Post Daniel Fast: Mediterranean Dreams

Well the Daniel Fast is over folks. Congratulations! I hope that my 10 recipes helped you out a bit and gave you some ideas. I was privileged to speak at the UCWM meeting on Friday night where I gave a presentation on eating healthy and eating godly. It was wonderful to share my testimony with such supportive women and also to get ideas from them during their "meal-making" activity.

I know my viewers may drop due to the fast being over and most people heading back in the direction of eating meat and processed foods, however, I hope that you will visit from time to time when you're craving something healthy and happy for your body.

God tells us that our bodies are temples. Let's treat them that way!

Regardless of how many people will read after the Fast, I did want to share a wonderful meal I had not too long ago at a great little Mediterranean place on the North Side in Lincoln Park. It's called Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen 

Lemon Lentil Soup

To start we had some delicious lemon lentil soup, and then I had this tasty falafel and veggie pita with hummus and cucumber sauce. 

I liked this dinner so much that I decided I will learn how to make it at home! We don't live near Albany Park or Lincoln Park, so ordering as take-out every week may be a little silly... and probably expensive (although the prices at the place were really great!) Still, I want to know how to make this amazing meal myself. Be on the lookout for a new falafel recipe and lentil soup recipe coming your way!

Falafel and Veggie Pita

Daniel Fast Recipe #10: Quinoa Mushroom-Stuffed Pita Pockets

Here's another mushroom recipe for Brandy! 

This is also a "Claire Creation" (aka my own recipe)

Special shout-out to Datrice for giving me some quinoa! 

Our dinner was splendid because of her generous donation to our kitchen. 

And now, without further ado...

Quinoa Mushroom-Stuffed Pita Pockets

Here is what you will need for the Pita Bread:

2 cups of whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1-2 cups of water (add more if dough looks too flour-y)

To make the Pita Bread:
1. Mix ingredients together until dough forms
2. Kneed into a ball, then place in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth
3. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour
4. Once ready, preheat oven to 350
5. Take out the dough and divide into 4 round balls
6. Roll out into flat circles about 1/3 an inch thick (the thickness does matter here)
7. Place pita bread onto a lightly sprayed backing sheet
8. Put into the oven and make for 10-15 minuets (check on them often.... you may see them start to pillow up; that's a good thing though! It makes it easier to stuff the pita)

Here is what you will need for the Filling:

1/2 cup quinoa (red or white)

1/2 cup drained black beans

2 handfuls of spinach

1/4 of a large green pepper

1/2 of an onion

1 cup of mushrooms

Balsamic Vinegar 

Garlic powder, black pepper, salt 

To make the Filling:
1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add quinoa, reduce heat and simmer until water has boiled out
2. In a pan, heat a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
3. Chop onions, mushrooms, and green pepper, then add to the heated pan
4. Throw in a few handfuls of spinach and allow to saute for about 7 minuets
5. Add black beans and quinoa to the pan as well
6. Season to taste, stirring for another 5 minuets

Putting it all together:
1. Once the pita bread is done, take them out the oven and allow to cool for a few minuets
2. Cut each pita in half with a pizza cutter or a knife (if the bread it pillowed up, then you don't have to do much more than that in order to stuff it!)
3. Take a small knife and cut into the pita to create a small pocket inside (you may spoon some of the extra bread out if there is a lot inside)
4. Stuff the filling into the pita pocket with a spoon
5. Arrange on a plate and enjoy!


So how were they, you ask?

Well, Dennis and I enjoyed them quite a lot! Dennis even took one to the studio with him to eat later tonight.

The only thing I would have changed about what I did was to take the pita bread out sooner. I left it in there for a bit too long and they got really hard and dry. They would have been much softer and easier to stuff if I had taken them out sooner. That's why I wrote in the directions to watch them closely! I also would have rolled them into thicker pieces; some of mine were too thin, which is why I specify to roll them into 1/3inch thick pieces. If you want to play it safe, do 1/2 inch!

I will definitely be making this again! The quinoa and black beans makes this meal really high in protein, and I also liked the taste of the balsamic vinegar in the filling. I may start sauteing more food with this rather than with oil!

Let me know if you have any more requests! We're almost done with the Daniel Fast, so stay strong and lean upon the Lord!

Daniel Fast Recipe #9: Brandy's Mushroom Salad

This one is for Brandy, due to the fact that she loves mushrooms 

and requested some mushroom recipes!

