Fruits of the Spirit (Recipe: Green Chutney Sandwiches)

Most of us have come across the verses naming the fruits of the Spirit many a times. This is not something new to us.

Galatians 5: 22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

So all these things, love, joy, peace and so on, come to us when we live by the Holy Spirit. The main conditions for a plant to grow and produce fruit is for seeds to be sown in fertile and rich soil, watered well, given the necessary amount of sunlight and pruning.

If fruits of the Holy Spirit have to be produced, then the seeds of God’s word have to be in our hearts, watered by the presence of the Holy Spirit, and under the shining glory of our Lord Jesus, only then can we bear fruit. Of course, we must not forget the pruning…..fruits produced are of the best quality when the plants are pruned. When they are trimmed and cut, when what is not essential or necessary is taken away from it. This must be true of our spiritual lives as well, we cannot produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit in its healthiest form unless what is unnecessary or harmful to these fruits are taken away from our lives. This is what the Lord does when He takes us through what appears to us as particularly trying times, we are simply being pruned to produce the best quality fruits in His garden. What an honour that is! Could you ask for more capable hands to be in?

Again, we must be aware of what is required to enable these fruits to be produced by us, firstly, the word of God in our hearts, so we must make sure that God’s word is written down in the tablet of our hearts. Then the nourishing presence of the Holy Spirit, we must of course live by the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to nurture the Word of God in our hearts, helping us to use it in our daily lives. Fellowship with Jesus, praying to the Lord, talking to Him constantly and worshipping Him in spirit and in truth, these are the components that create in us the fruits of the Spirit!

This does not by any means appear an easy task, but let us pray for the wisdom, grace and perseverance to be strong and fruitful trees in the garden of our Lord! With God, all things are possible!

Today I would like to share with you my recipe for green chutney that make excellent sandwiches.

Green chutney sandwiches

Ingredients:

Desiccated or Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Chopped Coriander leaves – 1 cup
Chopped Mint leaves – ½ cup
Butter – 50gms
Grated Jaggery – 2 Tablespoons
Lemon Juice – 1 Tablespoon
Green chilly – 2 (optional)
Salt – as required
Asafetida – a pinch
Ghee – 1 Tablespoon

For Sandwich:

White Bread – 2 slices
Sliced Cucumber – 4 slices

Instructions:

1.In a food processor, blend coconut, coriander leaves, mint leaves, jaggery, lemon juice, green chilly, butter and salt.

2.Taste to see if jaggery and salt are sufficient, if not add more to suit your taste.

3.In a kadai, heat the ghee, turn off the flame, add the asafetida to the ghee and quickly pour into the chutney, then blend the chutney again.

4.Chutney should be ready, pour into an airtight container and refrigerate. Can be used for 3-4 days.

5.For the sandwich, spread the chutney on one side of each slice of bread, then place the cucumbers on one slice, sandwich together. Once the chutney is made, the sandwich is a quick and easy snack to prepare. According to your preference, you can also add tomatoes, cheese or other vegetables to the sandwich.