Saturday, March 1, 2014

Lenten Prep

+JMJ+

So, February is DONE! GONE! FINISHED!... at least for this year.
That means that we are one step closer to Spring!
But it also means that we are one step closer to Lent.

It's always a bit of a struggle to figure out "What You're Going to Do." This year, my wonderful hubby and I have decided that in addition to whatever little penance we manage to find for ourselves, we'd like to attempt to go (mostly) meat-free.

Before you go all crazy and think this is a huge deal-- it really isn't.  I mean, people used to fast all Lent. They just ate bread and water and were crazy lethargic all the time and yet they still had to work the farms, the mills, the looms... everything. So in this day and age, going vegetarian for a while (even in this meat-lovin' family) isn't really that big of a deal.

Especially because I'm asking you for recipes!
Yeah... really penitential, huh?

If we're going to succeed in this, we need to at least eat things we can tolerate... otherwise we'll toss it out pretty quickly.  But here's the catch: we're on a budget. The challenge thus becomes:

1. A recipe that is vegetarian... 
2... with 8-10 ingredients max... 
3... and no quinoa or saffron rice or fancy stuff like that. Blogger doesn't even recognize "quinoa" as a word. I don't recognize it as a viable food option.

All joking aside, I really would *love* your help. Internet searches can only get me so far because, quite frankly, I trust recipe recommendations wayyyyy more when they come from people I know.

So please-- share your earthy-crunchy-animal-friendly wisdom with this poor steak-and-potatoes lovin' midwestern girl!

9 comments:

  1. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/lebanese-lentils-rice-and-caramelized-onions-mujadara-recipe.html

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  2. those two are spicy and probably good for Andy and you only. But this is kid friendly and deliciously leeky corn chowder.

    1 bunch of leeks, chopped (most of green parts removed)
    14 oz. can corn
    14 oz. can creamed corn
    2 celery stalks chopped
    1 Yukon Gold potatoes sliced thin and chopped into very small pieces
    4 cups whole milk
    Plenty salt and pepper
    4 tbs. Butter

    melt butter in a medium pot. add onions, celery, and potatoes. Cook until softened (about 10 min). Add corn, milk, & creamed corn. Heat through. Season with s&p.

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  3. I like to prepare the recipes on the Catholic Relief Services' Rice Bowl site each year for Lent:
    http://www.crsricebowl.org/recipe-archive/
    They are from countries where CRS serves.
    New this year, there will be short cooking videos with Fr. Leo Patalinghug

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  4. Some of my favorites:

    1) This has more than 10 ingredients, but a lot of them are from cans, so I think it could fit your criteria! http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/three-bean-vegetarian-chili-10000001949760/

    2) http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese/ (may be a little too much work for a busy momma like you because you make the sauce from a roux, but MY oh my is it good, and way healthier than a normal mac and cheese. Sometimes I throw carmelized onions in too.)

    3) http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/black-bean-and-sweet-potato-tostadas/

    4) http://www.miasdomain.com/2011/12/crispy-black-bean-fritters-with-creamy.html - these freeze well, too, and would be good for little hands!

    5) http://pinchofyum.com/healthy-sweet-potato-skins

    6) http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/crustless-smoked-turkey-spinach-quiche-10000001809150/ - you can make this without meat and it's just as good!

    7) http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/sweet-potato-kale-pizza-with-rosemary-red-onion/ - this pizza changed my life.

    8) http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/roasted-chickpea-fajitas/ - I really like roasting the chickpeas. I've roasted them in different types of seasonings lately and thrown them on top of salads, too.

    9) I know, I know, you said no quinoa, and I respect that :) but I would say, it's a) pretty cheap at Trader Joe's and b) much more filling than rice or other types of starches, so it keeps you full for longer. It's easy to make on the stovetop or in a rice cooker if you have one! Peter was really opposed to the idea when we first started dating but now he's a fan, too :) just in case you want to give it a whirl, here's my go-to quinoa recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/black-quinoa-salad-with-mango-avocado-tomatoes/

    hope these help! Erin

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  5. Oh, one more: spanish omelette! http://spanishfood.about.com/od/tapas/r/tortilla.htm

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  6. ONE more :) http://www.moosewoodcooks.com/2012/11/black-bean-chipotle-soup/

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  7. I can't say that I was any good at compiling this collection, but it's a good one to scroll through for inspiration:
    http://church-ladies.blogspot.com/search/label/40%20Meatless%20Meals

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  8. Random late reply (I thought I replied earlier, but blogspot ate it?)

    I'm looking forward to trying the recipes everyone posted! Phil and I are also going vegetarian for Lent, and we don't eat a ton of meat anyway, so I'm always on the hunt for vegetarian entree recipes. I have just one question: Why oh why does my husband not like sweet potatoes?!?!?

    Anyway, here are some of our favorites:

    1. Stuffed peppers: http://www.shugarysweets.com/2013/01/santa-fe-stuffed-peppers . Replace meat with a can of beans.

    2. Crock pot lentils http://www.shugarysweets.com/2013/01/santa-fe-stuffed-peppers . This makes a ton, so I usually freeze half and make two dinner+leftovers-for-lunch meals. It calls for oodles of spices, most of which I don't have, so just put in what you want. Also, we use green lentils because that's what Market Basket has.

    3. Creamy Spinach Orzo: http://damndelicious.net/2014/02/10/parmesan-spinach-orzo/ . Tastes like risotto, easy as pasta.

    4. Chickpea Red Pepper Salad: http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2011/08/11/moroccan-chickpeas-peppers/ . Again, oodles of spices. I just used whatever I had. Also I didn't use the fruit, because that seemed a little weird, but next time maybe I will give it a try.

    3.

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  9. Thank you, ladies!! Filing this all away for the next few weeks. :)

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