Cabbage and Chickpea Salad with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:

3-4 portobello mushrooms

pinch of chilli flakes

1 garlic clove

1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 small red cabbage

1/4 small green cabbage

2 green shallots or onions

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup walnuts

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or regular vinegar

1 teaspoon mustard powder (optional)

To Make:

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Clean the mushrooms and remove the stalks. 

3. Whisk together one or two tablespoons of olive oil with one grated clove of garlic and a pinch of chilli flakes, then brush the mushrooms with the mixture and bake for 10-15 minutes

4. Finely slice the cabbages and shallots and place in a large bowl 

5. Lightly toast the walnuts by spreading them on a dry pan and placing in the oven for 5-10 minutes, then add into the salad. 

6. Add in the chickpeas and toss to mix. 

8. Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and mustard powder (or some more chili flakes if you want!) for a dressing, and then drizzle on the salad

9. Cut the mushrooms in thick slices and arrange on top of the salad

10. Enjoy!

Daniel Fast Recipe # 8: Vegetable Sushi

It's been a few days... I swear I've been cooking things and eating food, but I just haven't had a lot of time to blog about it. Report Cards come out soon.... so I've been up to my eyeballs in late work from kids who finally decide they want to pass my class. But hey! It's all good.

Here is a recipe for homemade Sushi:

You will need...

2 cups brown rice

1 cucumber

1 avocado

3 green onions

1 large carrot 

1 tomato

1/2 green pepper

1 bag of Nori (seaweed wraps which can be found a Jewel in the Asian food section)

soy sauce (optional)

lemon juice (optional)

cumin and garlic (optional)

wasabi (optional)

A bowl of warm water and a washcloth or napkin

A long sharp knife without serrated edges

A cutting board to serve as a sushi-rolling surface

A Sushi roller (optional)

To prepare ingredients:

1. Bring 2 cups of water in a pot to boil, add brown rice, reduce heat, and cover with a lid until water has evaporated
2. While heat is still on the pot, add a splash or soy sauce and a splash of lemon juice along with a few dashes of cumin and garlic. Stir rice until mixed thoroughly  (again, this is optional, but it makes the rice more flavorful)
3. Allow rice to cool while preparing the vegetables
4. Peel the cucumber, then cut into long slices so they look like quarter-inch sticks
5. Do the same wit the carrot
6. Slice the tomato into quarter-inch slices, then take out the seeds and cut the circles in half so that the tomato edges can be stretched into stick-like pieces
7. Cut off the roots and very ends of the green onions so they are also long pieces
8. Slice the green pepper into long stick-like pieces
9. Slice avocado into quarter-inch pieces after taking the pit and outer peeling out
10. Set the veggies aside into little bowls or in separate sections on a large plate, fill a bowl with warm water and dip a washcloth or napkin in. Set the knife nearby, then bring out a cutting board as a working surface.

Okay, now that you have all the ingredients prepared, you can get ready to make the sushi rolls:

1. Take out a sheet of Nori and place with the shiny side down onto the cutting board
2. Gently spoon some rice onto the Nori and very carefully spread so that there is a think layer of rice over most of the surface, but leave a strip at the very bottom and the very top free of rice
4. Place your favorite combination of veggies in a strip at the very bottom of the Nori, right where the rice starts. There should be a strip of Nori at the bottom that can be folded over the veggies, so put the vegetables on top of the rice.
5. Wet fingers and dab water onto the rice-free Nori at the bottom and top.
6. Fold the rice-free Nori strip over the veggies, then gently roll the entire sushi roll until you get to the top of the Nori, where the rice stops.
7. Wet fingers again, and smooth the rice-free Nori flap so that it sticks to the rest of the roll.
8. Roll gently over so secure the sushi roll, and keep the wet side down
9. Take the wet washcloth and wet the sharp knife
10. Cut the sushi roll in the middle by gently sawing the roll, not by pressing down. This will help the roll stay intact and help it maintain it's curricular shape.
11. Clean and wet the knife with the wet cloth before each cut.
12. Cut the two sushi roll parts in half again with the same sawing movement
13. Clean and wet the knife again
14. Cut the four sushi roll parts in half, then gently set each piece aside on a large serving plate
15. Repeat steps 1-14 until the rice is gone, or you have enough sushi for your family

Some of my favorite combinations of veggies:
Onion, Avocado, Cucumber
Tomato, Onion, Carrot
Avocado, Pepper, Cucumber
Carrot, Avocado, Pepper, Tomato, Onion

You can get really creative with the veggies if you want, adding mushrooms, spinach, tofu, or cabbage (as you can maybe see, I added some spinach to one roll and some tofu as well). After the Fast, you can add cream cheese, crab meat, spicy tuna, or shrimp!

