Easy Meatless Meals for Lent and Fridays Throughout the Year

   

                     Christ in the House of Mary and Martha by Velázquez 1618

    I try to keep it simple on Fridays and mix it up a little every so often.  If your family is picky like mine you might like some of these easy meals.  One thing that never fails for me is breakfast for dinner.  Seriously, who doesn't like some delicious french toast or pancakes.  They are sweet and quick to make.  An added plus, you can make extra and freeze them.  Pop them in the microwave or toaster for a quick homemade breakfast.  If you live at higher elevations I'll list some helpful alterations at the bottom of each recipe that needs them. 

French Toast 

Ingredients:

Texas Toast or Thick Sliced Sour Dough Bread

*Really any bread will do but these are my favorite!

Eggs

*I estimate about 1 egg per slice for the thicker bread slices

Pure Vanilla Extract

*1/2 tsp per 6 eggs

Ground Cinnamon

*1/4 tsp per 6 eggs

   Preheat you griddle or pan on the stove.  I use an electric griddle set to 325 degrees or a pan on the stove set to medium heat.  If you don't have non-stick you'll want to melt a little butter or coconut oil in your pan.  Whisk the eggs with the vanilla and ground cinnamon.  Dip each slice of bread individually in the egg mixture and place on the griddle.  Lift the corner with your spatula after a 2-3 minutes and check to see it's doneness.  If it's browned evenly flip it over cook till done on the other side.  

    These french toast's are sweet enough to eat plain or with syrup.

Pancakes

Ingredients:

Flour 1 1/2 cup

Milk 1 1/2 cup

*Buttermilk optional in a 1:1 ratio with 3/4 cup milk to 3/4 cup    buttermilk

Vegetable Oil 2 tbsp

Eggs 1

Baking Powder 2 tsp

Salt 3/4 tsp

*Fruit optional: Grab some fresh or frozen blueberries.  Pour your batter on the griddle then carefully, so you don't burn yourself, drop a small handful of the blueberries one by one on top of the batter spreading them out evenly.  This way, your pancakes won't turn blue!  Or add whatever fruit your family likes to the top before serving.

   Preheat griddle to 325 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl sift dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and mix well.  No you don't need to leave tons of lumps. For smaller pancakes use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour or for larger pancakes use a 1/2 cup measuring cup.  Pour batter one measuring cup full at a time and flip with a spatula when you see lots of air bubbles over the top of the pancake.  Cook an additional 2-3 minutes and enjoy.

*High altitude alterations

Add an extra egg and decrease baking powder to 1 tsp

I really enjoy making some traditional favorites that my mother used to make when I was young.

Tuna Fish Casserole

Ingredients:

1 Box Medium Shells pasta   

1 26oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 12oz cans of tuna fish packed in water  

1 tbsp salt

Milk 1/2 cup

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add box of shell pasta and cook till just underdone.  Drain noodles and put in a dutch oven.  Drain the cans of tuna. Mix the cream of mushroom soup, drained tuna, and milk together with the noodles till it's mixed well.  Place the lid on the dutch oven and cook for 1 hour.  Serve with a side of your favorite veggies or a salad, and of course your favorite bread.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup melted butter
1-2 clove garlic finely minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter

2 cups half-and-half cream
3 cups chicken stock 
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup corn starch
1-2 bay leaves
3-4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2-3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese(want to mix it up? use half sharp white cheddar and half sharp yellow cheddar)

salt and pepper to taste
    Saute the onion, and garlic in 1/4 cup melted butter. Over medium-low heat, in a large pot whisk together the half and half and chicken stock. Mix the corn starch with water till smooth, add to the pot and stir.  Add the bay leaves and nutmeg and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until thickened. Add the broccoli and carrots. Let them simmer on medium-low for about 25 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender. Taste the soup, be careful it's hot!  Salt and pepper to taste and add the sharp cheddar cheese. Let the cheese melt and then serve. For a smoother soup puree it in a blender.  Serve with your favorite bread.

There are also some new favorites for me. Not so quick to make, but oh so yummy!

Meatless Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

olive oil  

3-4 medium sized zucchini sliced thinly lengthwise
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 egg
1 15oz carton whole milk ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

salt to taste
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet and places sliced zucchini in rows on the sheet.  Very lightly salt the zucchini slices.  Roast them for 15 minutes to draw out the juices so it won't make your lasagna mushy.  
  Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  In a small bowl combine the egg, parsley and ricotta cheese.  
  Place 1/4 jar of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish that has been sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.  Place 3 noodles on top of sauce.  Put half of the ricotta mixture over noodles and spread around evenly.  Place sliced zucchini over the ricotta mixture. Pour 1/4 jar sauce over zucchini and sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.  Repeat the layers.
  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.  Let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow squash, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into rings

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 
*I like using Portabella

1 red bell pepper, sliced

2 large tomatoes, chopped
*Or you can use a handful of yellow cherry tomatoes and a handful of red cherry tomatoes

olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*I am not a fan of eggplant so I usually just cut up an extra yellow squash and zucchini

salt to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
	Lightly drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms until the garlic is lightly browned and the onions are translucent. Mix in parsley, basil, and eggplant. Cook and stir until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
	Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.
	Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the cover of the casserole dish the last 15 minutes of cooking to help evaporate the water that's accumulated on the bottom of the casserole dish.  Serve with your favorite bread. Traditional Russian Borsch Ingredients:  **To make this a meatless meal omit the beef bone, and just start with a pot of boiling water** Large Raw Beef Bone 1-2 cups cabbage, finely shredded 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces 2 carrots, shredded 1 medium onion, diced 2 clove garlic, minced 1 large beet, Julienned Small Can tomato paste 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp whole Peppercorns  olive oil Fresh dill    Bring a large covered pot of water to boil, add beef bone, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and simmer for 2 hrs.  Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet and saute onion, garlic, beets, and carrot.  Remove beef bone from boiling water and set aside to cool.  Remove bay leaves and peppercorns from broth.  Add sauteed veggies to pot.  Add tomato paste and mix in well.  Add potatoes and cabbage.  I start with 1 cup and see if I want to add more.  De-bone beef bone and cut meat into small pieces, then add meat to the pot.  Bring pot back to a boil and then simmer, covered for 30 minutes.  Chop up the fresh dill.  Serve soup with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh dill.  Don't forget your favorite bread.      Of course there are dozens of yummy meatless meals, these are just a few of the ones I particularly enjoy.  What are some of yours?