Garbanzo bean flour breadsticks

One of my cats, Oreo, has chronic digestive problems, just like me. Right now, she's feeling pretty sick and refusing to eat anything. I'm having to give her Pedialyte just to keep her electrolytes and fluids up. And she still loves tuna, just the liquid, not the actual tuna. She's been here before and always pulled out of it. She's almost 14 years old, not healthy and strong like her two buddies, Pumpkin, the cat, and Kona, the golden retriever, pictured above. She's a feline version of we humans who also have sick tummies.

Unfortunately she is getting worse, at the same time, I am feeling better. I have two more days of taking anti-fungal medication to eradicate the candida overgrowth which may have been causing my stomach and other health issues. Next step will be to follow up with a supplement that has herbs with anti-fungal properties. I'm learning that these extra candida like to hang around and are difficult to eradicate.

I am continuing to improve but am finding my biggest battle in getting better is with my mind. I am having difficulty believing that I am really getting better. I have been sick for so many years, missed out on so many experiences, lost so much of my life. I keep waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, so to speak, and my symptoms to reappear with a vengeance. I have built up a whole litany of negative messages, such as "don't get your hopes up too high" or "remember the last time, when you thought you were getting better?"

How many times have I discounted the mind-body connection in healing? But it's definitely real here. On the days when I am positive and don't beat myself up with lots of negative messages, I feel like a new person. Days when I tell myself, things will never get better, I have more of my symptoms returning. I have started listening on a daily basis to a series of audio tapes that use guided imagery and hypnotherapy to help combat these negative thought patterns. I realize this is just as important a component in my healing as my medication and low-carb diet. It's only been a few days since I started the tapes and am finding myself feeling more confident about the outcome of my treatment.

On the food issue, I continue to miss my carbs but have discovered garbanzo bean flour to be a wonderful substitute for regular flours in making flatbreads, pizza crusts and even breadsticks. It's gluten-free, high in protein, has a great nutty flavor, cooks quickly and is easy to work with. Sounds like the perfect food! Here's how I used it to make breadsticks.

Garbanzo Bean Flour Breadsticks

Ingredients:

2 cups garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup or more water

2 T. olive oil

1 T. coarse black pepper

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. each dried oregano, thyme, basil, parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the flour, sesame seeds, salt/pepper and herbs. Gradually add the water and oil. You may need to add more water or more flour to the dough. Break off small balls of dough and roll into small sausage shapes or longer sticks. Place on a greased baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until golden. Remember garbanzo bean flour doesn't take as long as regular flour to bake. Eat plain or serve with your favorite hummus.