Things to serve Sushi with:
Miso Soup (you can buy packets of this at Jewel)
Stir Fried veggies in soy sauce
Soba or rice noodles in vegetable broth with spinach, mushrooms, and green onions
Tofu, pan fired in peanut butter and soy sauce

Ways to eat Sushi:
With chop sticks
With fingers
With a boring old fork.... if you must ;-)
Dipped in Soy Sauce
Dipped Soy Sauce mixed with wasabi
Slice a piece of ginger on top of it
Just eat plain!

Daniel Fast Recipe #7: Black Bean Burgers on Whole Wheat Flatbread with Spicy Potato Wedges

Welcome to my "Recipe of the Week"!

Today's creation was a combination of fun things I have now learned to do and I am so glad that I have these very simple skills. With these cooking elements, I can pretty much create endless combinations of classic "crowd pleasers". (Well, at least for a Daniel-Fasting crowd...)

I call them "crowd pleasers" because they allow one to make a 'burger-n-fries' meal, and who doesn't just love a burger and some fries... even if they are Vegan? 

The elements to a "burger-n-fries/crowd-pleaser" meal are below:

1. Know how to make a burger. A Veggie burger, to be exact, and it must be out of items you already have in your possession.

2. Understand the process of cutting potatoes into wedges and seasoning them properly.

3. Become an expert at making flatbread from flour, water, salt, oil, and fire.

4. The art of plate arrangement... 'nuff said.

With these 4 skills, you can whip up a meal out of raw materials and impress all of your fasting/vegan/vegetarian/weird friends.

"Enough Claire, just give us the recipe!"

Alright, alright. I just thought you needed to know...Anyway, the Recipe is entitled: 

Black Bean Burgers on Whole Wheat Flatbread Buns
with Spicy Potato Wedges

(Note to self: become more simplistic with naming your meals...)

(Note to Readers: This recipe serves 8...ish)

Black Bean Burger Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 can of black beans (or 2 cups of soaked and cooked black beans

- if you get them dried in the bag)

1/2 cup brown rice

1/2 zucchini, chopped

To make burgers:

1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil, then place rice in, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer

2. Cook rice until water is all gone, but don't burn the rice!

3. Drain rice and set aside

4. Chop the onion and zucchini, then heat over medium heat with a small amount of oil or cooking spray

5. When onion begins browning, add the black beans and cook for 5-7 minutes

6. Remove from heat and place 2/3 or the mixture in a blender

7. Blend for a few seconds, then place this back into the pan with the other mixture

8. Add the rice and mix thoroughly, set aside and allow to cool for 10 minuets

(here's where I started making the flatbread and wedges)

9. Divide into 8 portions and shape into patties

10. Heat a little oil in a pan, and when hot, place 2 burgers on for about 5 minutes on each side, then place on a plate to cool

11. Remove from the pan, then repeat with the other burgers until they are all cooked

12. Store any leftovers in the fridge until they're needed, but eat them within a week!

Flatbread Ingredients:

4 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons of salt

About a cup of water 

(just enough to make it into dough)

1 teaspoon oil

To make flatbread:

1. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl 

2. Form a small hole in the middle of the mixture and pour the water into the hole

3. Mix until slick dough forms

4. Kneed dough and divide into 16 round balls (or however many people will eat a burger, multiplied by 2)

5. Sprinkle with more flour, then roll each ball out into round circles about the size of a burger

6. Heat a skillet over high heat and spray generously with cooking spray or rub with a small amount of oil

7. Plot the first circle of dough down and allow to cook for 2 minutes, flip and allow to cook for 1 minuet

8. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate to cool

9. Do this with the others until all the buns are on the plate cooling 

Spicy Potato Wedges Ingredients:

6 large red potatoes

Cumin, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, 

black pepper, salt, italian seasoning

cooking spray

To make potato wedges:

Preheat oven to 400

Wash the potatoes

Cut into halves the long way

Slice the halves into wedges (you can decide the preferred thickness)

Sprinkle seasoning in a large bowl and dump the uncooked potato wedges into it

Mix the wedges by shaking the bowl or stirring with a wooden spoon

Spray the potatoes with some cooking spray so the seasoning will stick, but they won't stick to the pan

Place potatoes on a nonstick, lightly sprayed pan

Place in the oven for 35-45 minutes, stirring and flipping often (you may take the out early if you want tender fries, or leave them in a bit longer if you want crispy fries)

Putting it together...

