Alright, so today I’m sharing my Lenten recipes journey. It’s been a trip, lemme tell ya!
First, I did some digging online, trying to figure out what Orthodox Lent even meant in terms of food. Turns out, it’s pretty strict. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, sometimes even no olive oil. Whoa. This was gonna be a challenge.
My initial thought? “Okay, gotta find some good vegan recipes.” But even that wasn’t quite right, since some vegan stuff relies heavily on processed ingredients, and I wanted to keep things fairly simple and real.
Phase 1: The Soup Experiment
- Started with soup. Seemed like the safest bet. I grabbed some lentils, carrots, celery, and onions. Sautéed the veggies in a little vegetable broth (yes, that’s allowed!), then tossed in the lentils and more broth. Simmered it all for like, an hour.
- It was…okay. Kinda bland. I learned I needed to be way more aggressive with the spices. Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, a little cumin – that helped a ton.
- Next up, a potato and leek soup. Boiled potatoes and leeks until soft, then blended it all up with some of the cooking water. Again, needed more flavor. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end made a world of difference.
Phase 2: Pasta Power
Figured pasta was a good base. I found some whole wheat pasta (because, you know, healthier-ish) and started experimenting with sauces.
- Tomato Sauce: Classic, right? Canned tomatoes, garlic, basil, a little red pepper flake. Easy peasy. I even roasted the tomatoes first for a deeper flavor. Score!
- Mushroom Sauce: Sautéed a bunch of mushrooms (cremini, shiitake – whatever I could find), added some garlic and thyme, deglazed the pan with a splash of red wine vinegar. Surprisingly delicious!
- Pesto…Kinda: Okay, traditional pesto has cheese. So I made a cheater version with just basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, and a ton of olive oil (when olive oil was allowed). It worked!
Phase 3: The Unexpected Wins
- Roasted Vegetables: This became a staple. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, carrots – tossed with some garlic powder and roasted until slightly charred. So simple, so good.
- Beans and Rice: Another classic. Black beans, brown rice, some diced tomatoes and onions. A little lime juice and cilantro at the end. Super filling and satisfying.
- Fruit Salads: Needed something sweet! Apples, oranges, bananas, berries – whatever was in season. A little sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
The Takeaways:
- Spice is your friend. Don’t be shy!
- Lemon juice brightens everything up.
- Roasting vegetables is always a good idea.
- It’s possible to eat well, even with restrictions. It just takes a little planning and creativity.
Overall, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Actually, I discovered some new favorite recipes. Would I do it again? Probably! It definitely made me more mindful of what I was eating, and that’s always a good thing.
