Mixed Berries w/Banana Veganice Cream

Here's simple easy Veganice cream. 

Ingredients: 1.65 cups, Organic Coconut Cream, 2 cups, Berry Medley, 2 medium, Banana, 0.50 cup, Almond Protein Powder, Gluten Free (or any other vegan protein powder), 0.50 cup(s), Pure  Cane Sugar (miss this if your protein powder has sugar) 

1. Slice the bananas and mix with the berries medley and blend it in the blender. (You can chill for a few hours if you like). I separated the coconut cream and water and then first added the cream and then slowly added the water as necessary! 

2. Add sugar and protein power slowly to mix well and blend again. When it is well mixed, add the coconut cream and blend just to mix it well. Do not overgrind it. 

3. Remove in a freezable container and freeze at least for 4-5 hours depending on the climate. 

4. Enjoy. It might be a good consistency solid but if you like real solid you can freeze overnight. 

Note: if you use protein powder with sugar in it, you do not need to add the sugar. Just taste and adjust accordingly. I like to add protein for thicker consistency and protein intake. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings 9.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 206
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10 g	16 %
Saturated Fat 8 g	42 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 16 mg	1 %
Potassium 305 mg	9 %
Total Carbohydrate 24 g	8 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	12 %
Sugars 17 g
Protein 4 g	8 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	4 %
Calcium	5 %
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.

Vegan Yogurt alternative with raw almonds by KC

Here's a homemade Almond yogurt alternative. I tried two different ones. One is more liquidish and the other (this one) is Greek yogurt with a thicker texture which I like.

1 cup raw almonds

Water to soak

2/3 to 3/4 cup water to grind for thicker consistency (Add slowly). If you like liquidish you may add a little more.

Vegan yogurt starter (or leftover yogurt)

1/2 teaspoon citric acid b/c I like the tangy taste.

1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup.

2 small pinches of sea salt.

Method:

Soak 1 cup raw Almonds overnight or at least for 6-8 hours in warm water. Or you can boil almonds for a few min and leave them for a few hours to cool and soften.

When cool, peel off and discard the skin, and rinse the blanched almonds under cold water. Put it in the blender and crush pulsing (meaning quick stop and start for few times). Please be careful to add water slowly like 1/4 cup at a time. The texture will be slightly coarse. Keep grinding until smooth. It is up to you if you like thicket consistency or thinner adjust the water accordingly.

Add yogurt starter, citric acid, sea salt, and maple syrup and mix well. Adjust tastes accordingly. Remove from the blender to a glass or clay jar/pot. Keep it loosely covered in a warm place for 6-8 hours. Transfer it to the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Enjoy eating.

(Ps. In the liquidish type I added a can of coconut milk after crushing the almonds.)

(In this thinner liquid-ish consistency I had added one 13.5 oz can of coconut milk and used a hemp seed yogurt starter from a previous batch)

By yours truly KC!  

Jacob and Easau - 2

The more I read about the twins Jacob and Esau the more I see the foolishness of human beings. All his life, Jacob tried to be one step higher than his 'older' brother to make sure he was the winner.

Instead of being a blessing to one another, he tried to bargain. He didn't go far with it. The blessings that he stole actually he had to leave behind and run away. He is running away for some time. Gets employed at his future father-in-law's place, and gets cheated many times in return, but has not learned his lesson well.

We look at the time when Laban gave Leah to be his wife instead of Rachel, the one he loved. I often wonder if Jacob had taken the thinking that since I took away my older brother's birthright, maybe this is an opportunity given to me to restore it and accept Leah's position as the older sibling as father has given her to him. What if he accepted Leah to be his lawfully wedded one and only wife and let go of Rachel? How much of a blessing would that have been for him to be at peace?

I also wonder if Rachel had accepted the marriage of Leah and Jacob and stayed out of it how much of a blessing would have been her life also?

The part I like most is when the Bible says, Jacob loved Rachel but God loved Leah. What a joy to be loved by the King, God himself rather than any man who is there and won't be there tomorrow?

The fun part is when Jacob returns with his possession that God independently had blessed him with, not due to his deceit and lies but because of His own goodness God blessed. Jacob is to return and he has to face Esau his older brother.

Now Jacob realizes that he has been a cheater, he has done wrong, and he needs to seek help. 1st he is trying his own schemes of bribes to pacify his brother but he also remembers to pray and ask God to protect him from his brother. I laugh at the place where he is sending folks with gifts and making sure to tell them to say to Esau, "Your servant Jacob"....aha...Jacob, do you realise now, who is a servant? that was what you were called to be, a blessing, not a manipulator that you tried to be. The fact that he is noticing and preparing says that he knew what was done was wrong, but I guess he had to go through his own dose of deceit to realize that; 10 times his own wages were changed. God is a just God. What goes around, comes around and now he has to face the reality.

I am so glad to see Esau's response. He embraces him, cries, and wants nothing from Jacob. In fact, he is offering to accompany him on the way. Esau has a blessed life as he himself says, God had blessed him with much.

