A few weeks ago the pastor of my church announced that he wanted the whole congregation to join him on a fast. But this is not a fast that totally omits food. It is called the Daniel-Fast. The main part is that you can't eat any kind of meat or seafood, or any animal by-products. And bread has to be completely made of grain and unleavened. So basically you are going vegan with a wonderful Jewish twist. You also have to try to go as organic as possible and very little salt. Why are we doing this? Visit http://www.teamchurch.com/ if you would like the details. We are on day 3.
The one thing I have heard from my friends through the Facebook discussion pages are the limited choices they think they have. When I saw the list of foods that were allowed, I was already recalling recipes in my head. The blessing I have been given is that I have worked in restaurants for 16 years and have learned a thing or two about ingredients. And I also lived outside of the USA where I had more exposure to other kinds of fruits and vegetables not normally part of the American diet. The day before the fast was going to start I went to a new international market in town and found a piece of the garden of Eden. There were things I didn't even know what to do with them. But I will find out soon.
Chinese eggplant is one of my new favorites. I have had Eggplant Parmesan or roasted eggplant with oil olive and balsamic vinegar. But the bigger eggplant was always a bit tough for me, especially the skin. While I was at the store I saw an Asian lady picking some out so I asked her which were the best. She said that the smaller ones were the tastiest. So I picked a few of them to try them out. And WOW! I washed and sliced one eggplant and set them aside. I put a little olive oil in a saute pan. I added some pepper and a little bit of salt. I added a chopped onion and cooked it until translucent, then added a chopped tomato and one finely chopped garlic clove. I also have some fresh oregano from my garden. I added a few leaves. Dried oregano can be used too. Just watch putting too much since it can turn a dish bitter. Once the tomato released all its juice I added the eggplant. I let it simmer until the eggplant had lost its bright creamy color. I served it with a side of Basil and Garlic Polenta. Yummy! Next time I will share with my husband and son.
I want my friends to learn to eat something new. I hope we can get together and go shopping so that our Daniel Fast will be successful. What I am taking away from this is being thankful for God's wonderful bounty. And I am amazed at everything He created that comes from this earth. Also, I am taking care of the body He gave me and trying to rid it of toxins for a couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong. It is not easy. I miss my coffee most of all. But the best part is the cooking. Gathering the family and cooking and laughing and breaking matzos together. Life can't get better than this.
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