Lenten menu: recipes for each day of Lent

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Lent time for Orthodox Christians is considered a time of work on oneself, both in the spiritual and in the physical sense. Refusal of entertainment, empty talk, forgiveness of past grievances, observance of religious rituals are an integral part of fasting. You can find an example of a lenten menu in this article.

Eating rules during Lent

Before you decide to fast, you should think about your readiness for restrictions. Pregnant women, pensioners, people with stomach problems, it is better to confine themselves to spiritual fasting. The main thing in this process is to be honest with yourself and calculate your strengths. An empty stomach should not distract from eating spiritual food.

During fasting, the consumption of meat, dairy and seafood is limited. Sometimes it is allowed to eat fish. It all depends on how strict the post you decide to keep.

The strictest option is to completely refuse food for the whole day. It is suitable only for completely he althy people who do not exercise.

In the Orthodox calendar there aredays of fasting, in which the use of hot and oily food is prohibited. Residents of northern cities should think several times before deciding on such an experiment.

The easiest option for fasting is well suited for beginners in this business. It consists in limiting meat, fish, dairy products, including eggs. Otherwise, you can not deny yourself when compiling a lenten menu. There are a lot of delicious recipes, meat is replaced with beans or soy products, nori leaves are suitable instead of fish, and eggs will be replaced by a banana.

Preparing for fasting

It is customary to give up meat dishes a week before Lent. This will allow you to get used to the new way of eating a little and not drive the body into a stressful state. At this time, believers celebrate Maslenitsa, bake pancakes, using fish, eggs, cottage cheese, honey, and jam as fillings.

A strict lenten menu must be maintained on the last day of Shrovetide week. On this day, it is customary to ask for forgiveness from loved ones and let go of grievances.

Exit post

During fasting, the stomach adapts to a new rhythm, so new foods can harm it. That is why you need to return to your usual food gradually, expanding the lenten menu. Delicious meat dishes, sweets, pastries and alcohol should be consumed in small quantities.

On the first day of Easter, you should not load your stomach with heavy food. It is better to start by adding dairy products to the diet, then fish and meat.

Bean salad

The lenten menu for each day of fasting can include a simple, hearty and uncomplicated salad with beans, chickpeas and vegetables. Beans should be soaked in water overnight before cooking.

Ingredients:

• a glass of beans;
• a glass of chickpeas;
• three hundred grams of green beans;
• greens;
• two cucumbers;
• cherry tomatoes;
• 45ml olive oil;
• spices;
• lime or lemon juice to taste.

Vegetable Bean Salad Recipe:

1. Cook beans and chickpeas.
2. Cut the green beans in half and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Cut cucumbers and tomatoes.
4. In a bowl combine legumes, vegetables, oil, lemon juice and herbs.

Vegetables, like legumes, can be anything in this dish. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Couscous with vegetables

Couscous is used in many oriental dishes. It is famous for its mild and delicate taste. Like many cereals, it contains useful substances and minerals, has a positive effect on the digestive system, and leaves a feeling of satiety in the stomach for a long time. Couscous is often found in lenten menu recipes. During fasting, one should not forget about proper and balanced nutrition. Couscous with vegetables is suitable for both breakfast and lunch.

Required Components:

• a glass of cereal;
• bulb;
• carrot;
• two bell peppers;
• three tomatoes;
• pepperchili;
• zucchini;
• glass of water;
• a couple of garlic cloves;
• olive oil;
• greens;
• spices.

Cooking steps:

1. Wash vegetables well. Peel carrots, onions and zucchini.
2. Cut carrots, onion, tomato, garlic into small layers and heat them in a pan.
3. Cut the zucchini and pepper into larger pieces, place with other vegetables.
4. Chop the chili as much as possible and put in the pan.
5. After five minutes of stirring, add seasonings.
6. Pour in water and place couscous.
7. Simmer for five minutes with the lid closed.

