Mandy and Jace

This week is a little strange because I am still on the Daniel fast until Wednesday evening. So the first part of the week is fast appropriate and the last part will be everything that I haven’t had in ten days.

I am so excited for Friday because Jace and I are taking a mini-vacation to Dallas. I always love our little get-a-ways. We are going to sleep in and shop. We are also going to go to the farmers market before we head back home on Sunday and get lots of very fresh fruits, veggies and meat. We started doing this last year when we went to Dallas and it is so fun to walk around outside in the cool morning air and fill our bags with goodies.

Here is this week’s meal plan.

Tonight: baked potatoes with vegetarian chili
Tuesday: white bean bisque and salad
Wednesday: end of Daniel fast feast!!!!
Thursday: Fried chicken and mashed potatoes
Friday: leaving for Dallas!

I am a sucker for pizza. I love everything about it so I had to find a way to have it even when I am on the Daniel fast. This dough has no sugar or white flour but is still very tasty. I came accross this recipe on a food blog called bread and honey.

First, whisk the flour, wheat gluten and salt in a bowl.

Wheat gluten gives it the doughy texture you want in pizza dough.

In another bowl, combine a cup of warm water, honey, yeast and olive oil.

Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it gets foamy.

Dump the yeast mixture into the dry mixture and stir until it is easy to handle.

Knead for 5-10 minutes.

Spray a bowl with nonstick spray

Put the dough in the greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 1 hour.

The dough will have doubled in size. Punch down the dough.

Knead into a ball, let it sit for 10 minutes and roll out to the desired pizza size.

Whole wheat pizza dough
adapted from bread & honey
1 cup water
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbs. vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 tbs honey
1 tsp salt
1 packet instant yeast
2 tbs olive oil

Whisk together the flour, wheat gluten and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1 cup of warm water, honey, yeast and olive oil. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it gets foamy. Dump the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. When it comes together to form a ball dump the dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Spray a bowl with nonstick spray and put the dough in it. Cover it with a damp towel and let it sit for 1 hour. After an hour (it should have doubled in size) punch the dough down and knead it back into a ball. Let it sit for 10 minutes and roll out into your desired pizza thickness.

I didn’t get to make this dish last night due to other plans but I did want to get the recipe out there. I got it from a website called a cozy kitchen.

Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree
from A cozy kitchen

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, whole
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. On the baking sheet, combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Smooth the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid (optional).

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves and the pine nuts and puree the vegetables. Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid (optional) 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy.

I still hope to cook it sometime so if anyone tries it let me know how it comes out.

This is a very easy recipe and is great for throwing everything in the crock pot in the morning and having it for lunch. You can use whatever veggies that you would like. I used corn and green beans but you can easily use carrots and peas or anything else. Whole wheat pasta would also be really good in it.

Vegetable Soup
2 cans whole kernel corn
2 cans green beans
2 cans pinto beans (ranch style taste’s better but has lard so not good for the Daniel fast)
2- 8oz cans tomato sauce

Pour all ingredients into either a pot or a crock pot and heat until hot. The longer you let it simmer the better your soup will be!

Well, the holidays are finally over and it is time to get back to our normal lives. I have to say I enjoyed the days off and all of the food but it’s nice to be back on a normal schedule. We are packing as much meat into this week because as of Sunday evening I, along with many people from my church, are going on a fast for 10 days. It’s called a Daniel Fast and it pretty much follows the guidelines of a vegan lifestyle with a couple of exceptions. So I won’t be eating meat, dairy, sugar, anything processed or made from white flour and no cokes. Some people are choosing to allow dairy into their diet but I feel like since I eat pretty healthy anyway I need more of a challenge. So all fruits, veggies and whole wheat for me. I am hoping to deepen my spiritual walk with God over those ten days, and begin my year right.

Here is my meat filled meal plan.

Monday: pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn on the cobb
Tuesday: made from scratch chicken pot pie
Wednesday: probably take out before church
Thursday: Mexican casserole (LeeAnn, I’m stealing your recipe)
Friday: date night!

Throughout the week I am going to be posting some of the Daniel Fast friendly recipes for all of you braving this with me. I think it will be a hard but great time of cleansing and deepening of our faith. I will also post some recipes from this week for all you meat eaters.

Happy eating!