Diet alteration

Pan-fried falafel with pepper and tahini sauce alongside baked sweet potatoes.

Give up all dairy except mayonnaise? You mean I won’t have sugar or half-n-half in my morning coffee? These were parts of a commitment, which also included abstaining from refined sugar, chicken, beef and pork. You might ask, “Why give up these foods?”

It’s Day 11 of the “Daniel fast,” a 20-day voluntary time of prayer and sacrifice for gatherers at Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Greater Boston. The fast is a period for people to give up something of their choice (food, television, etc.)  in hopes they grow closer to God and as a way to pray for Bostonians. Daniel, an Israelite taken into captivity in Babylon, struck a deal with a guard and ate only fruits and vegetables for 10 days (instead of partaking in rich food from the king’s table) to honor his kosher dietary practices central to his understanding as a man of God. At the end of the 10 days, Daniel and his friends were in better shape than those who ate the king’s food.

I’m not going as far as Daniel’s dietary restrictions, but the fast has brought some insights worth sharing. I broke parts of the commitment, which will be discussed later.

1. Garbanzo beans rule. If it wasn’t for garbanzos, I’d be in dire straits. I’ve used them in chana masala and falafel and dipped broccoli in hummus (made from pureed garbanzos and other ingredients) from Trader Joe’s. I made a riff on ”chana masala,” a stewy tomato soup with garbanzos, onion, garlic, and spices from a recipe from Molly Wizenberg’s husband, Brandon, found in her book, “A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table.” Garbanzos provide a healthy fiber dose (14 grams per 1/4-cup serving) and 8 grams protein per serving.

2. I could be a pseudo vegetarian. The reason I throw “pseudo” in there is because I can’t see myself giving up fish, or bacon. But I don’t miss chicken or beef. Eating this way isn’t too straining and I already tended toward eating fruits, veggies and whole grains.

Tuna, garlic, and oil linguine (perhaps with a little spaghetti mixed in), an adaptation from a Saveur magazine recipe.

3. Rice milk passes as a milk substitute for cereal and oatmeal. With time, any sugar or syrup from the cereal sweetens the milk. I’ve also put rice milk into coffee instead of half-n-half, which leads to the next insight.

4. Coffee tastes alright without sugar and half-n-half. This is surprising, but maybe I’m one of those that likes tasting the coffee beans’ flavor without sugar or half-n-half as masking agents.

5. I had greater energy and a “cleaner” feeling after the first three days of the fast. Since then it’s been harder to tell. I had trouble sleeping three of four nights.

6. I am thankful for bread, cereal, oats and pasta.

Now to the part about breaking some of the commitment. I think there was cheese in packaged lobster ravioli and after dinner, I eat these dark chocolate mint creams, which have sugar. Oops, I also had s’mores one night (sugar in those marshmallows).

On the positive side, I adapted a recipe for honey cake from Gourmet magazine to fit this current diet. I replaced brown sugar with Lyle’s Golden Syrup and dolloped a few spoonfuls of pureed pumpkin instead of two eggs. The moist, slightly crumbly cake tasted and smelled like gingerbread, combining a fragrant mix of cinnamon, honey, maple syrup, pumpkin, and caramelly Lyle’s syrup. 

This cake, an adaptation of a recipe for honey cake found in Gourmet magazine, has prunes and dried apricots. It was baked in a square pan instead of a loaf pan.

Incidentally, the other day I opened Gourmet’s November issue, it’s final one, and see a recipe for vegan chocolate cheesecake, using silken tofu to replace eggs and soy cream cheese (this exists?). It still has sugar, but calls for Earth Balance vegan buttery spread for the graham cracker crust.

To be honest, eating this way hasn’t been too difficult. It just requires substitutions and causes me to cook and think in different ways. The only strain occured last night when ordering at a restaurant. The selections were limited, but I made do with crab cakes, spinach and French fries. Yes, I actually ordered French fries (not sweet potato fries), which I never do. They were thick, potatoey and satisfying.