I love falafel in any form. Stuffed in a pita bread or on top of a salad or as is, dipped in tzatziki sauce. If served on a platter or a board, it is an attractive good grazing food for a family gathering.
Try the easy recipe below. With the help of an air fryer this becomes a healthy version. No oil frying at all and yet crunchy on outside and soft in the inside.
1\4 cup cilantro leaves and stems, coarsely chopped
1\4 cup flour or as needed
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1\8 tsp black pepper
1\4 tsp cayenne pepper
1\4 tsp salt or more to taste
Panko crumbs (optional)
Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic and cilantro in the food processor and pulse till ingredients are blended.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture in the food processor except the panko crumbs. Pulse till mixture is blended and smooth but not too pasty.
Using a small ice cream scoop make about 12-14 one inch balls from the seasoned chickpea mixture and roll if you choose to, in panko crumbs.
Air fry 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes.
You can serve this as is with vegan tzatziki sauce. You can also stuff it into a pita bread with lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
You can also prepare a platter as shown above with tzatziki sauce, tomato, olives, greens and pita bread.
Instead of blueberry cookies from a yellow cake mix, see this recipe, I decided to make blueberry Cupcakes using a brownie mix. I want to win over my chocolate loving grandkids.
I made it vegan using flax meal for eggs and applesauce for oil. I decided to add oat milk to make it cake like.
I got my blueberry into my system plus chocolate in these cupcakes. Both are good sources of antioxidants. I skipped the oil and eggs which made them healthier.
They are delicious. The blueberries gave the cupcakes a moist center as a bonus.
I did not frost it and just decorated with pretzels and M&M’s for fun.
Blueberry Cupcakes from A Brownie Mix
1 box brownie mix 18.3 oz
2 tbsp flax meal plus 6 tbsp water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup frozen blueberries
1-2 tbsp oat milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Line muffin pan with paper liner and set aside
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Using ice cream scoop transfer the batter into the muffin lined pan.
Bake for 25- 30 minutes till toothpick comes out clean
Compassionate
God, you look upon our brokenness with mercy and kindness.Help us to extend your goodness to one
another.Hear our prayer, for you are
our God; Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.Amen
You send your
Spirit of hope into our hearts.
God of light, increase our vision.
God of wonders, you
come to us in simplicity.
You come to bring us hope and courage.
God of joy,
increase our openness to celebrating life!
Note: Inspired by Fr. Tom Miller’s heartfelt and touching sermon as he knelt to comfort the only two relatives who attended the funeral of a 90 year old woman. He also mentioned Fr. Tony Gargotta who was at this time suffering and dying from cancer. Fr. Tony died eventually as I write this piece. He is finally and always been in God’s hands. We pray for his beloved mother he left behind. Dear God please take care of her. She is in God’s hands. And so is Fr. Tony.
I don’t know when I realized how much I love, no, need to dance. I am amazed others are able to stay stock still when a “lively” tune begins. The music strums the very fibers of my being and I must move, sway, or at least tap my foot. I never took dancing lessons yet there is something about dance that lifts my heart, improves my mood, and makes my spirit joyful.
DANCING MAKES US JOYFUL!
How delighted I was to learn that in Eastern theology a Greek term, “perichoresis” (pronounced per-ee-kor-ee’-sis) is used to describe the inner relationship of God. Our English word choreography is derived from it. Perichoresis suggests a dynamic interaction, a movement of intimacy and receptivity within God and between God and all creation. God is a Divine Dance!
As Sisters of St. Joseph, we promise to “move always toward profound love of God and of our ‘dear neighbor’”. This could evoke an image of climbing a long, arduous ladder of love. The image of God as a Divine Dance suggests an alternative concept that for me more accurately describes my relationship with God.
WHO DOESN’T LOVE TO TWIRL?
A round dance of individuals weaving in and out, whirling, twirling, spiraling around and about each other to a contagious beat, responding to each other’s movements, moving separately yet not independently requires:
A willingness to let go, to focuses less on personal control and self-consciousness and more on yielding to the vitality of the dancing itself.
A creativity that flows unimpeded. There is a free expression of self that is so much more than the repetition of memorized steps. One is attune to an inner movement that itches to express itself in the outer movement of the body.
A receptivity that is open and responsive to the rhythm of the music and to the living energy and charisma expressed in the other dancers. When receptivity is at its peak, the dancers dance as one.
A surrender to joy, to laugh at one’s missteps and accept the missteps of others, allowing the delight of dancing itself, not its perfection, to be both one’s motivation and one’s goal.
WE ALL HEAR THE MUSIC
These four qualities guide me in my relationship with God.
The Image of God as a dynamic Divine Dance beckons me to listen attentively to my own heart. What God wants is inscribed in my own heart. “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart.” (Jer. 3:33) What inspires me, touches me, draws me? What is life-giving for me? There. There is found the Divine music to which God invites me to dance.
Yet I am not the only dancer. All around me are others who moving to their own inner music. Their steps may be different than mine yet to be fully faithful to the dance I must be open and receptive to the unique energy and charisma each dancer expresses. They teach me new steps. I absorb their energy. I am not the choreographer of the dance. God is. “May they all be one.” (Jn. 17:21)
DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE RIGHT STEPS, JUST DANCE!
Often my greatest concern is the “right steps”. When that is my focus I become rigid, stiff, exacting. My focus is myself rather than the rhythm and beat of God’s living music and movement. The more I am able to surrender myself to the Divine music and movement flowing in and around me and in and around all creation the better dancer I become.
God does not play dirges. “I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10) In times of sorrow and pain God draws close with a Divine melody that is comforting, caring and attentive. When my own missteps are the source of shame and suffering, God switches to a tune that both forgiving and healing. Always God finds me where I am and plays a Divine tune that slowly beckons me back to joy. “I want My joy to be in you and in you to reach its fullness.” (Jn. 15:11).
YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND JOY IN THE DANCE WITH GOD
God longingly invites:
“Could I have this dance for the rest of your life?
Would you be my partner every day and night?
When we’re together it feels so right.
Could I have this dance for the rest of your life?”
About the Author
Sister Marcella Clancy currently lives in the Detroit area. She offers spiritual direction, serves on Congregational committees, and companions one of our newer members. She loves long walks, good movies, and leisurely lunches with friends.
4. prayer
Turn my heart towards you as I follow your lead into places of wonder and grace. Attune my ear to the music that hums beneath the surface of my thoughts and activities. Give me a lithe spirit that moves with the low of love and grace.
