Veg/Vegan- Adzuki beans (Desi Chori -Indian) and Spinach burgers Patties

Veg/Vegan burgers - Adzuki beans (Desi Chori) and Spinach burgers.

9 Ingredients

• 0.75 cup, Aldi's Chef Cupboard--bread Crumbs--plain
• 42 g, Oil
• 1 lemon yields, Lemon juice, raw
• 1 tsp, Salt
• 1 tsp (15g), Green Chilli Paste

• 2 tbsp, Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1.33 cup (85g), Frozen Chopped Spinach
• 1 cup, Chickpea flour (besan)
• 0.50 cup ( 44 g), Chori Beans

1. Soak Adzuki beans in warm water overnight. I kept it for 24 hour so it became like 3 cups. 

2. Drain most water and grind it in a blender. Do not grind fine but keep the texture coarse. 

3. Add garlic-ginger-green chilli paste, salt, lemon juice, thawed spinach (make sure all water is drained) and Chickpea flour as needed slowly so it forms like a dough to form into round patties that will hold well. 

4. Form into patties like burgers. In a separate plate, spread bread crumbs and roll each into bread crumbs and then pan fry using just a little bit of oil spray with each patty. Cook well on both sides on medium low flame. 

5. When done, remove from the pan, onto a paper towel and let it cool. Use as needed or refrigerate/freeze for use later. 

PS. 1. You can mix and match any vegetables you like with any beans in this manner and make either sausage shapes or round patties and enjoy as you like. 

2. You may deep fry which will add a rich taste but lots of calories. 

Copyright@Kalpana Christian Sharma (Mrs.)

Nutrition Facts
Servings 16.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 97
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g	6 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	2 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 329 mg	14 %
Potassium 124 mg	4 %
Total Carbohydrate 12 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	8 %
Sugars 2 g
Protein 4 g	8 %
Vitamin A	2 %
Vitamin C	3 %
Calcium	3 %
Iron	6 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Veg/Vegan Croquettes

Vegetarian/Vegan Croquettes

16 Ingredients

• 1 cup, French Green Beans chopped
• 340 g, California Medley (Aldi) vegetables chopped Cauliflower, carrots and broccoli. (I removed broccoli but you may use it)
• 0.75 cup (85g), Sweet Garden Peas
• 2 medium, Potato, chopped
• 100 grams, Onion (1/2 cup)
• 1 medium, Tomato
• 1 Tablespoon, Salt
• 0.50 tsp (9g), turmeric powder

• 1 tbsp,Ginger,Garlic, green chilli  Paste
• 10.00 g, Dhana jeera Powder (ground Cumin/Coriander seeds)
• 0.25 cup(s), Oil - Vegetable, canola
• 4 tbsp(s), Rice flour, white
• 0.50 tsp, Baking powder
• 2 cup, Chickpea flour (besan)
• 2 cup (8 fl oz), Water
• 1 cup dry, Breadcrumbs

Chop all vegetables small and wash. (keep onions and tomatoes separate from the rest veg.) 

Put a little oil (2 tablespoons or so) in a pan and add chopped onions, let it cook for a while and add chopped tomatoes. When mixed and cooked in 2 or 3 minutes, add all the vegetables, and spices (salt, turmeric powder, garlic-ginger-chilli paste, dhana jeera powder and let it cook, Add a little water if needed to soften. When ready, mash it coarsely so the peas get mixed well. Let it cool. 

Add rice flour, and baking powder, and form into long oval shape cylinders like sausages. 

In a separate bowl add besan flour, 2 cups water and a little garlic if you like and make a batter. This will be used to coat the croquettes. 

In a separate plate spread breadcrumbs and roll each croquette in it. 

You can deep fry or pan fry as you like and let it cook on all sides before removing from the pan. Eat it with a sauce/chutney of your liking or put it in a hotdog bun and eat as a veg version of a hot dog.  

@Kalpana Christian Sharma (Mrs.) 

