A Fantastic Recipe...and important blogging tip.

Well, I was just writing this amazing post about why I am avoiding meat and how it has helped me, and I hit a key and lost everything. Note to self-save, save, save.

So maybe you weren't meant to read the whole boring story and so I will get right to the recipe. Kids love this, adults love this, vegatarians and omnivores alike love this. It's call Artichoke-White Bean Bruschetta.

Ingredients:
1 can cannelini or white beans, very well rinsed and drained
1 large jar or can of artichoke hearts (about 8 hearts)
roasted or regular minced garlic to taste-about 1 tsp works well.
zest and juice from one small lemon
freshly ground white pepper and salt to taste
1/4 cup or more parmigiano-reggiano grated cheese (omit for vegan version)
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence softened in a litle EVOO

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and process to a rustic, spreadable consistency. You will need to add olive oil as you go to acheive your desired consistency.

Alternately-and since I melted the bottom of my blender in the dishwasher this is the one I use now:

Mash beans in a bowl with a potato masher
Add all other ingredients...starting wtih about 1/8 cup olive oil and mix well. Continue to stir and mash or use a stick blender (now my best friend) and add olive oil as needed to acheive desired consistency.

This is great on toasted or broiled sliced baguette that has been brushed with olive oil before broiling or toasting. You can also use assorted veggies to scoop up the goodness. Another thing I love is to use tiny whole wheat pitas. I warm them in my toaster oven (set at 425 or so) after brushing both sides with olive oil. When they are warm and soft I take them out and spread the paste on them or stuff a larger pita half witht he mixture. For crunch try adding sliced radishes.
extra virgin olive oil-the better the quality, the better the spread. Garnish with chopped fresh italian parsley or herb of choice.

Life is a Wonder

I have been living in the St. Louis area for the past three years. My wife turned fifty and realized that she needed to change the direction of her life. She has always felt called to minister to others and, to sum up a very long story, we moved here one vextremely cold January weekend so she could study at Eden Theological Seminary. You may be wondering why my blog starts with her story...but her story is my story and her journey has been my journey. I didn't know what I was supposed to do in St. Louis for 3 1/2 years while she was working on her M. Div, but I knew it was what she needed to do, and I need her so here I am. Since we have been here I have had open-heart surgery to replace my aortic valve and to graft my ascending aorta, a broken foot, gallbladder surgery that I didn't need and several hospitalizations to treat numerous bizarre symptoms. No one could figure out what was wrong with me...I knew I was very ill; I knew I was dying, but no one would listen and no one believed me. Well, that's not true. Libby believed me, my congregation at Bethel U.C.C. in Cahokia, IL believed me and one physician believed me. It was finally discovered that I had a critically high ammonia level (179) that was linked to a medication I had been taking for years. When my symptoms continued to worsen in spite of me having a normal ammonia level, it seemed that nobody but Libby and my family at Bethel knew something was very wrong. And it was. I was hallucinating, I had no short-term memory, I could not stand without falling and my eyes were no longer able to focus well. I am an R.N. and I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I was going to die if someone couldn't find out what was wrong. Finally, 2 1/2 months ago I was diagnosed with Wernicke's Encephalopathy. I rarely drink and my liver tests were completely normal so no one thought that I would have a syndrome that is most often seen in chronic alcoholics...and it turns out I was dying. Amazingly, all I needed was thiamine...lots of thiamine. So after I.V.s and injections and daily supplements I am much, much better. I have permanent brain and eye damage, but that isn't why I am writing this blog. I am writing this because I want to tell you about how I have been healed in many ways...it has been a journey...and I continue on that journey today. Around the first part of October some really amazing started happening in my life. My daughter and I sat and talked for the first time in years, my spirits were elevated, I felt like myself for the first time in so long I can't tell you how long. I don't feel drugged, I don't feel like I'm insane, I can walk and breathe and laugh. I can experience this amazing world-really experience it. I feel joy, I'm not afraid to be alone and I am not bitter that I am forever changed because I couldn't get a physician to listen to me. Call it a miracle or a medical wonder...I just call it my healing. That's all I want to say right now. My next post will talk about the journey-how I got here and why I know that this journey will continue as long as I'm alive. I am writing this because I want you to know that there is always hope, no matter how sick or depressed or afraid you may be. There is always healing.