Once you have the potatoes cooking and the flatbread and burgers just about done, you can slice up some toppings for your burgers! I topped ours with some tomato and a little spinach with some oil and vinegar. You can also add mushrooms, tomato sauce, pickles, or hummus, but before you put any other condiments, check the ingredients label for any artificial, chemical, or sugar additives (high fructose corn syrup is no good!). We dipped the fries in tomato sauce (it's like ketchup except without the additives)!

This was a big win for dinner tonight! The only tips I can offer are that the burgers will be a little delicate. They don't have much to hold them together, so be careful when flipping them and when eating. They may crumble a little, but that's okay! 

Also, we only made 4 flatbreads, since there are only 2 of us. But we did each end up eating another burger without a bun, so while it serves 8, some may want to eat more than just 1 burger, in which case, it may only serve 4 or so. 

The wedges were really good! I put a lot of seasoning on them, but that made them all the more tasty! We only cut up 2 small red potatoes for the fries (again, since there are only 2 of us). You can alter the recipe based upon how much you think you and your family will eat, or how much you want for leftovers! 

This meal is really high in protein and fiber. It also gets in a heaping serving of veggies and is low fat! All in all, a tasty, vegan, healthy, yet hearty meal with "meat" and potatoes! 

See, I told you it was a crowd-pleaser :-)

Daniel Fast Recipe #6: Veggie Pot Pies

This is a variation of a recipe I found in Vegetarian Times Magazine. It's a good resource as well, so I provided the link!

Dennis got super excited when I told him I was making him a pot pie for lunch, so I am equally super excited about sharing the recipe with you!

Here's my version of the recipe that serves 2:

Dough Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tiny pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 cup water (or just enough to make the dough slick)

To make Dough: 

1. Whisk together flour and salt in bowl.  

2. Stir in cold water until smooth dough forms. Add olive oil and kneed. 

3. Wrap in a plastic bag or in plastic wrap, and chill while making Filling.

Filling Ingredients:

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped broccoli 

1/8 cup chopped onion

1/8 cup chopped carrot

1/8 cup chopped celery 

2 sliced mushrooms

1 small red potato, diced

1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste

To make Filling:

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add broccoli, celery, carrots, onions, and mushrooms; sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender. 

2. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. 

3. Add potato, broth, and seasoning. 

4. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. 

5. Remove from heat, and stir in peas, and corn.

Putting it all together:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 

2. Divide dough in half, then roll out to 1/8-inch thickness.

4. Divide Filling among 2 ramekins or oven-safe bowls. 

5. Place dough rounds on top, pressing dough around sides of bowls or ramekins with fork to crimp and seal. 

6. Cut a few slits in the top of each pot pie. Brush the tops of the crust with a small amount of olive oil. 

7. Place pot pies on baking sheet, and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. 

8. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

So How Where They?

We really liked these a lot! The only thing we might have enjoyed more was if there was a creamier filling. Many recipes call for a "cream of..." soup for the filling, but since that is a "no-no" in the Daniel Fast, we used the veggie broth and the flour. 

The crust was pretty good too, which I was surprised about! I thought that I would miss the butter that usually is in these types of crusts. 

This is a healthy and pretty tasty lunch option, but who has time for that during the middle of the day? The magazine suggests freezing these one-serving pot pies to save for later, so if you wanted to, you could make a bunch at one time, then save them for later during the week. 

Many frozen pot pies which you can conveniently buy at grocery stores are very high in fat, preservatives, and sodium. They also usually contain chemicals that I can't even pronounce, which usually is not a good sign of a healthy meal option. This is a wholesome, delicious, and fairly easy alternative to your typical pot pie!

I hope you enjoy!

Daniel, Get Your Protein!

Hello everyone. I have not come up with any spectacular recipes as of my last post, but I did want to write about ways to get your protein during the Daniel Fast.

Being a Vegetarian, most people look at me dumbstruck when I tell them that I don't have any trouble getting my protein. 

"But you don't eat meat!"

...Yes, I am aware of that... 

But really, even with being a Vegetarian, I don't have to worry about my protein intake as much as many think I do. 

