Lenten recipes can be tasty and satisfying even though you can only use a strictly limited set of products. Yes, and culinary experiments there is a place. Therefore, you can cook something original on a Lenten table during the holidays, having pleasantly surprised all guests. Indeed, in fact, the assortment of lean dishes is very wide.
First course
Lenten recipes can be found for every taste. The main thing is to approach the matter with imagination and desire. For example, for the first you can make cold gazpacho soup with watermelon.
Gazpacho is a cold classic Spanish soup made from mashed raw vegetables. There are a large number of recipes and variations of this dish, but all of them are united by the presence of tomatoes. They form its basis. In this recipe, in addition to traditional vegetables, watermelon is used. It turns out a refreshing dish, which is best served on a table in hot weather. And if you don’t fry the pepper, then such a lean table recipe is also suitable for raw foodists.
To prepare it, use:
- 4 medium sized tomatoes;
- 2 Bulgarian red peppers;
- 2 medium cucumbers;
- 2 slices of watermelon;
- half a teaspoon of asafoetida (they can be replaced with two cloves of garlic);
- ground black pepper, olive oil, herbs - to taste.
This is a recipe for a lean table of a delicious dish, the preparation of which should begin with the preparation of tomatoes. They need to be poured with boiling water for ten minutes, so that later they can easily be peeled off. Cut the pepper into large pieces and fry together with asafoetida in a pan. Replace this seasoning with garlic if you do not eat it.
Get the seeds out of the watermelon, cut off the peel. From it, by the way, an original jam can be obtained. But for the soup, the pulp needs to be cut into pieces. Cut the peel from cucumbers, and peel the peel from the tomatoes with a knife, cut in half and remove the “buttocks”.
Grind everything in a blender, then salt and pepper to taste. As a result, you should get a little more than a liter of soup. Put it in the refrigerator for several hours, so that it is infused and well cooled.
Before treating your family and friends, sprinkle with herbs and pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil for each serving.
It is noteworthy that the proportions of vegetables and watermelon can be changed to your taste. By the way, the more watermelon you have, the sweeter the soup will turn out. Sweetness can be controlled by the amount of salt. Usually it is served on a table with crackers, which are very easy to prepare. To do this, cut the bread slices into cubes and then dry them in the oven until they turn golden.
Delicious salads
You can find recipes for delicious lean salads on the festive table in this article. There are a lot of options for these dishes. For example, you can make a vitamin salad with Jerusalem artichoke.
Jerusalem artichoke is a very useful plant, which is also called an earthen pear. It has a huge amount of vitamins B and C, as well as other trace elements. It is often added to dishes in spring and autumn, which helps increase immunity. So it will be easier to endure the winter, withstand various epidemics, diabetes and other diseases.
To prepare this salad recipe for a lean table, you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 tomatoes;
- cucumber;
- bell pepper;
- a pair of radishes;
- 2-3 Jerusalem artichoke tubers;
- sunflower or olive oil;
- salt, dill, black pepper - to taste.
To implement this lean table recipe, cut the tomato and cucumber into small slices, cut the sweet pepper into strips, and Jerusalem artichoke and radish into small thin rings or half rings, as you like. Pepper and salt the vegetables, season them with oil.
Finally, sprinkle with chopped dill and mix thoroughly. To preserve more nutrients and vitamins, the salad must be cut and seasoned right before serving.
Salad with grapes and pineapple
Among the delicious recipes for a lean table there is a large number of salads. Another original dish from this list is a salad with grapes and pineapple.
You should not be confused by the large number of fruits in its composition, in fact, it can not be attributed to the classic fruit salads. He can surprise many with his unusual and rather rare combination of ingredients. At the same time, the salad turns out to be original, bright and tasty. It is worth noting that pineapple is a component that can often be found in salty dishes. For example, salad with pineapple and cheese is very popular, but grapes in such recipes can be seen quite rarely.
So, for this simple recipe for a lean salad on a festive table, we need:
- 30 grams of lettuce leaves (they can be replaced with one medium-sized tomato);
- half bell pepper;
- 100 grams of corn (this is the equivalent of 5 tablespoons);
- 50 grams of raisins;
- 50 grams of canned pineapple;
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
- one pinch of spices - marjoram, red pepper, curry, zira, oregano.
- 1/3 teaspoon of salt.
You can start cooking with a dressing. Add olive oil and spices to the bowl and leave to infuse. It is best to prepare such a dressing in advance so that the oil in a certain time has time to fully soak in the taste of herbs. Cooking recipes for a lean table is quick and easy.
Now we take a large and deep bowl in which we tear lettuce leaves. We cut the tomato in large enough pieces, and if you have cherry on hand, you can simply cut it into halves.
