Daniel: Breakfast Hash
BREAKFAST HASH
Ingredients:
- 2 Yukon Potatoes
- 1 Cup Butternut Squash
- ¼ Vidalia Onion
- ½ Cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 Cups Baby Spinach
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Canola Oil
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- Water
- Parsley
Directions:
- Clean, dry and peel potatoes. Cut into ½ inch chunks.
- Peel squash and cut into ½ inch chunks.
- Peel onion and slice into thin strips.
- Clean tomatoes and cut in half.
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- Clean and dry spinach.
- Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add onions and potatoes to the pan. When the onions become translucent, stir ingredients and add the garlic and squash.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir frequently and add 2 Tbsp. water as needed to avoid sticking.
- Add remaining ingredients to the skillet and stir. Do not cover the pan. Continue stirring and adding water as needed.
- Cook until tomatoes are soft and spinach is wilted.
- Top with fresh parsley as desired.
If you haven’t figured it out by now this dish is just a twist on the classic fried potatoes most of us grew up eating Saturday morning. Goes great with sliced strawberries or any fruit of your choice.
Daniel: Cucumber Snack
CUCUMBER SNACK
Ingredients:
- 1 Large Cucumber
- ½ Cup Cherry Tomatoes
- ¼ Cup Organic Rice Vinegar
- Cracked Black Pepper
- Salt
Directions:
- Clean and peel cucumber. Cut it in half length-wise, then into sticks ½ inch wide and 2-3 inches long.
- Clean the tomatoes. Cut them in half.
- Add the ingredients into a bowl and toss.
- Add cracked black pepper and salt as desired.
- Enjoy immediately or chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
This simple dish is great for a snack anytime. The rice vinegar has a lighter flavor than some other vinegar varieties. Be sure to read the product labels.
Daniel: Sweet Potato Fries
SWEET POTATO FRIES
Ingredients:
- 1 Sweet Potatoes
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash and dry the potatoes with the skin on.
- Cut the potatoes length wise into the shape of French fries.
- Toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl until they are well coated.
- Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes; flip with a spatula or tongs then roast another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are brown and crispy.
Reduce cooking time for softer fries.
Give Me a Break
“I will also give you rest from all your enemies.”
2 Samuel 7:11
I never thought I was a person who had enemies; just people who I didn’t like and who didn’t like me. That is until this past year. That’s when I realized that there are people who are actively against me. Their words, deeds and attitudes make their opposition very apparent in that sneaky, sly, “Hey girl I like your shoes” sort of way. (I’m giving the side eye.)
Just to give you a visual, I watch a lot of football. Whenever my favorite team plays (THE Dallas Cowboys by the way), I route for them to win. Although I am for the one team, I am not actively against the other. Sure there can only be one winner but I am not hoping for the failure of the opposing team. Does that make sense?
Unlike my football scenario, I realized there were people doing and saying things not just to elevate themselves, but to also diminish me in the mind of others.
So what can you do to catch a break?
Enemies, as they are, don’t commonly go on holiday. They keep pushing your buttons and wearing on your nerves without ceasing. But this scripture offers refreshing hope.
“I will also give you rest from all your enemies.”
Ahhhh! Like the fizz of a lemon-lime soda tickling your nose while sitting in a lawn chair at the beach on a warm summer day.
(Let’s enjoy this moment of peace.)
Now that we’ve woo-saa’d, let’s write this good word on the tablet of our hearts, or in S-Memo, either one works, and carry-on as if we know for certain that soon the Lord will give us rest.
(Contributing Writer: Marlena Patterson)
Daniel: Fried Cabbage
FRIED CABBAGE
Ingredients:
- 1 Head of Cabbage
- 1 Large Vidalia Onion
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Directions:
- Remove the outermost layer of the cabbage’s leaves.
- With a large, sharp knife, cut the cabbage in half then cut out and discard the core.
- With the cabbage laid flat on a cutting board, slice the cabbage into 1/4 inch thick slices. (Cut long slices in half)
- Place sliced cabbage into a large bowl of cool water. Soak for 20 minutes to clean.
- Peel onion and slice thinly.
- Rinse and drain cabbage.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the sliced onion to the pan.
- When the onions nearly translucent, add the sliced cabbage to the pan and cover. Allow the cabbage to cook about 5 minutes.
- Stir the cabbage in the pan. If any additional cabbage is remaining, add it to the pan and allow it to cook another 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper to the cabbage mixture. Replace the lid and allow the cabbage to cook until the leaves are tender are bright in color. Continue to stir the cabbage often to avoid sticking.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the cabbage from the pan and serve warm.
This recipe is almost certain to be a new family favorite anytime of the year. Cabbage is a very inexpensive vegetable and it cooks quickly. For an additional kick, try adding a pinch of dried red pepper flakes.