Okay... if you live on twinkies and dr. pepper, then maybe you could end up protein deficient.... Nevertheless, I'm sure some of you want to know precisely how much protein you need, so here's the way to figure it out:

The rule of thumb for determining your protein needs is to aim for .8 gram of protein for every kilogram of your body weight. (For those that are not math folks: 1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds).

So, for example, if you weigh 120 pounds, that's about 54.5 kilograms (120 lbs divided by 2.2 lbs per kg). Multiply 54.5 kilograms by .8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, and you get 43.6 grams of protein (or about 44 grams). 

Forty-four grams of protein isn't much! And don't worry, protein is in way more foods than you think!

To give you an idea of how easy is it to get the protein you need, take a look at the list of foods and their protein content below. 

Legumes (dried beans and peas)

1/2 cup most legumes, depending on type = 5-9 

1/2 cup bean burrito filling = 6

1 cup black bean soup = 16

1 cup vegetarian chili = 24

1/2 cup vegetarian baked beans = 6

1/2 cup garbanzo beans = 6

Nuts and Seeds

1 oz. nuts, depending on the type = 4-7

1 oz seeds, depending on the type = 4-11

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter) = 6

2 tbsp. cashew, almond, or peanut butter = 8

Grains and Grain Products

1 slice whole-wheat bread = 2-3

1 bran muffin = 3

1/2 cup whole-grain flake cereal = 2

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal = 3

1 whole bagel = 6

1/2 cup cooked whole grain pasta = 7

1/2 cup cooked rice = 2

1 peanut butter sandwich with 2 tbsp. peanut butter = 14

1 bean burrito = 8

Vegetables

1 cup most vegetables (green beans, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, kale...) = 4

1 cup cooked pasta mixed with 1 cup assorted veggies = 18

1 Avocado = 8 

Think about what you eat in the course of a day and the size of portions you take. Calculate your own protein requirement using the above formula, then compare that to the amount of protein you eat in a typical day as well as a Daniel Fast day.

Stay strong and trust in the Lord. No matter who hard it gets, turn to Him and think of His sacrifice for you on the cross. You can do this! He will and has already helped you!

Daniel Fast Recipe #4: (Spicy) Vegetable Pasta Bake

Ask Me Questions....

I was informed that some people are having some difficulty commenting on my blog. My apologies! This is my first blogspot attempt (I usually do wordpress), so I was not aware that you had to be a gmail user if you wanted to comment.

But never fear! You can email me questions or comments! Claireflorine@gmail.com
I'll look forward to hearing from you!

Anyways....

I'm on a roll with these recipes. 

Tonight I came home from work really having know idea what to make and not wanting to spend a whole lot of time on preparing food. This is usually not the case, as I am particularly obsessive about planning ahead, but today was "data day" at school and I was busy looking at my student's test scores (AKA, not my favorite thing to do). I also had to make a meal quickly because my husband is a movie star and had a video shoot for a french commercial. (I know, he's awesome!)

So I opened up my fridge and saw pizza sauce. This jar inspired the rest:

Spicy Vegetable Pasta Bake

(Recipe serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 cups whole grain pasta (I used whole wheat rigatoni. You can use whatever kind you like, but I wouldn't use Spaghetti...)

2 cups pizza sauce or canned tomato sauce

1/2 cup salsa*

4 slices of jalapeno, finely chopped*

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

4 mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons or lime or lemon juice

Cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Cooking spray or olive oil

*NOTE: You may choose to leave out the jalapeno and salsa if you would rather not have a spicy dish. (In which case, if would be called just "Vegetable Pasta Bake") I realize not everyone is as big on the spice as Dennis and I are. Also, you may add 1 cup black beans in with the sautéed veggies and sauce if you are looking to add more protein to the meal.

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, then drop in the pasta
3. Heat a small amount of cooking spray or olive oil on a medium sized skillet
4. Chop up the vegetables of choice and add them into the skillet
5. Cook veggies for 3 minutes, stirring often, then season
6. Add the pizza sauce, salsa (if you want it spicy), and lemon/lime juice
7. Stir on low heat and wait until the pasta is tender
8. Lightly spray a baking pan with cooking spray or coat lightly with olive oil
9. Add one layer of drained pasta to the pan
10. Spoon out half of the sauce and veggie mixture on top of the pasta
11. Season with garlic
12. Add another layer of drained pasta so that the pasta is all gone
13. Spoon out the last half of the sauce and veggie mix and top with garlic or salt and pepper
14. Place in the oven for 30 minutes
15. Once dish is done, take out and serve with a big ole' serving spoon! Yum!

