CURRY BROCCOLI SALAD

If you like the taste of curry but not the heat, you should enjoy this salad. Tal is not a big curry fan, but he liked the combination of flavor. I do not recommend Bacon because of the preservatives and other additives, but I have found a sourse of Bacon that have none. Ingles carries Harvest, All Natural and the health food stores usually carry clean Bacon. If this is not on your list of "no-no" foods and you use Bacon occassionally as I do, this may be another salad to add to your raw food recipe book.

For a family of 4, the following portions should be adequate. I split it for 2.

4 - 6 slices of Bacon
two heads or stalks of Broccoli
Diced Sweet Onion
Dried Cherries
Sunflower Seeds or use Slivered Almonds, etc.

Make a dressing of:
3/4 cup Mayo (I make my own or use Veganaise with Grape Seed Oil, no egg, etc.)
1 tsp Curry Powder
2 T. ACV (raw apple cider vinegar - I try to avoid distilled vinegars. or use Lemon)
Pinch of Stevia Powder. Honey might work, but I have not tried it.

Fry Bacon and crumble it into the salad. Make this dish first so it can marinate the flavors.

Rice and Kale Salad W/Spicy Dressing

Another successful creation, according to family and friends. So I will share it with you. Although I am not a raw foodist, I am convinced that an 80-20 ratio (80% being raw) is a healthier way to eat for most people. I try to eat as much dark green vegetables as I can. A hand full of raw Kale, Spinach, Chard, are my favorite additions to fruit smoothies. I have a few more Kale Salads to share with you, so come on and get brave.

And remember, raw vegetables taste quite different than cooked ones.

Spicy Lemon/Lime Cilantro Dressing (with variation of Sun-dried Tomato Dressing)

1 TBS. chopped Cilantro
1/4 cup fresh Lemon/Lime Juice (can use only lemon or lime)
1 small Clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt (don't buy sea salt that has been bleached or added anti-caking
agents. This is not healthy salt)
Dash of Cumin and Cayenne

Make the Sun-dried Tomato Dressing by chopping about 8. Add them to the Lime/Lemon Cilantro Dressing. Blend in a blender or use an emulsifier stick to encorporate into the dressing. (The Spicy Lime/Lemon cilantro Dresssing would probably be good also.)

Prepare the Kale
You want the Kale in bite size pieces. I remove the tough ribs, wash well and dry, and place in a bowl whatever amount you want to serve.

Add some cooked Brown Rice, you decide the ratio of rice to Kale, but don't add a bit of Kale with your rice, add a bit of rice with the Kale.

Pour some Sun-dried Lime/Cilantro Dressing over the kale and rice. Then massage the rice with your hands. Allow to soften while you prepare the rest of your meal.

Give me feed back, please.

APRIL 17

Be Thou my vision, Oh Lord of my heart.
Be nothing else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought both day and night.
Waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

This song holds much meaning for me. It is running through my mind this morning and it has framed my entercession for several personal situations.

When life becomes a challenge or down right grievious, you find yourself in another battle. Life is full of battles. Battles are not an option. So Jesus told us, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

So I asked, "What does that mean? How does that benefit my life? Does it mean that in Christ I will escape the battles since He has fought and won? If I could just do life right, gain enough spiritual knowledge, and get close enough to Jesus, I would not have to experience the tribulations that are common in the world." I had hoped that Jesus would agree with that, but He has altered my understanding drastically.

Jesus is acknowledging the condition that exists; "All of creation is out of order due to sin, but don't despair. Instead, look to Me, come close to Me, draw what you need for what you are facing from Me. Let My vision become yours. I have overcome all you will ever be confronted with. I have taken upon Myself your condemnation and shame, so now just step in to your inheritance. When you feel established in My peace, stand up and be My representative in your present situation. Discover what I want to do here and declare it to be so." Ro.8

If this is God's perspective and His expectation for His sons and daughters, then I say with the one who penned this song.