To add freshness and juiciness to the dish, add greens and a drop of lemon juice.

This dish can be prepared using other vegetables you like. For example, eggplant, cabbage, beets are suitable for them. Couscous with vegetables will perfectly complement the mushrooms.

Solyanka with mushrooms

Solyanka with mushrooms is an unusual, original and tasty dish. It will undoubtedly become a highlight in your Lenten menu. In fasting, hodgepodge can be consumed on any day, as it is eaten both hot and cold.

This is the kind of dish you can make when guests are on the doorstep. It will surprise them with its aroma and pleasant sour taste.

The ingredients in this dish are interchangeable. You can use whatever vegetables you find in your fridge. There is also a variant of the dish using sauerkraut.

Required Ingredientsfor making hodgepodge:

• pickled cucumber;
• bulb;
• five potatoes;
• two hundred grams of mushrooms;
• one hundred grams of pickled mushrooms;
• a small spoonful of tomato paste;
• 45 grams of vegetable oil;
• spice to taste.

Cooking:

1. Fill water into a bowl and put on the stove.
2. Wash, peel and cut potatoes. Throw in boiling water.
3. Make a roast. Chop carrots and onions. Fry in vegetable oil.
4. Fry the mushrooms in another bowl.
5. Ready-made mushrooms combined with fry.
6. Put the pickled cucumber cut into small pieces into the pan.
7. Stir for a couple of minutes, add pickled mushrooms.
8. Keep the frying on the fire for another minute and throw it into the pot with boiled potatoes.
9. Add seasonings, bay leaf, chopped dill or parsley.
10. Cook for a couple of minutes and turn off.

Put a piece of lemon on top of the soup in a plate, it can be replaced with olives or capers.

Peppers stuffed with vegetables and couscous

Stuffed peppers are usually prepared using minced meat. In this version, meat is replaced with couscous and vegetables. Such a dish can be safely included in your lenten menu for every day. Instead of this cereal, you can use rice or buckwheat.

Recipe Ingredients:

• bell pepper (about 7 pieces);
• 30 grams couscous;
• 30 grams of pumpkin;
• half red onion;
• half a small spoonful of soy sauce;
• 300ml filtered water;
• a little olive oil;
• sprig of cilantro;
• sprig of parsley;
• garlic clove;
• spice to taste.

Cooking steps:

1. Heat one hundred milliliters of water in a container, and when it starts to boil, throw cereal into it.
2. Close the container with a lid. The couscous is ready in five minutes.
3. Peel the pumpkin, chop the pulp and mix with the finished cereal.
4. Chop the onion finely and fry it in a well-heated frying pan. When ready, transfer to a bowl with pumpkin and couscous.
5. Add chopped parsley and cilantro, spices. Mix well. The filling is ready.
6. Wash the pepper, cut the core. Fill with the resulting filling.
7. Pour the remaining 200 ml of clean water into a bowl. Spread pepper evenly into it.
8. Simmer the dish with the lid closed.

The pepper is ready to eat after 20 minutes.

Lentil curry

There are a lot of lentil recipes for the lenten menu. This type of bean is a storehouse of vitamins, useful minerals and substances. Eating lentil dishes has a positive effect on the digestive and cardiac systems.

Lentils should be soaked in water overnight before cooking.

Required ingredients for curry:

• 220g beans;
• 200g boiled rice;
• bulb;
• 460 g tomatopaste;
• 150 ml coconut milk;
• a couple of garlic cloves;
• large spoonful of olive oil;
• one large spoonful of curry spices;
• a small spoonful of garam masala;
• a small spoonful of turmeric and ginger.

Cooking steps:

1. Cook beans.
2. Heat oil in a hot frying pan, add chopped onion and garlic. Fry until golden brown.
3. Add pasta, milk and spices to them. Cook for about six minutes.
4. Add beans, stir. Your dish will be ready in 20 minutes.

Serve curry with rice.

