If you have been blessed with a talent, put it to good use!

Sri Sri says that all our talents are for the benefit of others - if we sing well, it is for others to enjoy hearing it. If we write well, it is for others to enjoy and learn from our writings :D He also says that if we are blessed with a talent, we should put it to good use. By putting to good use, he means not just for oneself, but for society! When we put our talents to good use, more talents are given to us!

This is so true for cooking! Once I realised I could cook, I first cooked for myself. Then, for my family. Then for family and friends. Then for large satsang groups and (unexpected) guests :D I noticed that the joy of cooking multiplied with the number of people I was cooking for. More importantly perhaps, as I cooked for larger and larger groups of people consisting not just of people "near and dear," my creativity in cooking increased. Recipes just came to me from nowhere! Randomly cooked dishes (following no fixed recipe) tasted simply marvelous and "traditional" Indian dishes I had never dared make before (out of fear that they would taste nothing like the original) were praised as tasting truly "authentic!"

By writing out these recipes on the blog, I hope that I can share this talent that has slowly emerged from somewhere within me, with those who it is truly meant for - YOU!

Todays recipe: Avocado Peanut Salad

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado (not over-ripe!) (chopped into small cubes)
1 cucumber (chopped into small cubes)
1 handful of peanuts - roasted ones taste better (can be substituted with lightly fried or roasted cashews, but peanuts taste better)
1/2 handful of raisins
Lemon Juice (to taste - no more than 1/2 of a medium sized lemon)
Salt and pepper to taste (if you are a highly pitta person, avoid pepper. If you are a highly Kapha person, add extra pepper or even green chillies - the spice will surely increase the Rajas in you and make you active :D. Spices are also recommended in cold climates but may be avoided during hot summer days - especially in India!)

Method: Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately!

The salad contains all 5 flavors - sweet, salty, pungent, astringent and sour. Light and satisfying!

Happy cooking and happy sharing your talents!