share this good news so that when You do come back to get us, Lord, we will all be ready!  We love You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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