The Imperfect Community

[momtofour]

I know there are a few lapsed and former Catholics out there - do you have any good meatless recipes you'd recommend for Lent? DH is allergic to fish, so that's out. And there are only so many times I can eat Mac and Cheese or Cheese Pizza without going insane.

[Petulant Pixie]

My red pasta sauce is meatless. A batch of it makes 4 meals' worth, so I freeze three of them. You can use it on regular spaghetti, or on cheese ravioli or on lasagna. I also have this killer "chunky" tomato/basil sauce to put on spaghetti noodles. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is another good meatless meal. Or vegetarian subs and pasta salad. Veggie omelettes is another. There are only 6 Fridays in lent, right, so you only need 6 meatless meals, it really shouldn't be that hard!

Red sauce:
3 large cans (28 oz?) of whole tomatoes
1 small can (6 oz?) of tomato paste
fresh basil
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
about a cup or so of chopped onion
about two "splashes" of red wine (dark, like merlot)

1) Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil in pot.
2) Put about 1/3 can of the tomato paste, about 6-7 leaves of basil and one can of tomatoes into blender and "liquify". Add to garlic/onion in pot
3) Repeat step two until all three cans of tomatoes and the tomato paste are gone.
4) add a couple of splashes of red wine and stir
5) let simmer about an hour

Chunky pasta sauce:
In a skillet, sautee a large clove of garlic in olive oil. Chop up two or three fresh tomatoes into cubes (about 1") and add to garlic, stir around. Tear up leaves of fresh basil (until it looks about even with the tomatoes) and stir that around. The tomatoes will get kind of runny, but still stay in chunks.

Boil a pack of thin spaghetti, strain and just dump the contents of the skillet onto the spagehetti in a big bowl. Kind of "toss it" and serve on plates with fresh grated parmesean.

For vegetarian subs I use sub bread and all the things that go into subs--avacado, olives, tomatoes, mayo, cheese, lettuce, but just don't add any meat.

For my pasta salad, I use the tri-colored rotini, chop up cucumbers into cubes, cheddar cheese, onions and black olives and use the Zesty Italian dressing that comes in the packet that you mix with oil and vinegar.

[Anthromomma]

We eat meatless meals a couple of times a week at least (I'm a recovering vegetarian)-- beans and rice, lentil stew, lentils and spinach on toast, marinated/grilled portobello mushrooms, tofu stir fries, vegetarian chili, vegetable soup, etc. I don't know what your family likes-- I'll post a couple of my kids' favorites. We like both of these served with a salad or raw veggies:

Black Beans and Rice

1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles (could also use one roasted red pepper, diced)
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ c apple cider vinegar
1 tsp (or to taste) Tabasco sauce
3 cups cooked rice (I use instant brown rice for this recipe)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Sauté onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chiles, black beans, vinegar and Tabasco. Allow to come to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer for five minutes. Mix in rice and adjust seasoning. Moisten with a bit of vegetable stock or water if mixture appears too dry.

Corn and Pepper Jack Quesadillas

4 low-fat burrito-size (8- to 10-inch diameter) flour tortillas
4 oz reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)
½ cup defrosted frozen corn
½ cup mild or medium-hot salsa
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Place tortillas on work surface. Evenly divide Monterey Jack, salsa, green onions, and corn on half of each tortilla. Fold tortilla over filling to make 4 quesadillas.
Place quesadillas on hot grill rack or preheated skillet. Cook quesadillas 1 to 2 minutes or until they are browned on both sides, turning over once. Transfer quesadillas to cutting board; cut each into 3 pieces.