Author: Joy

Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwiches

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment
Here is a quick, healthy, delicious, and easily adaptable vegetarian lunch!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Tbsp each of mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, and mustard (or some combination to make a 1/4 cup)
  • 1/4 tsp each of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder (or whatever spices you’d like!)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
  • 1/4 cup diced tomato
  • 2 Tbs finely chopped celery

Directions:

In a small bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork until partly pasty.

IMG_4006

Blend in the liquids (whatever combination you want).

IMG_4027

Add the rest of the ingredients, and adjust the seasonings to taste. I garnish with extra chopped tomatoes and chili powder.

IMG_4041

Excellent served with pita chips, but any bread will do. Great served with lettuce or avocado too! You can be creative with this recipe, but I love this combination! :)

Introducing: Musical Mondays

~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

piano_keyboard_template

I have an amazing talent for avoiding piano recitals. They terrify me. I don’t like them. I took piano lessons for about four years, had four different teachers, and was never in a recital.

My second piano teacher begged me to be in her recital. I was eleven at the time, a serious introvert, a relatively new pianist, and by no means excited at the thought of performing in front of others. Even though my younger sister chose to be in it, I happily sat in the audience on recital day.

Over the years I’ve gotten more comfortable with playing piano in front of others. I’ve learned to lighten up, enjoy the song, stumble through the mess ups, and simply play whatever my fingers decide to play. It usually turns out alright when my audience doesn’t know the song.

I realize that music is meant to be shared. That is why I strive to overcome my nervousness of playing music in front of others. That is also why I am starting Blog of Joy’s “Musical Mondays.” Every Monday I will try to share an original composition, or a piano cover of another song.

x_20100227201125_img_7518_resized
Photo courtesy of my brother Jay at dview.us

This Monday’s song is an original composition called “Sunshine.” Here’s the MP3: Sunshine

More music next Monday! :)

Joy

Cajun Chicken

~ Joy ~ 1 Comment
IMG_3913
This spicy chicken is delicious and easy to make with only 5 ingredients!

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs chicken breasts
  • 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 Tbs Cajun Seasoning
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 Tbs melted butter

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Cajun Seasoning, and salt. Dip each chicken breast in the melted butter and then coat it in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Place in a parchment lined 8″ by 11″ baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Favorite Music of 2013

~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

One of the exciting things about every year is discovering new music. It’s always fun to discover a new artist (or rediscover an old one) that you enjoy. Here is some of my favorite music of 2013:

IMG_3753_cSashaArutyunova2012_926px
Josh Garrels

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Josh Garrels is definitely one of my favorite artists. I first found out about Josh Garrels’ music last spring, and was able to attend one of his concerts this fall. It was an awesome time, and he was just as good (and I think better) than on recordings.

LoudHarp_artwork5-01

Another band that I have enjoyed is an alternative/electronic start-up band called Loud Harp. One of the things that I appreciate the most about Loud Harp’s music is its peaceful simplicity. Their music explores the depths of God’s mercy and love in our lives. I find it encouraging and relaxing.

audreyassad_wl
Audrey Assad

 

 

Audrey Assad is one of my favorite singers of the year. Her voice is angelic, her piano melodies are beautiful, and her songs are heartfelt and encouraging. Some of my favorite songs of hers are Even the Winter, Restless, and Good to Me.

gungor

 

Gungor is another band that I have enjoyed this year.  I love Gungor’s innovative style and meaningful songs. Some of my favorites songs of theirs are Dry Bones, Crags and Clay, and Beautiful Things.

phpThumb_generated_thumbnailjpg

Another one of my favorite bands of the year is Rend Collective Experiment with their down-to-earth and uplifting songs of praise.  Their latest album Campfire is a masterpiece of beautiful songs. Some of my favorite songs on the album are Movements, You Bled, and 10,000 Reasons.

Of course, these are just a few of the artist and bands that I have enjoyed this year. I am very thankful for all the talented musicians God has placed on this earth. What would life be like without music? Hmmm…that reminds me of a story I wrote once. :)

10,000 Reasons: A Thankfulness Challenge for 2014

~ Joy ~ 7 Comments

x_20091005092820_img_5427_resized

I’d like to invite you to join me for a thankfulness challenge for 2014. Inspired by the song 10,000 Reasons, I have decided to write down over 10,000 things that I am thankful for in the course of next year.

Here’s how it works:

  • Write down 29 things every day that you are thankful for (starting on January 1st).
  • No repeats are allowed. Every day you must write down new things that you are thankful for. They can be things from your past or present, but they must be something you haven’t already written.

The end result will be 10,324 reasons to bless God. I hope that this challenge will help me to appreciate God’s goodness in my life more than ever. I’d love for you to join me. :)

“The Lord’s loving kindness indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail
They are new every morning
Great is your faithfulness.”

(Lamentations 3:22-23)

Blessings!

Joy

Pecan Streusel Muffins

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment
IMG_3736-001
Here you have it–flavorful whole wheat muffins topped with cinnamon pecan streusel. Slightly sweet and largely delicious!

Muffins:

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup honey granules (or sugar)
  • 1 Tbs vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pinch of nutmeg

Cream the butter, applesauce, buttermilk, honey granules, vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Line 16 muffins cups with paper liners. Pour the batter evenly into the cups.