Washed bell pepper cut into neat straws, mix all of the listed ingredients with salt and corn.
Now we cut the grapes into two parts, and the canned pineapple in small pieces. Put everything in a salad bowl. Add salad dressing based on olive oil to the salad, mix thoroughly.
Fried potato rolls
The menu of any celebration should include a variety of snacks. An exception should not be a fasting holiday table. The recipe for fried potato rolls will let you surprise your guests.
This dish came to us from Indian cuisine, where it is also called alupatra, which is translated into Russian and means "potato rolls". The appetizer is very aromatic due to the fact that a lot of various spices are used. Appetizing and crisp can decorate any celebration. Those who do not eat fried foods can cook these rolls in the oven.
This article will help you cook simple and delicious. The recipe for a lean roll table consists of the following components:
- 6 potatoes;
- 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes;
- 3 teaspoons of sesame;
- 2 teaspoons of sugar;
- 2 tablespoons chopped greens;
- half a teaspoon of garam masala (it can be replaced with curry or another similar spice);
- 2 teaspoons of turmeric (it will be needed for the filling and for the dough);
- 2 teaspoons of salt;
- 3 cups flour;
- glass of water;
- a tablespoon of sunflower oil and the oil that is required for frying.
We cook classic potatoes in their “uniforms”, peel them right away while they are still hot and knead in mashed potatoes. Add to it various spices and seasonings - coconut, sesame seeds, herbs, sugar, a little turmeric and garam masala, salt. Mix everything thoroughly. This will be the filling that will be required for the salad.
Now we take up the preparation of the dough. Mix a teaspoon of turmeric, the same amount of salt, pour in the sunflower oil. Gradually add water to make the dough elastic and soft.
Cover it and leave it in a warm place for 30 minutes. Sprinkle flour on the table and roll out a rolling pin into a thin layer with a thickness of about three to four millimeters, an approximate size of 50 by 35 centimeters.
We spread the cooled filling on this layer, pressing it a little with your fingers. Roll into a neat roll. Now we cut the roll into small slices about one centimeter thick, put them on a table sprinkled with flour.
At this time, we heat the pan, onto which we pour a little vegetable oil and spread the slices we have obtained. Fry on both sides until golden brown.
Second course
Not a single solemn menu can do without a main dish on a fasting festive table. His recipe is quite simple. For example, rice with bell peppers and carrots is very popular. This is a delicious, nutritious and highly original recipe.
To prepare it, we need:
- a glass of basmati rice;
- carrot;
- sweet bell pepper (gourmets are advised to take exactly red);
- 2.5 cups of water;
- 4 tablespoons of corn oil;
- a teaspoon of red sweet paprika;
- a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper;
- salt to taste.
Cooking this dish is as simple as possible. The recipe for a lean table, given in this article, we begin to implement with the fact that we cut pepper into cubes, pass carrots through a grater.
At this time, we heat the oil in a cauldron and send there our vegetables along with spices and fry for several minutes.
Only after this we add thoroughly washed rice, mix everything. We pour water into the cauldron, salt our lean vegetarian dish, boil over medium heat for about ten minutes. After removing from the heat, leave another quarter of an hour under a closed lid so that the rice is sufficiently infused. Decorate the finished rice with fresh herbs, and serve on a lean table. Recipes with photos that you will find in this article will please your friends and loved ones who stick to the lean menu.
Lenten Breakfast
Many lovers of tasty and good food who prefer to start their day with a hearty breakfast. A great way to do this is to cook a vegetarian vegetable omelet without eggs. Such at first glance, an unusual recipe for a meatless meal will be one of your favorites.
If everything is prepared correctly, and this article will help you with this, then such a breakfast will appeal not only to vegetarians and people who keep the fast, but to everyone, without exception. You will be able to experience new tastes, feel the pleasure of previously unknown dishes. Cooking it is as simple as possible, while you are provided with a delicious lean table. Recipe and photo posted in this article.
For a lean omelet we need:
- small zucchini;
- a tomato;
- 30 ml of vegetable or ghee;
- 100 ml of water;
- 4 tablespoons of flour;
- salt to taste;
- a teaspoon of turmeric;
- half a teaspoon of asafoetida;
- ground black pepper to taste.
First, fry turmeric in hot oil, do it literally two to three seconds. Asafoetida can be added at this point, but most chefs advise doing this a bit later to preserve the aroma.
Then we send the finely chopped zucchini into the pan, add the chopped tomato, cover with a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat.
While this happens, you can start cooking batter, which is useful for this recipe. Mix water and flour, if you want, you can add a little turmeric and salt. As a result, you should get a batter, similar in consistency to the one from which pancakes are usually made.
