Tomato Basil Hummus
* 2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or soaked if using dried
* 1 can (15 ounce) whole, peeled tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons of tahini
* 2 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon cumin
* 1 clove of garlic, crushed
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 ½ tablespoon basil, chopped
Preparation:
In a blender or food processor, blend the chickpeas. Add tomatoes, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, basil, and salt until the ingredients form a creamy, paste-like consistency. Pour the mixture into a large serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
We added four sun-dried tomatoes to the above recipe. We also added a couple of shots of Frank's Red Hot, to give it more zing. It was delicious!
Ingredients:
* 1 large cucumber, seedless if possible
* 1 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
* ¼ cup liquid from can of chickpeas
* 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending upon taste)
* 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation:
In a blender or food processor, blend chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, and olive oil until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Add liquid from chickpeas until desired consistency, creamy and paste-like.
Top each cucumber round with a dollop of hummus. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Isaiah 22 caught my attention today:
1 ¶ The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,
2 You who are full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, Nor dead in battle.
3 All your rulers have fled together; They are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; They have fled from afar.
4 Therefore I said, "Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people."
5 For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord GOD of hosts In the Valley of Vision—Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain.
6 Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield.
7 It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 ¶ He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest;
9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall.
11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.
12 And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth.
13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
God was sending His judgment upon His own people, in the form of invading chariots and horsemen. The people responded by looking to the armouries, by making sure they had water and that the enemies could not get to the water, and by fortifying the wall.
But, in all of their preparations, they did not look to their "Maker, Nor did [they] have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago. Instead of weeping and mourning, they feasted and made merry. They forgot to repent, and look to the Lord for His deliverance.
Matthew Henry commented:
Let us learn hence.
1. To look for distress ourselves. We know not what straits we may be brought into before we die. Those that live in cities may be forced to lodge in forests; and those may know the want of necessary food who now eat bread to the full. Our mountain stands not so strong but that it may be moved, rises not so high but that it may be scaled. These Arabians would the better bear these calamities because in their way of living they had used themselves to hardships.
Our circumstances could change in a moment. We ought not to be too proud when we are successful, when everything's "all as it should be". We ought to remember that every good thing we enjoy is temporary, this side of eternity.
2. To look with compassion upon those that are in distress, and with all cheerfulness to relieve them, not knowing how soon their case may be ours:
"Bring water to those that are thirsty, and not only
give bread to those that need and ask it, but prevent
those with it that have need; give it to them unasked."
We aren't guaranteed that our job will continue till the end of our lives. And we ought not to judge those who find themselves in times of trial, or lay-offs, or medical emergencies. Instead, we ought to offer them a "cup of cold water", or whatever we can give to alleviate their pain and to encourage them to persevere.
Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name
