Craving Sweets and Salty Snacks? Lenten Fast Alterntives Part 2

Congratulations!  You're halfway through the first week of your Lenten Fast.  Are your cravings for cakes, cookies, potato chips and nachos, threatening to take over?  But you're determine to see it through to the end.  No worries, we've got your back.

"Good salt is worthless if it loses its saltiness.  It can't season a thing.  Don't lose your flavor.  Be at peace with each other."    Mark 9:50

Kiki here ...with a special S.O.S text-webisode and recipes from All Recipes.com -- to help you succeed.  

Miracles and Blessings, thanks for joining us.  Your first reward is the Perfect Flourless Orange Cake below.  I'm one those people who always looks at the dessert menu first.  Did I just describe you? 

This would go great with a cup of Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice tea.  This is one of the few teas I drink without adding sugar or honey.  Sugar would only take away from its flavor.

(Perfect Flourless Orange Cake - AllRecipes.com)

Perfect Flourless Orange Cake

Ingredients  

Makes 1 10-inch round cake 

• 2 whole oranges with peel
• 6 eggs
• 1 pinch saffron powder (optional)
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds (almond meal)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped candied orange peel (optional)

Directions

1. Place the oranges in a large saucepan, and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 hours over medium heat. Check occasionally to make sure they do not boil dry. Allow the oranges to cool, then cut them open and remove the seeds. Process in a blender or food processor to a coarse pulp.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Thoroughly grease a 10-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together using an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. Mix in baking powder and saffron (optional). Stir in the pureed oranges. Gently fold in almond meal and candied orange peel (optional); pour batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake until a small knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow the cake to cool in the pan. Tap out onto a serving plate when cool.

• PREP 2 hrs 30 mins
• COOK 1 hr
• READY IN 4 hrs   

Enjoy a Healthy Smoothy

What can I drink that will sustain me when I skip a meal?  Mind, Body and Green has the solution with their green smoothies for beginners:  Tropical Cleanse and Banana Berry Smoothy.  I've enjoyed versions of the Tropical Cleanse, substituting kale for the spinach and adding beets; and substituting wheat germ for the raw nuts in the Banana Berry. 

Tropical Cleanse

1 cup frozen or fresh pineapple

1 small to medium banana (ripe and peeled)                                                        

1 inch piece of ginger

2 handfuls of spinach

1 cup water or coconut water (unpasteurized)

Banana-Berry Super Smoothie

2 cups of spinach

1 frozen small to medium banana (ripe and peeled)

3/4 cup of frozen mixed berries (or fresh strawberries or blueberries)

¼ cup of raw nuts or raw seeds (my favorites are sunflower seeds, walnuts, flax seeds or almonds, or a combination of the above)

1-2 cups of water or coconut water (unpasteurized)

What About My Snack Attack?

We've got you covered there too.  Try these tips to help you through the snack cravings.  There's nothing like movie popcorn, a snack bag of chips and nacho chips in moderation.  But once you're fasting, there will be no empty calorie snacking even if it's in moderation.  So how do you satisfy your craving when it hits hard?  

1. Freeze Seedless Grapes - They're a great substitution for hard candy.  They're delicious and great when you have a sore throat.

2. Bake up some kale.  It's tastier than you think.  Combine the natural sweetness with seasoned salt, you won't be able to stop snacking on them. 

3. Make up your own trail mix with unsalted peanuts, Chex squares and golden raisins.  

What are some of your Lenten Fast alternatives?  Hungry stomachs want to know.

What about St. Patrick's Day?  

What's the substitute for Corned Beef and Cabbage?  Try Vegan Corned Beef and Cabbage with roast red potatoes and dill and, of course we can't forget about the soda bread.

 

We found this dish at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen Sinlessly Delicious, created by Susan Voisin.  We'll send you over there for her Vegan Corned Beef and Cabbage, dill potatoes and soda bread recipes.  How cute is that.  She shaped the soda bread into a shamrock.

Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 6 servings 

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. 

3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.