It’s 6 days until we begin the Daniel Fast at our house. I am getting ready by doing a few simple things.

• Cutting back on caffeine- will eliminate by Wednesday
• Getting rid of all the junk out of my house- don’t want any unnecessary temptations
• Searching for recipes and products

I have found a few recipes that  I think my family will like. My disclaimer is that I have not made them yet,  so only time will tell. Check back each day this week for more recipes.

Pesto sauce  (serve over whole wheat pasta and a salad)  

• 1/2 cup pignoli nuts
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups arugula
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• Braggs liquid amino acids to taste (buy this at health food store)

• Place all ingredients in food processor and blend. Heat over low heat.

 

Corn Chowder 

• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 3 cups soy milk (unsweetened) or rice milk or almond milk
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 2 stalks celery, minced
• 2 T oil
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 1 t paprika
• 1/4 t cayenne

• Blend 2 cups of the corn in a blender with the soy milk and set aside. Saute onion, bell pepper and celery in the oil for 10 minutes, add the potatoes and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. 

 

Breakfast Bars 

• 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter (smuckers creamy natural peanut butter)
• 1 cup honey
• 2 2/3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t cloves
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/3 cup wheat germ
• 2 cups mix-ins in any combination of the following: coconut, raisins, unsalted nuts, any finely chopped dried fruit such as dates, apricots, apples, etc.

Mix honey and peanut butter until well blended. It might help to warm the honey in the microwave about 20 seconds so that it is not so stiff. Stir in oats, flour, wheat germ and mix-ins. If mixture seems too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too sticky, add oats 1 tablespoon at a time. Mixture should be slightly sticky, but still easily spread in a pan with greased fingers.

Press into a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan lightly greased. Bake at 350F/180C until barely browned. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Cut while warm into desired sized bars.

When completely cool, remove from pan with a greased spatula. Wrap each bar separately in plastic wrap and then store in a zip bag or air tight container. These freeze extremely well. Makes about 2 dozen bars.