Seal of Approval

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:27-29 (NIV)

Hooray for me. Despite Girl Scout cookie season, when I went to the doctor last week my blood pressure had dropped TWENTY points! I’m back in the normal range. While I had not lost the ten pounds I expected, my doctor was very pleased with me and gave me the “muscle weighs more than fat” benefit of the doubt. All of that in spite of the fact that I was extremely nervous about the visit. You see the four days before I went to the doctor, I was eating my way through Asheville. Oh boy did Vicki and I eat well. After refusing to pay for soda and peanuts offered to us by the low budget airline, we were hungry when we landed in Greenville. So, on the way to Asheville, we stopped in Columbus, North Carolina at Larkins Carolina Grill. I like to eat local when I travel, and this restaurant was a real find. Vicki ordered the “some of the best fish” she’d ever eaten, while I got a delicious oriental salad with two “sliders”, teeny tiny sandwiches made with a roll, one pulled pork and one hamburger. It was so good, we stopped on the way back to the airport and repeated the same meal! Once in Asheville, we continued our quest for great food. At the Moose Café near the Farmer’s Market, we sampled the world’s biggest biscuits with our breakfast. I had a great chicken pot pie at the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village, and another tasty salad full of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries at the Italian restaurant across the street from our hotel. We ate Chinese twice, once at P.D. Chang’s where I learned to love fried green beans and once at Doc Chey’s Noodle House where the slogan is peace, love and noodles. Doc Chey’s served the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. My wok seared green beans with onions was SOOOO good that I ate every bit of the huge serving big enough for two. Vicki and I both came home and tinkered in the kitchen to find the recipe. Looking at the menu on line, I saw that the sauce was Cantonese Sauce, so I found this recipe at allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

In a bowl, stir together olive oil, onions, tomatoes, ginger root, and garlic. Season with sugar, salt, and soy sauce.

I used the sauce to marinate some beef and some chicken overnight. Then, when I got home from work, I threw it all into a wok pan with some fresh green beans, a little tomato and green pepper. It was almost as tasty as Doc Chey’s. When I do it again, though, I will use the low sodium soy sauce and not add any salt because it was just about too salty for us. Remember, I’m trying to keep my blood pressure low! As much time as I spend thinking of food, you would think I would at least equal that focusing on spiritual things. Like Jesus’ disciples, sometimes I get my priorities mixed up. Some restaurants might boast of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, but I would much rather my life have God’s Seal of Approval!