So How Was It?

The dish was pretty good! I enjoyed the spice, and the change up (we haven't had pasta in a tick). I think that baking the dish gave it more structure than if it were just sauce spooned over the wet pasta. However, I couldn't help thinking that it would be better with some cheddar-jack... I guess this the point where we should set our minds on God. In the absence of what our flesh enjoys (in the case, cheese) we must turn to the Lord and recognize that all of our earthly possessions belong to Him and we are to sacrifice all of it if it means we can grow just a little bit closer to Him.

We can live without cheese! We can live without meat! We can suffer in our eating for Christ (although the meal really wasn't as bad as all that...).

I No picture tonight! Again, we were in such a rush because of Dennis's film that I forgot to sign onto Instagram! You can blame the talented actor-man... ;-)


Just another "Claire Creation" brought to you by....well, Claire (duh!) 

Goodnight!

Daniel Fast Recipe #3: Stuffed Pepper-Boats and Masa Flowers

Okay. Honestly, this the recipe I am most excited to share with you. Why you ask? Not because it was the best (although now, come to think of it, it may be...), but because I created it all myself!

Yes! This is a genuine Claire Creation! But before I get too proud, I want to thank the Lord for blessing me with this sudden creativity in cooking. I never knew God had this talent in mind for me and I am so blessed to be able to give it back to Him.

I thought all through dinner about what to call this recipe, and I decided on the above (and below) ...

Stuffed Pepper-Boats and Masa Flowers

Here are the Stuffed Pepper-Boats:

And here are the Masa Flowers:

(...can you tell I like Instragram?)

Here is what you will need and how you will make them*:

NOTE* This recipe is for 2 people, so if you need to make it for 4, double the recipe! If it's just you eating, well, then you'll have leftovers for tomorrow. Who doesn't love that?

Ingredients for the Stuffed Pepper-Boats*:

1 large bell pepper

1/2 cup of brown rice

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of soy sauce (Ethlyn, you can just leave this ingredient out and it will still taste good!)

2 tablespoons of salsa

2 slices of a small onion, chopped finely

2 mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 large handfuls of spinach

A few shakes of garlic powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cilantro (to taste)

Some olive oil

NOTE* If you do not care for any of the vegetables or seasonings called for, feel free to leave them out. It won't hurt my feelings, I promise. You can also use barley , couscous, white rice, or wild rice instead of the brown rice. Honestly, I bought parsley when I meant to buy cilantro (silly!), so mine did not include cilantro.)

Ingredients for the Masa Flowers:

1 cup of Corn Masa flour (do you know how I named these things now?)*

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of salt

A few spoonfuls of tomato sauce

About 1/3rd of a zucchini

1 small sweet red pepper*

Some olive oil

NOTE* If you do not have Masa flour, you can use corn meal, wheat flour, or regular flour. Instead of a sweet pepper, you can use a few slices of a regular pepper, or sometimes you can buy roasted red peppers in a glass jar. Any of these other options will work.

Since these both go together, I will tell you step by step what I did to make both of them to be done at the same time. Here it goes:

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Measure the corn masa flour, water, and salt into a mixing bowl and sir. The dough will be really easy to kneed, but it won't feel like regular flour dough; it doesn't stay together as well.

3. Roll the corn dough into 6 little balls with your hands (remember, this serves 2, so 3 for each!)

4. Set dough aside 

5. Boil 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan, add 1/2 cup rice into the boiling water. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer until water is gone.

6. While rice is cooking, gut a large bell pepper so that the seeds and stem are gone. Cut the pepper in half the long way.

7. Chop the mushrooms and onion.

8. Mix the salsa, black beans, and spinach into said bowl along with the mushrooms and onion.

9. Take a zucchini and use a peeler to shave off curricular pieces. The pieces will be very thin-- almost transparent. 

10. Slice the red sweet pepper into long, thin strips

11. Don't forget about the rice! It's probably done by now, so go turn off the heat and let it sit.

12. Get a baking sheet (I actually used my nonstick pizza pan), and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Place the peppers onto the sheet so that the outside of the pepper is on the bottom (they should look like little pepper-boats!)

13. Season the pepper-boats with your favorite seasonings (I used garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin)

14. Grab the little masa balls you made and flatten between your hands, then arrange all 6 on the pan along with the peppers. Put a spoonful of tomato sauce on each and spread around to cover most of the dough. Season them the same as the peppers.