Lies and deceit do not take us far. We have to be truthful and honor God with our lives, and our choices. We have to face reality and let God bring blessings into our lives. stolen goods are stolen they are not ours but worse, we end up paying many folds for that deceit. may God help us to be truthful and live in harmony.

Copyright @Kalpana Christian Sharma

Vegan Yogurt Alternative with Raw Cashews, Coconut milk, and Citric Acid plus starter

This is a much better vegan yogurt alternative I have tried to make so far. Thanks to Melanie McDonald (Mel) whose recipe inspired me. https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-yogurt-recipe/comment-page-4/?unapproved=145622&moderation-hash=95982865ab72ab32725b6937fcee3781#comment-145622

Because I didn't use light coconut milk it came to be natural Greek yogurt texture. So there is no need to strain. It's delicious.

Ingredients: 

1.50 cup, (13.5 oz Coconut Milk Dairy Free Milk Alternative, (if you like thinner consistency use the lighter coconut milk) I like thicker. 

1 cup, Raw Cashews, 2 tbsp(s), 

2 Tablespoons Yogurt alternative as a starter, I used silk almonds, and 0.50 tsp, Citric Acid (if you like tangy add about a half to 1 teaspoon of Citric acid)

2 tablespoons, Maple syrup (this adds a taste).

Method: 

1. Soak raw cashews overnight or in warm water for at least 30 min. 

2. Drain the soaked cashews, put them in a sieve, and run/rinse through cold water.

3. Put the drained, rinsed cashews in a blender, add the coconut milk, the non-dairy yogurt alternative with live cultures (almost all have it), 2 tablespoons of 100% pure maple syrup, and half a teaspoon of citric acid.

4. Mix everything in a blender to a smooth consistency, transfer to a glass jar or clay pot (it makes like 3 cups), and keep it in a warmer place. In the bitter cold days of January, I put it next to the space heater at 73F for overnight. When you see it solidified, put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Enjoy!

This nutritional value is based on a 1/4th cup of serving as 3 cups would be 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 132
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11 g	17 %
Saturated Fat 7 g	36 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 14 mg	1 %
Potassium 4 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 6 g	2 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	3 %
Sugars 3 g
Protein 2 g	5 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	5 %
Iron	5 %
* 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.

 

God as our Abba and Amma - Copyright © Kalpana Christian Sharma

 This is one section of my Master of Arts Thesis: "Assertive Equality, In Domestic, Religious, Social Spaces and Globally, Speaking out for Gender Equality as God’s Design," March 30th, 2023, at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago  (LSTC).

                                                                               God as Abba and Amma

This section asserts the eternal Spiritual nature of God and affirms gender equality within divinity, humanity, and creation. The divine Being is eternal and above gender. In the Bible, along with other images, God self-describes Godself in both masculine and feminine terms. God is Abba and Amma (Father and Mother)! A music leader once mentioned God having a fierce baritone voice. Furthermore, when a clergy used Michael Angelo's famous Creation of Adam painting and emphasized the muscular physique of God, I felt compelled to explore this topic.   In this section, I point to the accepted images and likeness of divinity and put the biblically balanced Fatherly and Motherly images of God in their proper perspective. 

Interestingly, in the Bible, God also identifies with animals and other elements. Most people are comfortable addressing God as Lion, Lamb, Dove, and Greek Alphabet letters, as Consuming Fire, and even a "Rock" but they consider it a heresy to think of God as a caring Mother. Church history demonstrates that the feminine representations of God are minimized to the disadvantage of humanity. However, Patriarchal proponents continue to enforce only Abba, the Father form of God. Phyllis Bird points out:

Historically, the model of essential humanity in its God-likeness has been an idealized adult male, a model based on notions of divine protections, equated with cultural ideals. Attempts to correct this distortion by adding a female model do not address the fundamental problem of this reasoning, but they do serve to highlight the inadequacy of traditional identifications.^[1]  

Along with rectifying the distortion and showing the flaws of the male-only picture of God, it is time to elevate the mother image of God. In Discovering Biblical Equality, Ronald Pierce and Erin Heim dedicate an entire 19^th chapter to this topic titled "Biblical Images of God as Mother and Spiritual Formation." They affirm that YHWH carries births, nurses and nurtures Israel...Motherly language in the Scriptures is true of the whole of the Trinity, not just the Holy Spirit, as many erroneously believe.^[2] Pierce and Heim further clarify that God is not a gendered being but "God is the Spirit," as Jesus affirmed (Jn.4: 24 NIV). Julian of Norwich also bravely declared that God is our Mother as truly as he is our Father, combining the power and goodness of fatherhood and the wisdom of motherhood."^[3]

First, while there is grandiose to God's voice, there are verses that express the compassion-filled, "Gentle whisper" of a comforting God (1 Kings 19:12 NIV). Matthew 11:29 mentions Jesus as "gentle and humble in heart." Moreover, although the Holy Spirit convicts as an advocate, and helper, John 16:7 KJV mentions the Holy Spirit as a "Comforter." These verses challenge the notion of divinity's voice being merely a forceful, deeper tone type. Second, the Creation of Adam artwork depicts God as an elderly grandfather, a patriarchal image of God. This painting poses two problems. One, making and worshiping the images of God violates the scriptural command (Ex.20: 4; Deu.5:8), as "God is Spirit," eternal, and indescribable. Second, it shows a fractional image, amplifying an already existent power imbalance.

