5 in 5 Video Winners and the church fair.

 I voted and my person didn't win. However, I got a great recipe book from it. Who won? You can see here. The recipe looks great and I plan on trying it. I bought the maple syrup today. I don't usually use maple syrup, but I figure I would try it this time.

I'm still doing well staying as raw as I can. It may be a bit difficult tomorrow. My church is having a small fair to celebrate their anniversary and to raise money. There will be lot of West Indian food which tastes really good. I used to eat quite a bit of West Indian food when I first arrived in Panama twelve years ago. Then I got sick and began eating raw food which healed my illness. I admit, I have a weakness for codfish cake, cucu and fry fish. I will work hard not to eat those, hopefully taking it one minute at a time, delaying buying such tempting treats, remembering where I've been and how far I've come with my diet and health.

Please wish me luck or pray for me, which ever your heart chooses as your faith dictates.

A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step.


God taught us to laugh again but God please don't let us forget that we once cried.

Linear Thinking vs Cyclic Thinking

I belong to flutenet, a yahoo group which focus is on flute playing. One question about competition came up. Since I'm judging a competition I really loved what this post has to say. I hope the author, Rev. John Giunta, MA, FRC, forgives me for reposting it without his permission. On the other hand, his web site says we may download and share whatever we like of his as long as he gets credit. Thank you, Rev. John for your wonderful words of wisdom. 

We all need to clean ourselves of impure motives.
Here is a very useful thought from the Dhammapada: "Winning gives birth to hostility. Losing, one lies down in pain. The calmed lie down with ease, having set winning and losing aside."
I know that the linear thinkers on the list will be puzzled and restless over this seemingly enigmatic bit of wisdom, but it can work very well for the more cyclic thinkers. What is the difference? Read on:

The following definitions are from the journal, Earth Ethics, Winter, 1990
 
Linear Thinking: "Progress. The conquest of nature. The Promised Land motif in the Westward Movement. Heavenly aspiration without earthy reconciliation or stewardship. The creation as commodity. Training. Programming. Possession. Quantity. Newness. The unique and 'original' Life." [and from Emmanuel's Book II, "Rules".]
 
Cyclic Thinking: "Atonement with the creation. Black Elk's sacred hoop, the community of creation. Reconciliation of heaven and earth in aspiration inward responsible life. The creation as source and end. Education. Cultural process. Usufruct, relinquishment. Quality. Renewal. The recurring. Life and death." [and from Emmanuel's Book II, "Structure". ]

Don't think of besting anyone. Just love the music. Radiate love. Be compassionate and helpful with others. You will received what you are ready to receive.

two great recipes

So far I have tried two recipes from the 5 in 5 video contest which I mentioned in my last post. The ones I tried were Nut So Sloppy Joe's which I found quite good, but lacking something. Could be I didn't put in enough cayenne because I had no chipotle or I needed to use more sun dried tomatoes. None the less, it was quite good the next day.

Tonight, I made Angela Salvucci's Tropical Fruit Cobbler with a kick. Wow! Wow, wow, wow! It was excellent! I live in the tropics so mangos are in season and really cheap right now. Also, pineapple is easy to get and cheap for me, too. So here's the recipe of today's winner thus far:

In a pie plate toss 2 cups each thinly sliced pineappe and mango.

In a food processor grind to a medium coarse crumb:
1 C almonds
1 C Medjool dates, pitted (Mine weren't medjool and I soaked them a while before using)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Set the crumble in a small bowl. 

In the same food processer, place some of the pineapple and mango mix (I did about a quarter to a half cup).  Add:
2 pitted and soaked dates (I used 4 because my dates were small)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/8 tsp or less of cayenne.

Process and pour on fruit. Lightly mix. Place crumble on top and press down.

This really didn't take that long to make. And WOW! It was worth it. It's my new dessert when mangos are in season. Right now she's on the top of my list. But I have other recipes to try this week still.

With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.
Dalai Lama

Hot Raw Food Chef contest

I decided to be  one of the judges for the next Hot Raw Food Chef which Living Light is showcasing. I just watched all the videos and I must say there are some really great presenters with some fantastic looking recipes. I have until July 15 to send in my vote. So tomorrow, I'm going to start making some of the dishes which look interesting with ingredients I can get in Panama. I took notes and will watch some of the more interesting contestants again.

I can't get chai seeds and some of the other ingredients here in Panama.  I've never been able to find kale or collard greens.  Cacao is another ingredient I don't think I can find here. But I haven't looked in the herb shops. Perhaps they would have it in its unadulterated form.

If you are a judge in this contest, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Look back and be grateful,
    look ahead and be hopeful,
    look around and be helpful.