Nutrition Facts
Servings 16.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 124
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	2 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 78 mg	3 %
Potassium 212 mg	6 %
Total Carbohydrate 17 g	6 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	13 %
Sugars 3 g
Protein 4 g	9 %
Vitamin A	10 %
Vitamin C	20 %
Calcium	12 %
Iron	3 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Mother's Day 2019 - Honoring Kundanbala (My sister, Kuki)

2019 Mother's Day thoughts.

This year on my blog I want to honor my sister Kundan on this Mother's Day. She is also known as Kuki. Kuki is the 2nd born in our family. Growing up in India while she was a just a preteen, she took on the role of mom-like elder sister. Both our parents were working outside home and later on away in another country, across the seas, in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. Our care taker was elderly so Kuki stood in the gap. At this age, I am now amazed at such a young age HOW she cared for us; only the Lord knows from whom she got the courage and strength to handle that responsibility. As she depended a lot on prayers, even as she loved playing hopscotch with her friends in the streets; her eyes and ears were always on us young two mischievous siblings, or she had  to remember to check on cooking Khichdi or some food. She would equally divide among us three siblings each one's portion. That was so sweet of  her. She kept in good relation with the neighbors,elders and kids alike so if we ever needed anyone, her one sos shout was enough to gather folks to come and help us. We are grateful for good neighbors.

My most beautiful childhood memory of her is when she would gather us two younger siblings (Rajoo our brother and me) near her, for nightly prayers, before going to sleep, cover her head, open her Bible, read it and close her eyes and pray for us 3 to be safe. Her list of protection included protection from, Satan, enemies, poisonous insects and animals, thieves, fear, robbers, ghosts, flesh eating demons, vampires, witches, nightmares, bad thoughts!! wow! we memorized the list so well (hahaha) that I still pray that so unknowingly! She took us to church nearby. She had a good network of good friends. She is a very social person.

Once when she saw a snake like figure moving around and casting a shadow, her scream gathered all neighbors in the night in our house, thank God, it turned out to be a peacock toy made from a thin foil.

Coming to Nairobi in the 1980 she had to learn Swahili and that was a challenge but she did it well. We both loved to sing for the Lord and participate in church activities. She then got married and had two children. Sadly her lovely boy passed away in the prime of his life in a tragic road accident. Kuki has been thru so much in her life, since her childhood yet she keeps going on and there is always a smile on her face. She takes little offense even to insults that just amazes me! God has given her enough grace to handle that. She has juggled much and with prayers and faith in Christ she continues to shine.

She followed in our mom's footsteps and became a nurse as well. Being born in that era as girls, we were two girls, the system treated us like second class citizens, looked down on us, especially her as the older one, but both of us continued trusting God, despite bullies and insults to shine as the Lord allowed us to study and do hard work, being committed to our work in His grace. This year she got an aware for being a great nurse. I am so thankful to God for! Kundan is in nursing profession since 38 years and at the same hospital for all those years!

Here is the word for word speech from her Head of Nursing, and the blessings of her manager, colleagues and staff.

Nurses week 2019 at M P Shah Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. Date: 8^th May, 2019

"Senior elderly nurses:

Today we are going to honor one of us. Who is it? Can you see among yourselves? Are you the one?

The senior council set and chose one of us and there was no rigging. It was free and fair. No sister was hurt. We all as senior council we all settled on a key, being Kundanbala Sioni, (Kuki).

She is being received by the elders. We love her. A few words about Kundan as we celebrate her. We need more than 400  pages to talk about Kundan. She is a great nurse. A nurse has to be so many things. She is a facilitator, a student, she is always learning, a mediator, an organizer, a communicator, a keeper of peace, sort of like a mom. But above all she has the love, caring for people. That’s what Kundan does. Compassionate nurse, compassionate with her patients, she is honest, and caring in nature; detail oriented, emotionally stable, has great judgment, physical endurance, extra ordinary communications skills, honest with herself and her colleagues, always  smiling, and helps achieve organizational patients satisfaction matrix. She does all these things and she loves her job. We appreciate your determination, sister Sioni, you have shown us much in this institution and most of us who have worked under/with sister Sioni can attest to this.

