The Jesus Diet: The Ingredients & Day 1

 

 

 

The Jesus Diet: Day 1

After some extensive research on what they ate in Biblical days, I came to find out that there was actually more than you might think - but not a lot of it.

While meat was eaten, it was scarce.  If the Israelites saw the amount of meat we have readily available to us today, they would think they'd actually died and gone to heaven. Vegetables were around but only certain kinds. There was milk and cheese and while it's possible that it was from a cow - it's more likely it was from sheep and goats. Lentils and beans were a popular item, but they do need to be cooked...so...when Jesus was on the go performing His miracles He probably didn't have time to soak those chickpeas over night and then boil them for 2 hours.  Just like I've had to do a good half a dozen times over the last month.

Fish was eaten often, it sounds like maybe even daily - but there was really only one type of fish available to them, and I'll give you a hint - it's not salmon. Talipia was the seafood of the day, and therefore that is what I have been eating.  Only twice did I pick up cod, because...well, I really have no good excuse, and I don't count that as "cheating" just because it's in the same ballpark as Talipia.

Lemons were around, so was garlic, leeks, onions, and even honey. After all, it was indeed the land of "milk and honey".  Don't forget the most important ingredient of all - olive oil.

And while all of these things are fine and dandy, how many recipes can you really come up with when you don't have things like black pepper, avocados or Oreos?

I'm just kidding. I would never put black pepper on my Oreos.

I read about what the typical breakfasts were, the typical lunches, dinners, and also learned that roasted meat (like lamb) were generally only served on special occasions. I also read some fanciful notions by a certain community out there that really propped up the belief that Jesus was a practicing vegan. I would say that Jesus was closer to a practicing vegetarian but I would also say it wasn't so much by choice. Resources, as I said before, were limited.

But enough of the intros. Let's get to the recipes...shall we?

Day 1:

The first day was not as difficult as I thought it might be. I started my day off light. Super light. I work as an office administrator at a chiropractic clinic, and about an hour after finishing my pear and apple for breakfast I told the doctor, with pain in my eyes,

"I'm hungry." He laughed and said,

"That's because you just ate air."

I waited a couple of hours before having a snack...

You might be asking yourselves...what is this?  This would be my first mistake of the diet. I used all-purpose WHITE flour to make my own homemade flatbread (which is unleavened by the way - only flour, olive oil, salt and water to make it). A couple of weeks later when I made the second batch, I was smarter and used wheat flour. But I'm getting ahead of myself now. A small portion of homemade hummus, and there are also baby carrots there for dipping. From my research I learned they did have carrots available. Whether this is accurate or not, I'm not sure.

The doctor and I hit the gym during our 2-hour lunch break, and he played personal trainer. I played the woman who hates to exercise and whined a lot. The next day my body hated me, but mostly him.

When we returned from our workout I was ready for lunch. 

Another small portion of hummus, accompanied with another piece of the flatbread, raw petite baby carrots and the star of the show: talipia. I baked it the night before adding only lemon and garlic as garnish. It was extremely filling.

Dinner was approximately 4-5 hours later when I got home from work, and I was more surprised than anyone with how well it turned out.

My dinner was light, and once again, most surprisingly it was actually filling. A kale soup which was absolutely delicious, and two pieces of the flatbread.  Atop the flatbread I added a small dollop of sheep cheese, organic honey and pine nuts.  And while I didn't turn it from water, I naturally had to celebrate a successful first day with a glass of wine. Just like Jesus would have, I'm sure. ;)



Recipes for Day 1:

Homemade Hummus


Ingredients:

1. 1 head of fresh garlic
2. 1-2 cups extra virgin olive oil (I recommend either Greek, Italian or Israeli)
3. salt to taste
4. Dried chickpeas
5. 1 lemon


Instructions:

Make sure to rinse your chickpeas twice before filling a large pot with water, and soaking them overnight. The next day, drain the water, add fresh cold water to the pot covering beans, and boil (medium heat) on stove top for approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

1. Heat up 1 1/2 cups of olive oil on the stove in a small pot.
2. Once it starts to crackle and pop, turn the heat down to low. Add unpeeled garlic cloves, without dicing or chopping them 

3. cook until they turn golden (be careful not to burn them!)
4. In a food processor, add your cooked chickpeas (I would recommend half of a bag of dried beans, which once they expand and are cooked will turn into a full bag's worth); add the garlic (not the olive oil yet), a pinch of sea salt, and juice of half a lemon
5. Once the lid is tightly secured on the food processor, begin to pulse, until all the beans start to become smashed.

6. Turn setting to "low"
7. Gradually pour in the heated olive oil while the processor is blending. If you have finished the heated olive oil and the mixture is still not creamy enough, add more (room temperature) olive oil

7. Taste to see if it needs any more salt.

Serve fresh or chill for 1+

*As far as my research indicated, there was no such thing as tahini in Biblical days. Therefore, I've omitted it from the traditional hummus recipe. But to be perfectly honest, I think it tastes better this way!


Homemade Flatbread


I wish I could take the credit for inventing this one, but it's not mine. It's Mr. Ramsey's.

https://youtu.be/87gx9-8ksJU?t=662

I've been making this flatbread for over a year now, and just love it. While it may be an Indian inspired recipe, there's no reason why it couldn't have been, and quite possibly was made during Jesus' day. The ingredients could not be more simple, and the bread is simply delicious. I mean, there's no yeast, so this makes it unleavened. Water, salt, olive oil and flour is all you need.
 

 

Kale Chickpea Soup 

 

 

         Ingredients:   

                                                

 1. 1 package of baby kale

2. 1/2 head of fresh garlic

3. 1/4 cup olive oil
                                                             
4. sea salt to taste (I recommend approximately 2+ tablespoons
                                                             

5. pre-soaked and boiled chickpeas (amount desired)
                                                             

6. 1 leek
                                                           

 7. 3 stalks of celery

                                                             

8. 3 carrots, peeled

    9. 1 tablespoon caraway seed

      

 

                                                                Instructions:

                                        1. Clean and chop celery, carrots and leek
                                        2. Peel and mince garlic
                                        3. Heat a large pot with olive oil; add celery, carrots and leek
                    4. Leave on high and continue to stir until vegetables became transparent and soft 

                   5. Add minced garlic; stir until garlic turns a light golden brown
                   6. Add chickpeas

                   7. Add enough water to cover chickpeas, and resemble the level of soup

                   8. Add kale; Let the water come to a boil
                   9. Add salt, and stir
                   10. Add caraway seed and continue to stir; let cook on its own for approximately 35-40                                 minutes or until chickpeas break apart with fork, and carrots are soft.

                                                                        Baked Talipia

                                                                       Ingredients: 

                                                                    1. 1 serving of Talipia 

                                                                    2. 3 cloves garlic

                                                                    3. 1/2 lemon

                                                                        Instructions:
 

                                                                1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F
                                                                2. On a baking tray place tin foil; add fish

                                                                3. Place minced garlic on top of fish and juice of lemon

                                                                4. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until you see the fish is cooked all                                                                    the way through. That's it!

  

                                                                Stay tuned for Day 2...