Vegetable cabbage rolls

It's hard to believe that cabbage rolls can be lean. The menu during Lent can be replenished with this dish, made from mushrooms and rice.

Ingredients for vegetable cabbage rolls:

• glass of filtered water;
• cabbage;
• half a cup of rice;
• 300 grams of fresh champignons;
• carrot;
• tomato paste to taste.

Cooking:

1. Cook the rice until it is half cooked.
2. Wash the cabbage, divide it into leaves. Place them in boiling water and cook for a little less than a minute.
3. Place hot sheets under cold water to cool.
4. Chop carrots and mushrooms, mix. Combine the resulting mass with rice.
5. Distribute the filling among the leaves. Roll up carefully. If the sheet opens, fasten it with a toothpick.
6. Pour water and tomato into the dishes for cookingpaste. Post cabbage rolls.
7. Simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat.

This dish can be garnished with herbs.

Buckwheat cutlets

Lenten menu recipes are full of options for cooking buckwheat cutlets. You can use ordinary cereals, but if you saw green buckwheat on the shelves in the store, then opt for it. This kind of buckwheat is a more natural product, and when cooked, it becomes more sticky than ordinary cereals.

For buckwheat cutlets you will need products:

• 300 grams of cereal;
• bulb;
• 12 grams of garlic;
• greens to taste;
• spice to taste.

Recipe:

1. Place boiled porridge in a blender and beat until a paste. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Chop the greens, onion and garlic finely. Combine with buckwheat mass. Shuffle.
3. Form circles. If the cutlets fall apart, then you need to add breadcrumbs.
4. Fry in a hot pan.

If you want to make cutlets lighter and more dietary, then bake in the oven until golden brown.

The dish can be supplemented with vegetable salad or boiled potatoes.

Pancakes on the water

Pancakes are one of the favorite treats of both children and adults. They can serve as a main dish and as a dessert.

Stuffing pancakes with zucchini caviar or hummus will create a hearty lunch dish that will suit the Lenten menu. Withfilled with jam, marmalade or honey, pancakes become a delicious dessert.

To make lean pancakes we need:

• glass of water;
• a glass of sifted flour;
• 100 grams of sugar;
• 50ml vegetable oil;
• 5 grams of soda;
• 2 grams of vanillin.

Recipe:

1. Gradually combine flour with water. Stir frequently to prevent lumps from forming. You can use a blender.
2. Add sugar and vanilla to the flour mixture. If you're making savory pancakes, don't add sugar.
3. Add oil and lastly soda. Stir until bubbles appear.
4. Pour the resulting mass into a hot frying pan. To prevent pancakes from falling apart, take more dough.
5. Fry on both sides.

The dish is designed for eight people.

Blackcurrant cupcakes

Blackcurrant can be replaced with any other berries. This recipe is for twelve cupcakes. By adding this recipe to your lenten menu, you will delight yourself and your loved ones with a delicious dessert.

For cupcakes we need:

• glass of berries;
• a glass of wheat flour;
• glass of oatmeal cereal;
• tablespoon of flaxseed meal;
• half a glass of sugar;
• tablespoon of baking powder;
• 250 ml soy milk;
• three tablespoons of applesauce;
• three tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Cooking steps:

1. Preheat the ovenup to 180 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix milk, puree and butter.
3. In another bowl combine cereal, both flours, sugar and baking powder.
4. Mix the contents of the first bowl with the contents of the second.
5. Spread the resulting mass into molds.
6. Bake 25 minutes.

Finished pastries turn golden brown.

Smoothie with berries

Berry smoothie will be a great addition to the Lenten menu. Instead of berries, kiwi, an apple or other fruits are also suitable. Since it is difficult to find fresh berries in the winter season, frozen ones can be used.

Required Components:

• a glass of cherry juice;
• 60 grams of ripe banana;
• 100 grams of frozen strawberries;
• 100 grams of frozen cherries.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and beat well. The drink can be consumed both warm and cold, adding some ice.