Thank you, for your perseverance, support, and love. Sister Sioni, is a fierce lady prayerful, instrumental in spiritual nourishment. She likes singing as a hobby and I miss her singing in Christmas Cantata. I charge members. Always  comes to the hospital. She likes to  lead in prayers like this this morning I was told to pray but she volunteered and prayed. And every new year like the night before (New Year’s Eve)the new year comes, this is the 1^st nurse to make intercom phone calls to wish the other  departments Happy New Year greetings. Everyone loves working with Sioni. She never takes offense even if you tease her  in what she…like her accent is different from ours, so she normally ask for… when she loses something. Some of us would say, “Sioni, ...ni nini? Then she would  say, “Sikia, mimi kwisha choka.” Yet, she is a great cook and generous. When she works night shifts, after setting the patients, she always ensures we had proper meal. Anyone in doubt? (A big no!!!!! from everyone agreeing to it) And she brings ingredients. She wouldn’t ask you to bring, she brings and she  cooks too. If the world had more people like you, sister Sioni, it would  be a better place to make a difference. Goodness and mercy shall follow you. Happy Nurses week! We have a gift for her as she  turned 60 this year." - Merran Chunga, Head of Nursing

(Well done, Kuki, on this Mother’s day I honor you as you were the prayer-teaching elder sister (mother like) in  the childhood that Raju and I witnessed growing up. You tried to balance being a parenting elder and being a child even as a preteen! Wow!  You shine like  the star.

The world has flashy accolades but the real life is  so simple and not so focused, your life is much like that, so simple yet so powerful. Thanking God for giving you as my sister and for being you! Thank God, you have Christ as your Lord! 

Thank you and God continue to bless you, may the world have elder sisters like Kuki.

Happy 2019th Mother's Day to you all,

In view of His mercy,

Kalpana Christian  ©

Lessons from My Backyard Garden

Two days ago I enjoyed looking at the bumper crop of wild dandelions (!) And I read about it today! LOL and wondered as I did since 16 years why do folks in America get rid of lovely flowers from their boring green lawns! 😁 of course I am still learning to differentiate. Lol.

But seriously I learn about the beauty of the controlled boring green lawns and, now about wild beauty with a different perspective.

1. GOD is mercifully and abundantly blessing even the wicked, at times more than even the 'good' needed plants like my cauliflower and broccoli that delay.
Also my zucchini just show luscious green edible leaves & flowers but no zucchini. (Delay) I took away leaves and cooked so not sure if I harmed it. :)

Acknowledge God's timing, while thanking God for giving 'delayed' sweet berries that also needed hedge of protection over it.

2. I faithfully water and try to remove weeds as and when I can but even then I have to remember if I am doing what I should and sorry for what I don't, yet God bleeses it is His mercy & even when He divinely witholds crop, or delays I still be confident looking at the wild beauty & say if God generously beautifies the "unwanted" weeds so graciously how much more would He be faithful to sustain my well tended plants & me?

3. Even if He chooses to let it die, I trust His wisdom...and His plan, His will. We believe in the God who resurrected and came out of the grave alive and well. He restores....He regenerates...

4. When plants do good, trust and thank Him, when plants delay in fruits, trust and thank Him, when plants die, trust and thank Him; instead of the joy of having my own garden veges and fruits, when God leads me to a temporarily closing Aldi in the 'hood, and the perishable items such as veges and fruits are on really cool sale, trust and thank Him and give glory to Him for leading you there. Thank Him for wisdom to learn from others what fertilizers to use, what nutrients the land may be lacking, while thanking God for even provision of that, still remember joyfully that God reserves the right to not let it grow or flourish out of a better, AND best plan and purpose! So trust in His divine care!

5. No one will be able to accuse God of being partial to bless only His children as He has been generous to all above and beyond!

Look at the pictures from my backyard and rejoice in learning lessons, that the Lord is teaching me, at the old swing!

Psalm 73 don't lose our foothold, our confidence, when looking at the prosperity of the disobedient folks..

Psalm37: fret not thyself because of the prosperity of the "weeds"....

Even when fruits delay, rejoice and thank Him. Thank God for all bumper well tended flower crop that God causes to grow!

All about Him and Him alone!
Renewed, refocusing on Christ alone!
God's truly,
Kalpana Christian (KC) Copyrights reserved

Thursday before Good Friday, Jesus asked them to sit, stay, keep watch and pray with Him

Jesus, this very night asked to sit near Him, stay near Him, keep watch with Him, and pray with Him just even for an one hour! But none could!

Even today Jesus is praying (Rom8:34) are we sitting near Him, staying near Him, watching and praying with Him?

Matthew 26:36:38 "..and he (Jesus) said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zabedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

40. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.

41. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

43. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.

45. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?