Orphans, Kingdoms

Oh S'bucks you never cease to surprise me. I, having encouraged a dependency on having new things to obsess over, always grab the free download card at Starbucks. Sometimes I go for that and I don't even buy anything. I know, rebel without a cause. So one of their free downloads recently was "Orphans, Kingdoms" by Brooke Fraser. Never heard of her before but I do not discriminate. Until I heard her voice and had one of those moments where your face implodes into your brain as you think, "Ah, that is so familiar why can't I remember!?" It happened on the bus, SO embarrassing. So I clickity-clacked my way to her wiki page and found her to be the same Brooke Fraser that wrote one of my favourite worship songs, Desert Song. Who knew? I did not. Chances are neither did S'bucks. One of the most pleasant surprises I've had recently. She's a cool chick.

One of the things that I like is when people think really authentically about things in their life, especially things that they are giving their life to. This is not something I can say I do very well all of the time. I find it very easy to compartmentalize my liberal, secular self from by committed Christian life where I am called to believe and abide by things that liberal culture rebels against. For a long time I made that out to be in my mind that I was just "off the beaten track". Now I see it as inauthentic. And one person that blesses me everyday and who does this better than anyone I know is moozh cimpatichni. I bring this up because Brooke Fraser is a part of the Hillsong community but she is very vocal about how she wants to "disassociate herself from people that try to make a profit off of the sacred nature of Christian music." I don't exactly know how she reconciles those two things and I don't believe that just because she chose to give her career to worship music that the Lord would never allow her to be blessed financially but I think it's a really complex debate and one that not many people think about critically or honestly.

This is a recipe I can't get enough of right now. I received it from my lovely Mama, who got it from the Calgary Herald. Now there are, strangely, people out in the world who do not like cilantro. I know, crazy right? I, being the International Ambassador of Cilantro, upped the dosage in here. I also swapped the sesame oil and rice vinegar for olive oil and white vinegar simply because I didn't have the former but if you do have those things, USE THEM. It would make this immaculate. Next time, I think I will try out bean sprouts in place of water chestnuts but that will mean you have to eat the entire salad and clean out the bowl in 3.5 seconds or else it will stink and be sad.


EDAMAME SALAD


3 c. frozen edamame beans
1 c. canned corn kernels, drained
1/2 c. diced water chestnuts
1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
2 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. sesame oil
2 t. honey
1 t. crushed garlic
1/2 t. minced ginger
1 t. toasted sesame seeds
 Boil edamame beans just until bright green, about 3 mins. Drain and rinse with cold water.  Place in serving bowl.  Sauté corn until browned, about 5 minutes.  Add to edamame, along with water chestnuts, peper, onions and cilantro.  Mix all other ingredients and pour over salad.  Garnish with sesame seeds.  Serves 4.  This can be made a day in advance, but then it's best to add the cilantro just before serving.  Yum!!