15. Dress the Masa Flowers with the zucchini shavings and sliced sweet peppers. Top with cilantro (or in my case... parsley)

16. Drizzle some olive oil over the peppers and the Masa Flowers and put in the oven.

17. Heat up a skillet on the stove and spray with cooking spray. Once heated, dump the bowl you set aside containing the salsa, black beans, spinach, mushrooms, and onion so that the ingredients are cooking in the skillet.

18. Also dump the cooked rice into the skillet and add the lemon juice, seasonings, and soy sauce (optional)

19. Stir so that all ingredients are heated and cooked throughly. Reduce heat.

20. Take the pan out of the oven. Spoon the rice-bean-salsa-veggie mixture into the pepper-boats so that they are heaping, but not overflowing. You may have some rice mixture left over, which you can serve on the side (or eat before hand as an appetizer like Dennis and I did...).

21. Once the pepper-boats are full, place the pan back into the oven.

22. Now, they have to stay in there for a while longer, so here's where I usually do the dishes, put things away, set the table, and clean up. By the time I'm done, the food is usually about done. (The peppers and masa flowers should cook for about 30 minuets, including the time before you stuffed the pepper-boats, so start timing as soon as you put them in the first time).

23. When the time arrives, take the tray out of the oven, and arrange the food artfully onto 2 plates.

24. Enjoy your wonderful dinner! 

Now, I know that is a lot of steps, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible with how I did it. The timing element of cooking dinner can be tricky, and since these two things bake at the same time, I wanted to show you how to do both, and provide the timing, even for the clean up!

Here is a picture of the final product!

But really Claire, how good were they really?

Okay, so I know this is my first recipe that I created myself, but at the risk of bragging about my cooking, I'm going to go ahead and say this was one of the best dinners I've made so far. No joke! Dennis actually asked me where I bought the rice from because he thought it was one of those uncle ben boxed and pre-seasoned rice mixes! The Masa Flowers were really good too! They were almost like little pizza appetizers with a Mexican feel to them. I honestly don't think I would change anything about the way I made them tonight (except perhaps try adding some cheese in the mix when the Daniel Fast is over for you guys)! 

If you do make them, please let me know what you thought of them! I promise you won't hurt my ego if you don't like them as much as I do! (While it is true that I have been known to occasionally have strange tastes, you'll be comforted to know that Dennis really enjoyed them as well :-)

Have a great night everyone! Let me know how you're doing and if you have any requests!

Daniel Fast Shopping List

As I told Datrice, I will now be posting a shopping list for the Daniel Fast. You do not have to buy all these things, and you can buy other things, but these are the ingredients you will probably see me requiring for the recipes I post on here.

So here we go!

Baking Supplies and Grains

whole wheat flour, steel cut oats, corn meal or masa flour, couscous, potato pasta (gnocchi) - check the label to make sure no milk is used, barly, quinoa (good luck trying to find this...), brown rice or wild rice, rice noodles, cous cous

Frozen Veggies

corn, green beans, broccoli, peas, spinach, mixed veggies

Fresh Veggies
avovado, jalapeno, tomato, carrotts, broccoli, zuchini or squash, green beans, mushrooms, spinach or mixed greens, peppers (bell or sweet), potato (sweet, regular, red), onion (white, yellow, green), brussel sprouts, eggplant, bean sprouts, califlower, pickles, cucumber

Fruit - Fresh, Frozen, or even Dried!

apples, banannas, berries (strawberries, rasberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries), mango, pineapple, pomegranet, peaches, plumbs, pears, kiwis.

Canned Food

chickpeas, black beans, diced tomato, corn, pizza sauce, chilis and tomato, lentil soup, artichokes, capers, salsa

Snacks and Other Stuff

corn tortillas, hummus, peanutbutter, nuts, corn cernals (for poppint), dried fruit, wasabi peas

Cooking Supplies or Seasonings

garlic, sea salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, curry, italian seasoning, dillweed, rosemerry, olive oil, lime juice or lemon juice

And there you have it! A Daniel Fast Shopping List!

Let me know if you have any other items that you use.

Daniel Fast Recipe 1: Roasted Chickpea Taco Salad

Warning: This recipe is a little spicy!