Salt and stew the vegetables for another five minutes. We fill our omelet with asafoetida (if you add it at this moment, it will definitely retain its flavor), fill it with batter so that it completely covers all the vegetables. In this case, the omelet can be mixed a little with a spatula, it should ideally flow between vegetables. After again, a little salt. But only if you have decided not to salt the batter before, otherwise there is a risk of spoiling the dish.
We cover the frying pan with a lid and fry our breakfast for about five minutes, the dough should be completely baked, but at the same time remain very tender. Sprinkle the dish with ground pepper and finely chopped herbs. Omelet is ready. It is recommended to sprinkle it with black salt, although many believe that it will be tasty without it.
Festive pilaf
Another recipe for a lean dish on the festive table is an original vegetarian pilaf with chickpeas. Culinary experts say that vegetarian pilaf turns out to be no less tasty than meat pilaf. You just need to follow a few important tips.
Despite the fact that pilaf is cooked quite simply, in order for you to get exactly this dish, and not just ordinary porridge with various ingredients and additives, it is necessary to cook it only in a cauldron. In extreme cases, you can use a thick-walled cast-iron pan, which in its shape is very similar to a classic cauldron. For pilaf, you need to take only special Uzbek rice, which is also called devziru. As a rule, it can be purchased on the market or in specialized departments that sell oriental exotic goods. It is also allowed to use basmati rice or any non-digestible rice variety. If you do not tolerate garlic and onions, then you can replace them with asafoetida.
So, to prepare this dish for a fasting holiday table (recipe and photo are attached), you will need:
- 2 glasses of rice;
- half a glass of chickpea;
- 3 medium-sized carrots;
- 2 large onions (or 3 pieces, if they are medium-sized);
- head of garlic;
- a glass of vegetable oil (ideally, it should be odorless);
- a glass of soy meat;
- a tablespoon of barberry;
- 2.5 teaspoons of salt;
- one and a half teaspoons of asafoetida, which can be replaced with onions and garlic;
- a teaspoon of ground red pepper;
- teaspoon of zira.
Cooking process
Please note that preparing for the preparation of pilaf is required in advance, since in a couple of days you will have to soak the chickpeas. In this case, it is necessary to change the water in it approximately every five hours so that it does not become soured. If you leave it for two days in one water, then it will first swell, and then sprouts will start to hatch.
We wash the rice. If you have a classic devzira, then you need to do this at least 30 times due to the fact that this variety contains a large amount of powder. Other varieties need to be washed significantly less.
We clean the carrots and onions, while carrots must be cut lengthwise, and then cut each of the halves again. The sharpest knife that you have in the kitchen, cut it into thin strips.
At this time, we pour one glass of oil into the cauldron and at maximum heat we bring it to an overheated state, perhaps a light smoke will go from it. Pour the carrots into the oil, and then fry over high heat until it turns light brown, at the same time the oil should turn bright orange.
During the time that the carrots are fried, chop the onion in half rings, add it to the carrots and sprinkle with a spoon of salt. Continuing to fry over high heat, stir constantly until the carrots become a bright golden color.
Separately prepare spices for our pilaf. Pour barberry, zira and red pepper into the cauldron, at the same time add dry soy meat and chickpeas. Mix everything thoroughly. If you refuse onions and garlic, then at this stage add asafoetida. We spread rice in a cauldron, but at the same time it should lie on top of the fried mixture, should not mix with it. Sprinkle with salt and pour boiling water about a couple of centimeters above the level of rice, but very carefully so that the rice itself does not blur.
Close the cauldron with a lid, make a minimum fire and leave it for about 50 minutes. When the lean pilaf is ready, it must be removed from the heat and gently mix. Garlic is removed and thrown out of the prepared pilaf, it cannot be eaten, it is needed only to give the dish a special flavor.
Original holiday dessert
Even a fasting festive table should not go without dessert. Guests can enjoy a fruit salad.
For him, take:
- 1 large green apple;
- 2 bananas;
- 4 tangerines;
- 2 kiwi;
- 1 persimmon;
- bunch of grapes;
- half a lemon;
- 4 tablespoons of honey;
- 1 pomegranate.
Dessert salad
For a festive salad, wash all the fruits, cut the apples into slices and pour them into a large dish. Squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Cut bananas are also recommended to sprinkle with this juice. Divided tangerines are divided into slices and sprinkled with the rest of the fruit. Peel the kiwi and cut into small pieces. You need to cut and persimmon and add to the rest of the fruit. Grapes are cut in half and remove the seeds from them. Pour the fruit with honey and mix. Salad can be served on the table, garnished with pomegranate seeds.