Daniel: Roasted Root Veggies
ROASTED ROOT VEGGIES
Ingredients:
- 3 Small Golden or Red Skinned Potatoes
- 1 Vidalia Onions
- 2 Large Carrot
- 2 Tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tbs. Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbs. Fresh Parsley (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Clean and dry the potatoes, then cut into halves or quarters (depending on the size).
- Peel, rinse and dry the carrots. Cut into 1/2 inch rounds.
- Clean and dry the tomatoes. Cut into quarters.
- Peel the onion and cut into large pieces.
- Add the vegetables to a large bowl, along with the salt and olive oil.
- Mix ingredients thoroughly.
- Add to a cookie sheet or shallow baking dish in an even layer.
- Roast (uncovered) in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until all vegetables are cooked through.
- If additional salt is needed add a small amount of sea salt to warm vegetables.
- Top with chopped parsley prior to serving garnish.
If you’re looking for a no-fuss, hearty meal, roasted veggies is the way to go. This meal will work well if you’re doing the variation of The Daniel Fast that allows you to consume olive oil. Make sure you read the labels for additives and such.
Daniel: Hot “Not” Tea
HOT “NOT” TEA
Ingredients:
- Water
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Lime
- Fresh Mint Leaves
Directions:
- Pour hot water into a mug
- Cut a lemon into slices (as much as you like)
- Cut a lime into slices (as much as you like)
- Squeeze the juice from the lemon and lime into the mug of hot water
- Add the lemon and lime slices, as well as, 2 to 3 whole mint leaves to the mug
Since The Daniel Fast specifies that the only beverage those who are fasting should consume is water, this beverage will help warm your insides on cold winter days.
Daniel: Mashed Potatoes
MASHED POTATOES
Ingredients:
- 2 – 1/2 lbs. Potatoes
- 32 oz. Organic Vegetable Stock
- 1 cup Water
- Salt
Directions:
- Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes. This does not have to be exact.
- Place chopped potatoes into a large stock pot.
- Pour vegetable stock in the pot over the potatoes.
- Add water to the pot. If potatoes are not covered, add an additional cup of water.
- Boil potatoes until they are soft.
- Transfer potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher.
- Ladle one spoon of vegetable stock from pot into bowl with potatoes. Continue mashing the potatoes.
- Repeat STEP 7 until the potatoes are smooth, or the texture you prefer.
- Add salt to taste.
This recipe is a healthy twist on an old favorite. Once the fast is over, try making it with chicken stock. You probably won’t event miss the traditional butter and milk.
Abraham’s Top Secret Mission
“Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Genesis 22:9
Has God ever asked you to do something so nuts-o that you couldn’t tell anyone about it? I mean, folk would seriously have you committed, or arrested, if they knew. Something so radical, that you had to do it first, or at least make an irreversible commitment, before even hinting to anyone about it.
Sure you consulted God’s Word and your “go-to” Godly counsel people (I hope) to make sure you weren’t completely out of your mind, but after that, you told no one.
Well that’s what happened to Abraham. He had a secret mission from God that he literally told no one about. Because they would’ve locked him up! Of course I’m talking about the infamous story where God provided a ram in the bush (Genesis 22) to sacrifice instead of his son. The son they prayed for all those years, the son of the promise, the son through whom a bunch of Ancestry.com leaves are supposed to come.
Y’all know he didn’t tell that boy’s mamma where he was going that day! And when it was over; after Abraham untied his son, you know he told him, “Now don’t tell you mom what happened today and we’ll stop and get Fig Newton’s on the way home.” Let my husband tell me God told him to kill my son. I do not think so!
Just as a side note, I wonder if Isaac looked at his dad differently after that adventure. I mean, if my dad tied me up, held a knife over me and was about to “sacrifice” me, I’m not going no where else with dad. EVER!
Anyway, here’s a few examples of why you just can’t tell people the sometimes strange things God asks you to do.
Once God led me to walk 60 miles in 3 days in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. A worthy cause right? When I told people what I was doing, after I signed up by the way, although most people were supportive, I was met with some negative responses like “Why are you doing that?” and “Humph! I couldn’t do that. That’s doing too much.” Then, earlier this year, I told someone really close to me that I was doing The Daniel Fast, and they said, “Oh yeah? Well we’ll see how that goes.”
Really? I mean can a sista get some love here?
The point is, as you’re fasting this Lenten season, whatever it entails, tell only those people who are sure to support and encourage you. There will be some days when you’ll need to be uplifted and some when you’ll need some accountability. But whatever you do, don’t tell the naysayers.
If, by chance, you’ve already been unfortunate enough to have made that mistake, it’s okay. Acknowledge that they hurt your feelings for not being supportive, choose not to talk to them about it anymore and don’t hold it against them.
Once it’s all over, you can have some Fig Newtons.
(Contributing Writer: Marlena Patterson)2016 Lectionary Scriptures
The Lectionary Scriptures for 2016 are now available for download at www.shilohbaptist.org/uploads/2016-Lectionery-Scriptures.pdf