The Jesus Diet: Week 5
Who doesn't love hot dogs? I know I do. But hot dogs are not exactly the healthiest things to be eating, and as many of us probably know what's in a hot dog is hardly appetizing to hear about. But they still somehow taste amazing, don't they? Here is a healthier version of a hot dog, and all the ingredients were available in Biblical days which is also very exciting. At least for me.
Ingredients:
1-2 100% grass-fed all beef sausage links (a.k.a. hot dogs)
1 piece of homemade flatbread (see recipe in previous blog entry)
1 TBSP fresh mustard seeds
3 sprigs fresh dill, chopped finely
1 tsp apple cidar vinegar
1/2 white onion, chopped
1-2 TBSP olive oil
salt to taste
Instructions:
1. On high-med heat, heat a frying pan.
2. Add sausage link (or "hot dog" - no oil required)
3. Once it is slightly blackened on both sides, remove from heat; set aside
4. In a food processor, combine apple cider vinegar, olive oil, less than 1/4 of the chopped onion, fresh dill, a pinch of salt and mustard seeds; blend as thoroughly as possible
5. Spread the dill mixture onto 1 piece of homemade flatbread, add sausage to the center
6. Sprinkle remaining onion on for taste and garnish
If Jesus were British: Healthy Fish n' Chips
I tagged my British friend on Facebook after making this, and while he said it was creative, he also told me it was sacrilegious (no pun intended, I suspect) to distort such a treasured national dish of theirs. Even still, it turned out absolutely delicious, and this was such a tasty treat, I was worried it wasn't good for me. Other than the excessive amount of olive oil though, there wasn't anything I had in this dish that would be considered bad for you. Everything in this dish, as all the others is completely all-natural, and again, I can't say enough how delicious it was. Oh, and let me just add a quick note that a few days prior to making this, I was reading my Bible and came across a verse where they talked about beer. Aloud I go, "beer?!" I was actually kind of excited. Not that I'm a huge beer drinker, but it gave me more liberties and hence we have this masterpiece...
Ingredients:
1 fillet of cod (which, yes, okay, technically cod may not have been around in Jesus' day, but...it's white...and it's a fish...and it looks like Talipia, and no. No, I don't have a good excuse for using it. But there we are)
1 small bottle of beer (I used Coor's Banquet)
salt to taste + 1 tsp
a handful of all-natural, peeled and halved almonds
carrot chips
1 lemon
fresh dill
less than 1 bottle of olive oil
1 cup wheat flour
1 lemon
2-3 sprigs fresh dill
Instructions:
1. Pat the cod dry with a paper towel on both sides of the fillet
2. In a bowl combine wheat flour and 1 tsp salt; whisk together
3. Gradually add the beer as you continue to whisk/stir the mixture
4. Dredge both sides of the fillet in mixture
5. Sprinkle or coat the entire fillet in almonds
6. Beforehand, boil a pot of olive oil
7. Add the fish to the pot, and let it deep fry for approximately 5-6 minutes until crispy golden brown on both sides
8. Remove carefully and place on plate and cool for at least 5 minutes
9. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F
10. On a baking sheet with parchment paper, add carrot chips; drizzle olive oil over them with a pinch of salt
11. Bake for 10 minutes, or until "chips" are crispy
12. As a tartar sauce substitute, chop the fresh dill and sprinkle it over the fish, with 1 or two lemon slices
If Jesus were American, Part II: Meatloaf
Now, I'm just going to start off by saying, while this tasted almost exactly like the real thing, and it was very good, the only thing that was really missing for me was the ketchup flavor. That is indeed a bigger component than we may realize when it comes to the classic American dish. Nevertheless I think it was just fine, and the only change I would make in the future would be to mash the chickpeas beforehand. Otherwise, I think if you try this out, you'll be surprised as to how similar it is to the real McCoy.
Ingredients:
1 cup pre-soaked/cooked chickpeas
1 - 2 pounds ground 100% grass-fed lamb (measure depending on how many people you're serving)
1 cage-free egg
1/2 cup red wine (I would recommend any medium-to light red wine you have around)
salt to taste
1 white onion
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F
2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together, then place in a meatloaf pan
3. Top with a drizzle of red wine
4. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until you test the meat to make sure it's properly cooked.
(You guys, seriously, it smelled just like meatloaf while it was baking!)
For my side, I did the same thing as the week before and made mashed fava beans. They were fabulous. And apparently, yes, they did indeed have peas in Jesus' day - so it was actually the perfect meal. Leftovers lasted me 3 or 4 meals.
Fava Bean & Lentil Stew
In Genesis, we're told about how Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for apparently some amazing stew. I mean, how good must this dish have been to have sold his birthright?
"Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” Therefore his name was called Edom. Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright." - Genesis 25: 29-34
I had a lot to live up to here. But I was really trying to replicate what I thought might be the recipe for this supposedly birthright-selling stew. And while it might not be much to look at, I know, it was absolutely so delicious it was quite possibly one of the best things I've made so far. Who knows. Perhaps this is indeed the very recipe. We'll just never know if I've unlocked the mystery...
Ingredients:
1-2 cups pre-soaked and peeled fava beans
1 cup red lentils
1 white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt to taste
olive oil
1 cup red wine (I would recommend something in the Pinot Noir variety)
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, sautee onion with olive oil
2. Once onion is transparent add the minced garlic
3. Sautee together until the garlic turns a nice light brown
4. Pour in the red lentils
5. Stir, while gradually adding the red wine
6. Add salt to taste; bring to a boil
7. Add the fava beans, and stir continuously, bringing the burner down to a low-medium flame
8. Continue to cook until there is a mushy consistency, approximately 25 minutes
I have to say, this one was particularly fun. So obviously I had a lot of the aforementioned Fava Ben & Lentil Stew left over, I came up with a really cool idea. Why not nachos? Albeit, nachos that taste nothing like what actual nachos would taste like - but the principle of the dish is still there. I would say don't knock it until you try it, it was super filling, healthy and delicious!
Ingredients:
1-2 zucchini
Fava Bean Lentil Stew leftover
1 large yellow onion
salt to taste
1 tsp caraway seed
romaine lettuce, chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped, including chives
A small portion of hard sheep cheese, grated
1/4 pound ground 100% grass-fed lamb
olive oil
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F
2. On a cookie sheet with parchment paper, add sliced zucchini
3. Add olive oil and a pinch of salt; bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and slightly brown
4. In a frying pan heat olive oi; add sliced onions to pan and continue to stir until completely wilted (can take 10 minutes or longer depending on temperature of stove and how frequently you're stirring); set aside
5. In another frying pan add ground lamb; add salt and caraway seed; fry until completely cooked
through
6. Heat leftover fava bean lentil stew
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