DAY 16 - Daniel Fast

BREAKFAST:  Blackberry Crisp

Surprise!  I have a wonderful breakfast for you today. My grocery store had blackberries on sale, so I bought some.  Usually I don't touch them because they are not only expensive, but they are so inferior to what grows abundantly and free all over this region every August.  These looked not too bad, so I thought I'd try them to add some variety to my winter fruits.  I totally forgot to add them to my smoothie, and when I saw them in the fridge this morning there were a couple that were starting to go fuzzy.  I didn't want to lose them and I knew I had to use them immediately, so my imagination started to churn...and out came Daniel Fast Blackberry Crisp.  Because there is no sugar in it, it's not only okay for the fast it's also good for breakfast...just fruit and whole grains!

Start with a bowl of clean berries...a couple cups will do

Mix in the flour and macerate the berries.
You can also add vanilla or lavender or cinnamon.

Into the food processor goes oats, ground flax, whole wheat
pastry flour, two dates (pitted), and coconut oil.
You could also add nuts, lavender or cinnamon and spice

Sprinkle the crisp over the fruit
(Looks pretty good already, doesn't it?)

Bake it until the fruit is hot and bubbly

Serve it warm with a splash of soy milk (w/ 1/2 t. vanilla stirred in)
Oh. My. Goodness!

Here is the recipe:

1.  Rinse blackberries and drain well.  Pour into a baking dish.
2.  Sprinkle 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or other whole-grain flour) over the berries and stir until macerated (that means starting to get juicy).  Add vanilla, lavender or cinnamon for flavor variations.
3.  In a food processor add 1 c. old-fashioned oats, 2 T. ground flax seed, 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour, 1/4 c. coconut oil (at room temp it is the consistency of butter) and 2 pitted medjool dates (you should have some of these still kicking around).  Pulse until crumbly.  Add cinnamon and spices and/or nuts or lavender for more flavor to compliment whatever fruit you may be using.
4.  Sprinkle crisp over berries and bake at 400 for 15 min. and then cover and bake 15 min. more until fruit is hot and bubbly.  Allow to cool to just warm to allow the juices to thicken.  Serve alone or with soy milk with half a teaspoon of vanilla mixed in and pour it over top.  Amazing.

If you weren't able to buy blackberries at your store or on such notice, try substituting blueberries or even raspberries (although they might be a little tart) or mixing an assortment of fruit together.  It's fine to use frozen fruit, which may have a better flavor than fresh anyway because it was frozen in season. (Think peaches, berries, apples, pears, cherries.  If using apples and pears, be sure to add cinnamon!)

LUNCH:  Hummus, veggies, pita chips

You should have some hummus still sitting in your fridge because I do!  Chop up some veggies into dipping size (celery, carrot sticks, cucumber, sugar snap peas, sweet red pepper, cherry tomatoes, blanched asparagus spears...all your favorites).  Then make your own pita chips.

1.  Open a bag of pita bread and cut through the pile with a serrated knife to separate into quarters.
2.  Brush tops of pita with olive oil.
3.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning and sea salt on top.
4.  Bake at a low heat (200) for about 30 min. until crisp.

Be careful!  These can be as addicting as potato chips, so select a portion to eat and put them on your plate, then put the rest of the cooled chips back into the pita bread bag and PUT AWAY!  Then sit down and eat the controlled portion on your plate!  (Same goes for tortilla chips!)

DINNER:  Black Bean Soup

I love this soup, and so does my whole family.  The original recipe calls for ham, which gives it a smoky flavor, and beef broth for depth.  That's okay...there is still a lot of zing to this soup without the meat products.  I'm going to give you the whole recipe, though, so you can make it after the fast.

Brazilian Black Bean Soup
3 can (15-oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 med. onion, diced
2 c. cooked ham, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
salt to taste
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
2 whole cloves
1 t. coriander
4 c. water
2 c. beef broth (vegetable broth)
2 T. lime juice

Garnishes:  Sour cream or Greek yogurt, jack cheese, avocado, cilantro

1.  In stock pot, saute carrots and onions until soft.  Stir in seasoning and cook for 1 min.  Add meat, beans, water and broth.  Bring to a boil and then reduce.  Simmer 1 to 2 hours.
2.  Remove from heat.  Allow soup to cool for at least 5 min.  Place 2 c. of soup in blender and blend coarsely.  Pour into second pot.  Continue with remainder of soup until all the soup has been blended and is in the second pot.  Gently reheat and add lime juice.  Serve with garnish of your choice.

This soup freezes well.  Serves 6 to 8.  (When we aren't fasting, we like to serve it with cornbread.)

Although somewhat similar to chili, black bean soup is darker and
thinner than chili and has quite a different flavor
because of the addition of cloves and cumin and
the omission of chili powder.

You're going to need a few items for the meals coming up, so here is a short

Grocery List:

- root veggies (if you haven't picked them up already) [carrots, sweet potato, parsnip, Yukon gold potatoes, rutabaga and beets...whatever you like, but don't be afraid to try something new!]
- green beans (fresh or frozen)
- a head of live butter lettuce (it comes in a plastic container with roots and dirt still intact)
- shitake mushrooms
- fresh basil
- zucchini
- spinach
- water chestnuts (buy them by the can in the Asian section of your store)
- peanuts (shelled, chopped, and not dry-roasted or honey)
- whole-grain flatbread