I made this the other night for diner, and I didn't even really realize it was totally Daniel-Fast worthy. So let's get right to it:

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpeas (you can buy them in a can for super cheap at Aldi)

1 cup of black beans (again, Aldi is the greatest)

1 cup frozen corn

1 red pepper diced

2 tablespoons of lime juice

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 large tomato diced

1 jalapeno diced (and seeded if you want less heat)

2 tablespoons of cilantro

Some cumin or chili powder or garlic powder to taste

1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice*

*NOTE: I could not find quinoa (which is what the original recipe called for) anywhere near Roseland, so I used brown rice instead.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine chickpeas, corn, beans, red pepper, seasonings, lime juice, and soy sauce in a bowl and stir
3. Roast the mixture on a baking sheet for 35-45 mins stirring occasionally
4. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil, then add rice. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and let simmer until water is gone
5. Combine rice, tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, and the roasted mixture when all done. Toss with more lime juice and seasoning. Serve warm or at room temp.

Cool.... but how do you eat it? What do you eat it with?

I'm so glad you asked!!

I found a really neat idea on.... yes, pinterest:

The picture says it all.

Use the bottom side of a muffin tin and place small corn tortillas (again found these super cheap at Aldi) as seen above! I cooked these while the corn/chickpea mixture was roasting. I did have to warm the tortillas up a little bit before putting them on the muffin tin because otherwise they weren't soft enough and would fall apart. Just warm up a skillet on the stove, then place the tortilla on there for about 30 seconds, or until soft. Keep checking on them, but they need to stay in for a good 7 minutes at the least. I made about 4 of these little taco salad bowls for 2 eaters.

I also made some guacamole to go with! 

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados

1/2 tomato

2 slices of white onion

2 slices of jalapeno

a bunch of garlic, salt, and pepper to taste 

(keep tasting it until you like the seasoning. Dennis will tell you, I tend to like a lot more pepper than most...)

1. Half the avocados and stick a knife in the pit to remove it. 

2. Scoop out the green with a spoon and put into a bowl. 

3. Mash!

4. Cut up the other veggies, and mash all together.

5. Season as desired.

Okay, How Was it?

We put the roasted chickpea salad into the tortilla bowls and topped it with guacamole and some salsa (again, Aldi makes fresh salsa and it's super good!). It was a bit hard to eat if you just picked it up and tired to bite into it, but if you ate the salad with a fork, then broke off the tortilla salad bowl to dip in the guac and salsa, it worked out pretty well.

I did the math, and if you do shop at Aldi, like I suggest, you can make this meal for under $4, and Dennis and I had a TON leftover (I'm taking it to work tomorrow for lunch). 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! 

Adios!

Eating like Daniel

Good afternoon fellow foodies, and non-foodies!

Today I had a request from Brother Erron Johnson for some "Daniel Fast recipes".
Allow me to explain:

My church is doing a 21-day fast which mirrors the fast which Daniel took in the Bible (in the book of Daniel Chapters 1 and 10). Basically, he eats only fruits, vegetables, and drinks only water. He does not use any sweeteners (honey or otherwise) or yeast (only unleavened bread), and consumes no alcohol or caffeine. His diet is basically a vegan diet that excludes any animal products, as well as what I mentioned before. He does this because he is in deep mourning and prayer because of instructions from God and visions he is exposed to (you can read your Bible if you want more information).

Now, to be honest, I am not partaking in this fast. Having a history with eating disorders in my too near past, I do not want to trigger any temptation to go back to old habits or fall into a relapse by limiting what I eat. I find that being even a little neurotic about my food gets me into trouble, which is why you'll never catch me posting anything about fat content or calorie counts on any of the meals I make. My goal is to be healthy, not to slip back into unhealthy behaviors. I'll be going on a different kind of fast for the next month, which you can read about on my other blog if you like.

I received a very clear message from the Lord to not restrict my own diet, but to reach out to help others who are fasting this month. I really think that the Sprit is calling me to use my cooking and writing skills to assist my church in a technologically creative way! (Why yes, the Holy Ghost is totally up to speed with social networking and internet; I never question that!)

That being said, I still would like to take on the challenge of posting some Daniel Fast recipes for the rest of my fasting Brothers and Sisters at Christ Temple Cathedral Church! It will be a fun practice for me at expanding my recipes and use of natural non-processed ingredients, and hopefully will be helpful to those who are taking this opportunity to fast and pray.

I'll begin my posting later this evening (after I try out a new recipe for dinner!) or tomorrow. For now, visit the Daniel Fast Website for any information or to browse their recipes.

See you soon!