Jan 27, 2010

I had a bunch of leftover veggies – I mean everything from leeks to squash…and I couldn’t quite figure out what to do with what I had left over. It also helped that I had some leftover baked chicken breasts too. Oh…and I had puff pastry in the fridge too. See where I’m going with this? Veggies, leftover chicken, puff pastry – yes – it spells POT PIE!

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good pot pie. But I needed to figure out a way to jazz it up a bit…and well, I think I did okay. I could have done better…but this clearly spells a miss to me. It tasted great – it did. But as you can see, the plating just lacked…inspiration.

I petite diced all the veggies and roasted them in the oven. I made a quick pan cream sauce with garlic, shallots, and milk with a bit of flour mixed in…talk about creamy…without the cream – that was perfect. And the puff pastry…I wish I had more of an imagination, but after working 14 hours and not having eaten in 8 of those – well, I was tired an hungry. All I did was cut them into thin strips and baked them. In retrospect I would have done huge triangles and brushed them with the basil oil that I used as a garnish. You do know what happens, though right? You live…and you learn – lol.

I mean really – there’s no recipe…just a process.

1. roast petite diced veggies after you’ve tossed them in olive oil, salt, and pepper
2. saute a bit of garlic and shallots in olive oil – then add about a cup of milk with a tablespoon of flour mixed in
3. season that – with your faves: ya know, dried herbs, salt, pepper, that sort of thing – you know what you like.
4. In the last minute throw in frozen peas and petite diced chicken

That’s it!

I used basil oil (about 25 basil leaves blended together well with about a half cup of olive oil) as the garnish and those lame thin slices of puff pastry…but you can be as creative as your mind allows.

Here’s the picture!

Jan 20, 2010

So, here’s the last recipe in this 3-day Daniel fast. It’s all about the flavors of the Mediterranean – olives, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, peppers, etc – you get the idea, right?

I told you – this was no ordinary Daniel fast – if you’re just joining us, check out the last three posts.

This one was simple…ready? Let’s go…

Mediterranean Pasta
- 1 lb. of whole wheat spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons of shallots
- 2 tablespoons of garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of cooked artichoke, chopped
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup of black olives – your choice of flavors
- 1/4 cup of chopped parsley and cilantro mix (if you don’t like cilantro, use all parsley)
- 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes

This is REALLY easy. Cook pasta in salty boiling water until desired doneness. In a separate pan heat olive oil – then all everything…saute until all flavors are incorporated. This should take about 5 minutes tops. Continue to stir so that nothing sticks. Toss with drained pasta and serve.

For extra richness top with fresh cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Here are a few pictures below:

The Sauce…amazing!

One of the finished plates…

Chakita posing….

Chakita maxing! And see – we were having 100% juice too!

This was my plate!

Jan 19, 2010

Did you ever stop for a second and think that you could have Mexican food on the Daniel fast? If you haven’t…then stop. Take out a pen. Write this stuff down. By the way, these recipes are COMPLETELY vegan too! Get out…I feel my heart thanking me already – although, it’s probably gonna be back to fried chicken next week – lol.

My pastor issued a challenge – and I accepted!

Check this out – I made HOMEMADE tortilla chips with a hint of lime – salsa verde – pico de gallo – AND tamales! It doesn’t get any better than this!

Swiss Chard & Corn Tamales served with Salsa Verde & Pico De Gallo
- Masa
- Vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup of mined onion
- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon of each, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and chili powder
- 1 cup of corn
- 4 cups of Swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- corn husks (soaked in water)

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add corn and seasonings. When fragrant add chard – it will wilt down. Once this happens, remove from pan and allow to cool. In a separate bowl combine 1 cup of masa with about 1 cup of vegetable stock. Add in reserved mixture of chard and corn and combine well. Add about a half cup of mixture in each corn husk. Seal well and place in a baking dish. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Salsa Verde
- 6 medium tomatillos
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 plum tomatoes
- 1/2 large onion – chopped
- 1 poblano chile
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup of water

Toss tomatillos, garlic, tomatoes, onion, and chile with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove and add ingredients into a blender or food processor. Add vinegar & water and blend. Taste and if needed, add more salt and pepper. You can enjoy immediately at room temperature. However, salsa verde is best when chilled.

