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 #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, 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 2: Berry-Banana Oatmeal

Good morning!

This recipe is probably the easiest to make yet!

Ingredients:

3/4th cup oats

1/2 cup frozen or fresh berries

1/2 banana sliced

1/2 cup hot water

1. Find a bowl
2. Layer the ingredients above in said bowl
3. Heat a kettle on the stove until water boils*
4. Pour hot water in bowl
5. Cover and let sit for up to 5 minutes
6. Stir and eat!

*NOTE: I do not have a microwave, so heating the frozen berries was not possible. I let them sit out to thaw over night. If you have a microwave, you can simply heat the entire bowl with water in there, and forgo the 'kettle- method'!

What? Still hungry?

Add some protein by chopping up walnuts or pine nuts! You can also add flaxseed.

Or just double the recipe to have a bigger and heartier breakfast!

Have a great day! See you for lunch!!