The first chapter of the book of Daniel tells the tale of Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, along with many young men of noble birth from the sons of Israel and Babylon, selected to serve before Babylonian king, Nebuchannezar. The young men, selected for their looks and wisdom, were to be given the same food and drink served to the king. Daniel and his friends wanted to remain faithful to their faith, so they did not want to defile themselves with the king’s offerings. Daniel begged the keeper allow him and his friends to simply eat fruits and vegetables. Because they knew the keeper would fall under the kings wrath if Daniel and his friends failed to look as well as the other young men, Daniel asked the keeper to test him and his companions for ten days to see if they didn’t appear as well as their counterparts who partook of the king’s diet. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his friends appeared in better health than the rest of the young men.
18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
My family has gone through a great deal of turmoil over the last year. We are in tremendous need of God’s guidance, so we are embarking on a Daniel fast, our second time this year. It is not an easy fast for us, as we are meat eaters, big time meat eaters. On a Daniel fast, one is allowed to eat, but strictly fruits and vegetables. This means no meat, refined products or meat products: no cheese, milk, wheat products, yeast, etc.
For the next ten to twenty-one days, my wife and I will on this fast. In preparation for the fast, I made a number of batches of vegetable broth. Sacrificing meat, cheese and wheat products does not mean sacrificing flavor. To make the broth, I roasted the vegetables I had on hand, enough to fill three quarters of my slow cooker. I then filled the slow cooker with filtered water and left it on overnight. The next day, I strained out the liquid and was left with awesome broth. I will list what I used, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
3 carrots cut in large chunks
2 medium onions, quartered
1 zucchini cut into large chunks
1 yellow squash cut into large chunks
half a container of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 red pepper cut in large chunks
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3-5 cloves smashed garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
About a quarter cup of parsley
Spread the vegetables over a large baking pan. Mix the olive oil with salt and pepper to taste and roast at 400 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes.
Place the vegetables in your slow cooker, about three quarters of the way and fill with water. Tie herbs together and add to pot, along with the garlic. Slow cook for eight hours.
Drain the liquid. DO NOT TOSS THE VEGETABLES!! Use it to make vegetable chili. Recipe to follow.