Tortilla Chips
- 20 corn tortillas
- kosher salt
- cracked black pepper
- lime zest
- olive oil

Cut tortillas into triangles and toss with oil, salt, pepper, and lime zest. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes or until crispy. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Pico de Gallo
-Just toss together chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno. Add a touch of red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and fresh squeezed lime juice!

Swiss Chard & Corn Tamales

Here are a few pics:

Roasting the ingredients for the salsa verde!

The saute of corn & swiss chard for the tamale stuffing.

My homemade tortilla chips…with more than a hint of lime.

The tamales…right before going into the oven.

The finished plate

Jan 18, 2010

My church feels the pain of Haiti. In response my pastor and the other church leaders have decided that as a church we will do the Daniel fast for health and healing.

When food is involved…my ear is ringing. As well, I may not be able to do much financially, but like Oprah says – each of us can do something. That’s so true. So, for the next three days I’m creating Daniel fast recipes & meals – but Everyday Cookin’ Style. This ain’t ya mama’s Daniel fast! Let’s get that straight.

People think you’ve always got to have salads on fasts. Well, not so! We’ll fast…and pray…and eat good! We’re going to do this…with NO SALADS!

Let’s go with this first recipe!

You MUST have snacks…right? So, let’s talk about granola. In the grocery store it’s soooo flippin’ expensive. Who can afford it? I’ve got a recipe for a rockin’ granola that you’ll love – and you can snack on it ANYTIME. It’s totally Daniel fast approved. We put dried EVERYTHING in our granola and it’s simply perfect.

This granola is great for breakfast, snack, or anytime you need a bit of something to pick you up! There are different types of Daniel fasts where some allow lowfat dairy products. If this is the one you’re on – then lowfat yogurt and chopped fruit is GREAT with this granola.

Fruit & Nut Granola
4 cups of oatmeal (quick cooking or instant)
1 cup of raw nuts (your preference)
2 cups of dried fruits (your preference)
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 cup of honey
1/2 cup of Canola oil

This is easy. Just combine everything EXCEPT for the dried fruit. Combine it well. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. That’s it. Let it cool and then combine with the dried fruit. 20 minutes…now that’s easy!

Here are a few pics of the process:

From left to right: mango, apricot, cranberries, strawberries, pineapple, peaches, prunes, and pears!

The fruit…all cut up!

The final product…ready to go. AND it lasts forever!

Now onto to my Roast Everything Soup!
-6 cups of raw vegetables
-4 cloves of garlic
-8 cups of vegetable broth
-salt and pepper to taste
-Your favorite dried herbs
-A few fresh herbs too (parsley, dill, scallions, and cilantro)
-olive oil
-balsamic vinegar

This is how this works. Again, very simple. Cut all the vegetables into chunks. Liberally season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in the oven. Toss in garlic. When vegetables are fork tender (about a half hour) remove and allow to cool. Heat vegetable broth through. Mix vegetables and broth and blend using either an immersion blender or a traditional blender. For a smoother texture you can strain the soup – but not straining is also perfectly fine. Return soup to pot and add dried herbs and fresh herbs…reserving a few fresh herbs for garnish. Bring to a boil and soup is ready to serve. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, and fresh chopped herbs!

Here are a few pics:

Blending the veggies & broth in a traditional blender…and taking donations for an immersion blender!

Returning soup to the pot and adding fresh herbs!

The finished product!

Remember the special announcement? Well, to get to it you can view the video here…or click on the link above that says “Everyday Cookin’ Foods Inc.”

If you can’t find it…no worries, I’ve made it easy for you. Just click here to get to that page! You can thank me later!

-Darius

Special Announcement! from Darius Williams on Vimeo.