On the first issue, some creatures do not believe in making any images of the Creator in their image, as that is a reversal of humans made in God's image. However, since we are made in God's image, as visual beings, others feel at ease making images if they do not worship or venerate them. But, some do worship and venerate them. 

This old grandpa painting has been popularized worldwide. Most people are ignorant of the power disparity that this picture contributes to patronizing the patriarchal doctrine that denigrates women and controls their speech, clothes, and manner of life in general, as well as eternity. Male primacy is upheld at both the divine and human levels. Even within Egalitarian communities, some people are at ease with this painted image. Some women state that they have no problems with God being portrayed as grandpa because "Jesus called God the Father, daddy, and "He" is old, meaning eternal!" Then they complain of being marginalized at home or in churches based on gender. They do not connect the factors contributing to the worldwide patriarchy assuming sole leadership. 

Remarkably, while there may be innuendos of motherly form in the worship of goddesses in many cultures, this belief has not softened the patriarchal image of the ultimate God, nor does it treat women equally. The male predominance over women in such settings is startling. "Classical societies like Assyria and Athens show a much greater degree of domination of women. The worship of Ishtar in Assyria and Athena in Athens did not lessen male control over real women."^[4] Alka Mudgal states that in India, Pandita Ramabai tirelessly advocated for gender reforms. Her words of God being neither male nor female resonate.

[Ramabai] disagreed with Christian authorities on two fronts - religious and social. On the religious front, Ramabai questioned the Christian doctrine of the Trinity* as she believed in one God. The social issue over which she disagreed with Church authorities was over her teaching men, which she defended. "It was against her understanding of God, who she believed was neither male nor female. This understanding has been central to her acceptance of Christ.^[5] Additionally, in Women and the Gender of God, Amy Peeler claims:

God the Father is not male and God the Son is male like no other...With each fresh recovery of a misogynistic statement from Christian history, with each new revelation of misconduct in the contemporary church, Christians may wonder why a faith that affirms the divinely created goodness of all humans has so often failed women...The deeper, often hidden, and therefore more insidious cause of Christianity's failure to value women is that Christianity often gets God wrong...an underlying belief that God is male.^[6]  

            Patriarchy's mirror image is of a militant male God, but the Bible inverses and shows God as a comforting father (2 Cor. 1:3-4) as well as a fierce Mama bear protecting her cubs (Hos.13:8). In Luke 13:34, Jesus self-identifies as a protective mama "hen wanting to gather her chicks under her wings." In Luke 15:8-10 God is depicted as a woman seeking her lost coin.  Concerning discipleship and imitating God's mothering work, Apostle Paul mentions being in Childbirth/labor pain (Gal. 4:19) and as a nursing mother caring for her children (2 Thess.2:7-8). Additionally,  wisdom is personified in feminine terms, present at creation with God (Prov. 8), similarly John's Gospel Chapter 1 talks about Jesus being present with God at creation. "Jesus represents the best of masculine and feminine strengths."^[7] 

            Moreover, members of the Women's Ordination Conference have compiled ten more verses on the "female images of God in the Bible" on their website.^[8] Dismantling the made-up patriarchal all-male image of the ultimate God is necessary to end gender inequality. One way to achieve this mutual recognition equilibrium is to include variations of phrases like God our Amma and Abba, Amma God, and God our Mother in our prayers, songs, and speeches.

---

[1] Phyllis A. Bird, “Bone of My Bone and Flesh of My Flesh.” Theology Today (Ephrata, Pa.) 50, no. 4 (1994): 530, accessed Jan. 7, 2023. https://i-share-jkm.primo. exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/ 01CARLI_JKM/ 18brdij/cdi_proquest_journals_208079304.

[2] Ronald Pierce, et.al. Discovering Biblical Equality: Biblical: Theological, Cultural & Practical Perspectives. Third ed. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2021) Chapter 19, 372, Kindle.

[3] Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, Short Text and Long Text, trans. Elizabeth Spearing (London: Penguin Books, 1998), section 59, 139. Cited by Pierce, et. Al. DBE, 375, Kindle.

[4] Frymer-Kensky, Reading the Women of the Bible, ixv.

[5] Pandita Ramabai, 1977,  The Letters and Correspondence of Pandita Ramabai, Corp Sis. Geraldine, ed., A.B. Shah, (Bombay: Maharashtra State Board for Literature and Culture) 60), Cited in Gail Omvedt, op.cit. 218, Cited by Alka Mudgal, 347-356; 354, accessed Oct. 6, 2022, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24701120.

[6] Amy L B Peeler, Women and the Gender of God, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2022), 1-2, 4.

[7] Ronald Pierce, et al., Discovering Biblical Equality, 383, Kindle.   

[8] Women Ordination Organization, accessed Jan. 31, 2023. https://www.womensordination.org/resources-old/female-images-of-god-in-the-bible/.