Streusel:

  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 Tbs whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tbs sucanat (or brown sugar)
  • 1 Tbs cinnamon
  • 1 Tbs butter, melted

Stir together the streusel ingredients. Top the muffins with the streusel and press it gently into the batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and edges are golden. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the muffins from the muffin tins. Serve warm (slathered with butter), or cooled. Either way they’re delicious!

Makes 16 muffins

Black Bean Tacos with Butternut Squash Hummus

~ Joy ~ 5 Comments

IMG_3638

I love these tacos. My mom loves them even more. After a few bites she exclaimed, “I think this is my new favorite meal!”

IMG_3463
Butternut Squash Hummus

I don’t think I’d go that far, but it was definitely a fun recipe to concoct and eat! These tacos are colorful, scrumptious, and vegetarian. That’s what I’m talking about! :)

IMG_3662-001 IMG_3664 IMG_3670

This recipe makes about eight large tacos or sixteen small ones (I found one large taco to be quite filling). It fed our family of seven well and we had leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can organic sweet corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1 Tbs Cajun Seasoning
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Serve with:

  • Whole Wheat Tortillas*
  • Butternut Squash Hummus**
  • spinach
  • 2 tomatoes, thinly slices
  • Additional toppings: salsa, sour cream, and slices of avocado.

Directions:

  1. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the chopped onion, and saute until the onion is tender.
  3. Add the sliced peppers, and saute until the peppers are beginning to get tender (this will take several minutes).
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook until heated through.

To Serve:

Spread Butternut Squash Hummus in the center of each tortilla and top with a handful of spinach. Next layer on the beans, tomatoes, and additional topping as desired. Enjoy!

Notes:

*I made my own tortillas beforehand using a doubled version of this recipe. It made 16 very large tortillas.

**The Butternut Squash Hummus gives these tacos their signature taste, but I imagine it could be substituted with refried beans for easier prep work.

Butternut Squash Hummus

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment
IMG_3463
Butternut squash adds a sweet twist to this classic Mediterranean dip.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup pureed cooked butternut squash*
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 Tbs tahini (optional)
  • 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cloves minced garlic

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve fresh or refrigerate. If the hummus gets dry, you can drizzle olive oil over the hummus to moisten it. Serve with bread (preferably pita bread or flat bread).

Makes about 2 1/2 cups of hummus

*Here is a helpful tutorial on how to peel, cut, and cook butternut squash. (I like to drizzle olive oil over the chopped squash and sprinkle it with salt and pepper and mix it with my hands before cooking.) The cooked squash can easily be pureed in a food processor. You will only need a small amount of it for this recipe, so feel free to experiment with the rest of the squash or serve it as a side dish.

Luscious Lemon Muffins

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment
IMG_3161
Mmm… I love these lemon muffins. I also love the the lemony aroma wafting from the kitchen when they are baking. Simple. Luscious. Aromatic. ‘Nough said. :)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • zest of 1 lemon* (about 1 Tbs)
  • juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup honey granules (or sugar)
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (or butter)
  • 1/2 tsp lemon extract (or 2 more tsp of lemon zest)
  • 2 eggs

Directions:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, buttermilk, honey granules, coconut oil, lemon extract, and eggs; beat well. Blend in the flour mixture until combined. Place muffin liners in 10 muffin cups, and pour the batter evenly into the cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool a few minute before removing from tin. Serve warm (these taste incredible warm), or cool on wire racks.

*You can get the zest from the lemon by scraping it against a cheese grater. But make sure that you do this before juicing the lemon!

makes 10 muffins

Amusing Ourselves to Death

~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

51NHVAPNVYL

“Television does not ban books, it simply displaces them,” states Neil Postman in his insightful book, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Written in 1985, Amusing Ourselves to Death shows the negative side of media and technology, and how it is sculpting and redefining society. Postman argues that it is not George Orwell’s “control of the State” made infamous in his book 1984 that should be feared in America so much as Aldous Huxley’s proposition represented in Brave New World–that people would not have to be enslaved, that they would enslave themselves. Postman warns that by allowing media to infiltrate our reasoning, we enslave ourselves in a world of show business, becoming victims of a culture that is amusing itself to death.

Postman claims that television has placed us in a “peek-a-boo world” where “now this event, now that, pops into view for a moment, than vanishes again.” It is “a world without much coherence or sense; a world that does not ask us, indeed, does not permit us to do anything: a world that is, like the child’s game of peek-a-boo, entirely self-containing. But like peek-a-boo, it is also endlessly entertaining.” Postman, however, is not opposed to the idea of entertainment as long as it does not define our world, as he he quotes someone who said: “we all build castles in the air. The problem is when we try to live in them.”

“Public consciousness has not yet assimilated the point that technology is ideology,” says Postman, “This, in spite of the fact that before our very eyes technology has altered every aspect of life in America during the past eighty years.” Postman argues that media has taken our focus away from reason, has diminished our attention span, and has turned us into an image-centered society, obsessed with amusement. Everything has become a form of entertainment, including education, news reports, elections, and religion.

As Postman says, “we rarely talk about television, only what is on television.” The same can be said about media and technology today. We rarely talk beyond the content of media to discuss the influence that it is making on our society. If you are interested in deeper research on the effects of media and technology, I recommend Neil Postman’s thought-provoking book Amusing Ourselves to Death.