Daniel Fast Recipes

Our church is doing a Daniel Fast for the next 3 weeks so I thought I would post some of my favorite recipes from last year's fast, as requested by my friend Elisha :) For more info on the Daniel Fast go to: http://www.miracles2010.com/

Hearty Split Pea Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried split peas
2 tsp. salt, or to taste
7 1/2 cups water
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 potatoes, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. In a large pot over med-high heat, saute the oil, onion, bay leaf and garlic for 5 min. or until translucent.
2. Add the peas, salt and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
3. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, thyme and pepper. Simmer for 20-30 more minutes or until the peas and vegetables are tender.


Tortilla Soup

1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 can black beans
16 oz. frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2-3 tsp salt
6 corn tortillas

Heat oil in the botom of a pot, and saute the first 4 ingredients until soft. Add everything else, except tortillas. Simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Add tortillas. Cook for another 10 minutes.


Spaghetti Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, cut-up
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 or 2 lg cans crushed tomatoes, depending on how much you want to make
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)


In a large pan, saute veggies in olive oil until soft. Add crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.

You can add any veggies you like. And make as spicy as you like with the red pepper. Serve with whole wheat pasta.


White Bean Dip

2 (16 oz) cans white beans (I use cannelini), drained & rinsed
2 Tbsp roasted garlic
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt & pepper

In a food processor, combine the beans, roasted garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, mix till smooth. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve with vegies or triscuits.


Salsa

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 (10 oz) cans Rotel (diced tomatoes & green chilies)
1 lg jalapeno (or however many you like to your taste), rough chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion (however much you like), chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Throw it all in a blender and that's it. You can get organic blue corn tortillas at Publix to serve with this for Daniel Fast.

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe, and man is it ever good.

Mini meatloaves & parmesan smashed potatoes

This is the meal that Jordyn prepared for our dinner the other night. She is going to start cooking one night a month. It turned out great, she's a natural. A shout-out to David for doing all the shopping, they make a great team.

Individual meat loaves

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 1/2 lbs ground chuck
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onion, salt & pepper. Cook over med-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until transparent but not brown. Off the heat, add the worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a Tbsp of ketchup on the top of each loaf. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the loaves are cook through.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

3 lbs. red new potatoes, unpeeled
1 Tbsp salt, plus 2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Place the potatoes and 1 Tbsp salt in a saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, or until competeley tender. Drain.

In a small saucepan, heat the half & half and butter. Put the potatoes into a mixing bowl, and mix the potatoes with an electric mixer for a few seconds on low speed, to break them up. Slowly add the hot cream & butter to the potatoes, mixing on the lowest speed (the last quater of the cream should be folded in by hand). Fold in the sour cream, parmesan cheese, remaining salt, and pepper; taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

This is definitely not a low calorie meal, but it was worth the splurge. Thanks again Jordyn for the recipe and for cooking, it was delicious. Be sure to watch for her recipes on here in the future.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is Jordyn's favorite dessert that I make, and we made it for Dave's birthday dinner last night. It is pretty easy, super rich, and very delicious.

1 1/2 cups finely crushed Oreo cookies
3 Tbsp buter or margarine, melted
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine crushed Oreos and butter; press into a 9-inch springform pan. In a large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour into pan, and place on a baking sheet. Bake 1 hour and 5 min or until set. (I usually turn the oven off, open the oven door and let the cheesecake sit for about 30 min or so, then I remove it from the oven to a cooling rack.) Cool. Chill. Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy :)

Chicken and Penne with Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
2 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta

Heat a large nonstick skillet on med hig heat. Add olive oil then add chicken, turn when browned, cook on other side until done, approx 7-10 minutes total. Remove to plate and keep warm.

1. In another large skillet over med heat, melt butter with olive oil; add onion and garlic and saute until transparent.

2. Add canned tomatoes and vodka and cook for 25 minutes or until almost no liquid remains, stirring frequently.

3. Increase heat and add red pepper flakes and cream; boil for 2 minutes or until thickened to sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

Serve with the chicken breasts, salad, and french bread, Enjoy!

Serves 4

Sometimes when I have the time, I make homemade gnocchi and serve it instead of the penne. It is really good, but pretty labor intensive, but well worth it.

Gnocchi (I normally double this recipe to serve with the sauce as an entree)

1 (8 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 - 2 cups all purpose flour, or as needed.

Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time, adding additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.

Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2 inch thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1 inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until use.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, approx 1-2 minutes, then dain and mix with the above sauce.

Beef Stew

My boys enjoying the beef stew, aren't they handsome?!

2 - 2 1/2 lbs stew meat

2 Tbsp veg oil

3 cups beef broth

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup red wine, optional

1 med. onion, chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

3 lg carrots. sliced

3 lg potatoes, cut up

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, cleaned and halved

2 Tbsp cornstarch

Brown meat in hot oil. Add broth, worcestershire sauce, wine, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, pepper and paprika. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic cloves. Add vegetables, cover and cook 30 minutes, or until tender. To thicken gravy, in another bowl, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Mix in a little of the hot gravy, then add all back into the stew. Stir and cook until thickened and bubbly.

I usually serve in a bowl over rice. You can really use any vegetables you like, these are just the ones we like, be creative.

Enjoy :)

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

4 large potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 - 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp ketchup
1/8 cup worcestershire sauce
1 packet brown gravy mix
8-10 oz frozen peas & carrots
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Boil potatoes for making regular mashed potatoes. Drain & mash, adding butter & milk until good consistency. Add salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. Add oil to large frying pan. Add chopped onion and cook until softened. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain fat. Put the meat back on the heat and add flour, cook for 1 minute. Add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, brown gravy mix and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 5 minutes or until thickened.

3. In a 2 quart casserole dish, spread the meat mixture on the bottom, then add a layer of the frozen peas & carrots. Top with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

4. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy :)

It's been a loooooong time!

It's not that I haven't had anything to say, I just wasn't feeling it. I have determined that the most requested thing I am asked for is recipes. So for now I'm going to start posting my favorite recipes, or dishes I stumble upon that I think you might like. If I can remember, I will snap a photo and post it as well.

I think tonight I'm making Shepherd's pie, as requested by David Longobardo (Jordyn's BF). Speaking of which, I have asked the two of them to start making dinner for the family once a month. They need to select the menu, prepare the meal and then clean up. It serves two purposes really, one, it will hopefully inspire a love for cooking for Jordyn, and two, it will give me a break once a month. If they cook something good, I'll share their recipe as well.

I hope you enjoy the food as much as I do :)