As you may already know, From one of my previous posts, that through my faith, I am an Orthodox Catholic. And observing lent during this time, can be both rewarding and challenging. Lent has been apart of my family culture for many generations, and in the past, finding and preparing Lenten meals for the family, that were vegan, delicious, and easy to prepare, was not an easy task. Thanks to foods like soy cheese, almond milk, and wonderful stores like Whole Foods, and Trader Joes, cooking and eating during the time of lent has become so much easier and mainstream.
Now there are even vegan restaurants that I have had the pleasure of visiting, that offer a full menu of vegan dishes that mimic non-vegan meals, and they taste awesome! Back like 20 years ago, you couldn’t find these kind of places, and wherever you went, food was prepared with butter, milk, chicken broth and even lard in some instances.
But now, so many restaurant chains, and food stores have jumped on the health food, vegan option, bandwagon. And for occasional vegans like myself, this comes as such a blessing. Now I know that different faiths, and family traditions, may observe lent differently. Some families eat lent as vegetarians, with a little more freedom to eat cheese, milks, and butters, and only restricting the consumption of meat. And some people just give up certain foods in observance of lent, and while I have done that before, this year I will be doing it full vegan, while resting on Sunday’s, and that means that I can eat whatever I want on those Sunday’s during lent. And while I wont go into all of the reasons why I am going vegan for this 2015 lent, I will say that I feel like this year I want to get closer to my faith.
Lent is observed in many catholic and orthodox faiths, as a time of fasting for 40 days, excluding Sunday’s. And for many people in my own extended family, including Sunday’s. Lent ends with a celebration feast on the Easter holiday. And that is the goal of lent. Get to easter, and you will be rewarded. Not only with a feast of delicious foods, but with the reward of getting closer to God. And in my culture, we are allowed only three mistakes throughout these 40 days, meaning that if I forget about lent for a second and make the mistake of eating something that is not vegan, I can only do that a total of 3 times during lent. After that, I guess it’s considered a fail:P
In this post, I will be featuring recipe’s that are surprisingly vegan, even though they look and taste like totally non-vegan meals. And these meals are perfect for people and families that find it hard to eat nothing but vegetables and fish throughout lent. And while I know that many people feel that incorporating fish, may or may not be considered totally vegan, in my family traditions, fish is included.
My husband is as I have said before, is truly a meat and potatoes man. He may find it difficult to eat only standard vegan meals like salads and fish dinners, so these meals, make you feel like you’re cheating, but you’re not! And that means that you can still enjoy eating during lent, and also stay steadfast in your faith, and I’m all about that!
And it also makes this time of lent, fun and exciting finding new ways to stay in observance. Boy I said that word a lot!
And these recipes are so healthy, so no guilt needed! Even if you do not fast for lent, you can be sure that meatless Monday’s will never be the same! If your looking for healthy, wholesome, vegan goodness, look no further!
Perfect Vegan Tollhouse Cookies
Deep Dish Vegan Pepperoni Pizza
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting
Vegan Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Chicken Fried Tofu Steaks and Creamy Mashed Potatoes with White Gravy
Vegan Heart Healthy Fluffy Pancakes
BBQ Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches
Banana Almond Baked Oatmeal Cups
As you can see, this list is enormous! And the possibilities with healthy vegan meals are endless. I hope you enjoy:)
*Disclaimer – please note that this post may contains affiliate links, meaning that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, I would receive a small commission. Please see my disclosure