Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. --Romans 12:13 (NIV)
This month, I have had to be a pastor to several of my family members, as we dealt with the death of my father and serious illnesses of other relatives. One of my relatives lay in rehab after a stroke, with little feeling on his left side. My first visit was to see how he was coming along. He could move his left limbs, but had little feeling in them.
I touched the left side of Anthony’s face, his left arm, and his left leg and prayed these words: I lay my hands upon you in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, beseeching him to uphold you and fill you with his grace, that you may know the healing power of his love.
Food. My immediate response was to tend to Anthony’s spiritual needs, but Christians are called to meet peoples’ physical needs also. One thing that bothered him as he worked with the doctors toward rehabilitation was the food. Unable to chew, the rehab would give him mushed up foods to eat. Often they were not the tastiest. My dad did not practice a faith, but he made sure the hungry were “filled with good things.” He followed Jesus’s commandments to visit the sick and feed the hungry. So in my eyes, he was as religious as anyone else.
My dad now absent, I took on the role of feeding Anthony. Soups were one regular food he could still eat. I brought him a few common soups to eat, but those can get pretty boring after a while. I wanted to take it a step further and give him something more unique to eat. I believe naturally grown produce can aid healing, so I also wanted to share my fresh produce with Anthony to nourish his body.
Yellow “Gele Tros” Cucumber -- La Granja Molina
This year, I put a large gardening focus on plants in the gourd family. Among the gourd family are cucumbers, which my husband requested last year. I chose Gele Tros Cucumbers, a yellow variety once favoured in the Netherlands but now quite rare. (”Don’t you ever grow normal-coloured fruits and veggies?” my friend lamented. “Now where’s the fun in that?” I responded.)
I soon found enormous 1 to 2-foot cukes hiding underneath the rough foliage. Too much for me and my husband to eat by ourselves. That gave me a brilliant idea for my relative
I turned my cukes into Cucumber Gazpacho (Gazpacho de Pepinos) Along with cukes, seedless green grapes, olive oil, water, a garlic clove, and a splash of vinegar make a refreshing cold soup to counter the hot July days. Cold soup? I know it might sound strange, but don’t knock it till you try it. It has been a favourite in Spain’s Andalusian region for generations. (Anthony won’t get the shrimp and almond garnish, but the soup is almost as good without it.)
I also made Ajoblanco, another Andalusian cold soup. This one is made from almonds, day old bread, water, olive oil, and a splash of vinegar. Like gazpacho, Ajoblanco is completely vegan (provided you don’t garnish the gazpacho with a shrimp as I shall). And they’re so easy. You just throw everything in a blender until it’s completely smooth.
Christian hospitality is important, and these recipes are perfect to bring to someone dealing with a recent stroke or other medical condition or accident limiting what they can eat. I hope they come in handy for some of you. Share them with someone who needs them, and be the hands and feet of Christ.
“He has filled the hungry with good things...” --Magnificat
areudirty
theartofmadeline
origamiaround
stormborns
jacobvanloon
snowghoul
gummygunk