BE MY VISION. Allow me to see the King. Create in me Heaven's perspective here. I choose to relax in You regardless.

BE NOTHING ELSE TO ME SAVE THAT THOU ART. I am not demanding you be for me or do for me more/less than You are. Only let me stand in Your sufficiency. I want nothing more than Kingdom reign here. You always do abundantly above all I could ask or think.

THOU MY BEST THOUGHT BOTH DAY AND NIGHT. Open my eyes to Your highest good. You have told me to pray for and expect Kingdom to come and Your will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. You are my Treasure, the One I would surrender all else for. My highest thoughts bring me into worship of highest praise. My soul rests in the assurance that Your grace and power always works for my highet good.

WAKING AND SLEEPING, THY PRESENCE MY LIGHT. Your light fills my vision. You are enough. Hold me in agreement with all You are and all You have made available, as we apply it to this current issue in my life. Above all, let my life honor You.

APRIL 3

I read a statement some time ago that I had written down in a journel. I had heard it spoken by some evangelist years ago as a child; perhaps from the old radio broadcasts of the Pacific Garden Mission. Do any of you remember or listen to that.

GOD IS ABLE TO SAVE FROM THE GUTTER-MOST TO THE UTTER-MOST. My devotional takes off from this statement. Use it to interceed for family and friends; place their name in the blanks.

GOD IS ABLE
to keep that which I have committed to Him and increase it's measure.
. . . I am Yours.
. . . You are in me never to leave me.
. . . You are in me to guard Your investment.
. . . I am hedged by God's love.

to communicaye His mind and heart with me.
. . . I can hear You - I know Your voice.
. . . I am willing to be made willing.
. . . Use me as You choose.

to complete what You start. Author and Finisher You are.
. . . You remove the grave clothes.
. . . You tare down and smash strongholds.
. . . You push back human limitations for love's sake.

to teach the ways of the Kingdom.
. . . You train me to think like You.
. . . You establish me, shielding me from that which distracts me from You.

to take me from here to there.
. . . ______ from here to there.

to awaken love and awaken in me new places to surrender to my King.
. . . to awaken _______.

to open eyes and ears to greater insights, understanding and spiritual reality.

to mature me in Christ, so that I can more readily release Christ to be who He is in me, and do what He wants to do through me.

APRIL 1

The following devotional is an example of praying in faith. We so seldom talk to our Heavenly Father from a position of peace and confidence, gratitude and trust. It us usually pleading and panic or anxiety and unbelief. I wrote this down as my daily confession of God's grace on my son, Paul, when he made a mission trip to India. I have sense used it as I lift the rest of my family members to God in prayer. I have written it in first person so that it will be your personal confession of declaring God's shepherding heart toward you.

Father, deliver Your people from the evil of fear and unbelief. Shepherd us forever, for we are sheep-like, and we need a shepherd like You.


Good Shepherd, I am Your little lamb. I live in a community of sheep who all need a Shepherd like You. You care for what belongs to You. I belong! You are here!

I lack nothing! You are provision for me, abundant supply. In Your presence, even my mind senses no lack.

I enjoy green pastures for rest and nourishment.

I am refreshed by limitless streams of Living Water.

Your presence restores, corrects, builds up.

You guide me in paths of rightness of Your design.

I do not fear disaster, for Your voice reminds me of Your promised presence as I move through death's dark ravines that cast threatening shadows on my soul.

Your shepherding rod and staff are such a comfort to me! You are so skilled in using these tools to form me in Your image.

The table You prepare for me is sumptuous! You have forgotten nothing, no disappointment in what You provide.

You call me to walk openly where enemies watch. They may try to distract me, to turn away from Your sufficiency and superior pleasures. But You guard my heart and are jealous for my affections.

Your anointing of my head is from an overflowing cup. Your goodness and grace follow and pursue me, providing a covering for my back.

Father, receive my gratitude for Your provisions through the finished work of Christ in my behalf. I love You.