Goals of the Ladies’ Guild:
Lenten Recipes
4 cups chopped onions
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup chopped garlic
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 chopped jalapeno peppers
2 tsp kosher salt
2 (28 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes in puree
1 large can green chilis
1 can rotel tomatoes
2 cans cannellini beans
2 cans black beans, drained
2 cans red beans, drained
Black pepper
Cook onions in oil over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add bell peppers and seasonings and cook for 1 minute. Crush tomatoes in food processor 9 pulse 6-8 times. Add to pot along with the beans and bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes’ stirring occasionally.
This recipe makes a lot but may easily be cut in half. I usually serve over rice.
1/2 package of spaghetti (penne pasta is yummy with this too)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic minced
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper
1 zucchini or squash
1/2 cup spinach
1-2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh basil to garnish
Boil a pot of salted water. Add pasta
In pan heat oil on med heat add garlic and onion, sauté until partially soft, add remaining chopped veggies (except spinach), salt and pepper as you like, then sauté for a couple minutes to lightly brown. Add tomato paste, mix and cook approximately 1 minute til tomato paste is darker red. Add can of tomatoes and a little pasta water (1/4 – 1/2 cup). Finish cooking veggies. Add Italian Seasoning, red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper again. Add spinach for a minute or two. Will cook down quickly. Drain pasta. Mix pasta with veggies and sauce. Fresh basil to garnish.
(You can add just about any veggie: carrots, broccoli, mushrooms…)
Faster version: sauté the veggies and use Prego traditional sauce. Skip the tomato paste and drain the tomatoes. Simmer drained tomatoes with the veggies in the pasta water, let cook off and add the sauce a couple minutes before mixing in the pasta)
Eggplant Salad (Salata de vinete)
In Romania, one of the most traditional foods you can find around is this eggplant salad.
Ingredients:
3-4 Eggplants
Sunflower oil or olive oil
Salt
1 Onion
Vegan Mayonnaise (optional)
After grilling, roasting, or baking the eggplants let them cool,
then carefully remove all the skin. Place the eggplants in a
strainer and let them drain for about half an hour to one hour.
This step will remove the juice from the eggplant that is
supposed to be bitter.
Chop the eggplants on a wood or plastic board with a unique
wooden/plastic knife made especially for this purpose (if you
are Romanian and have one, of course) or with a regular knife.
2
You could process the eggplants in the food processor and the
salad will then have more like a spread texture, which is
delicious but not very authentic. If I don’t have time to chop the
eggplants I process them only for aprox 30 or 40 seconds or less
(?!) in the food processor.
The traditional way of dressing the eggplant salad is with
sunflower oil or olive oil, diced onions and salt. If you want, you
can add a spoon of vegan mayonnaise.
Serve the salad on fresh bread slices with tomato wedges.
I hope you will try this. Let me know if you liked it! Enjoy!
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1–2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
- 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish (optional)
- Naan bread and rice, to serve (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large, heavy bottomed pot or high-walled pan, heat the oil over medium-low. Add the sliced onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and deep golden, about 15 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water at a time if the onions get dry.
- Increase the heat to medium. Add the curry powder and cumin and stir until toasted, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden or rubber spoon to release the any browned spices or onions stuck to the bottom.
- Pour in the coconut milk and add the chickpeas the pot. Stir and reduce to low heat. Let simmer until the sauce is thickened and the chickpeas are slightly softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust other seasonings as necessary.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges over basmati rice and/or with naan.
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth if needed)
- 15 oz canned tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup mild or medium salsa verde (or your favorite salsa!)
- 1 TBSP tomato paste
- 15 oz can black beans (drained + rinsed)
- 15 oz can pinto beans (drained + rinsed)
- 1 cup corn (fresh, canned, or frozen)
- 3/4 cup dried red lentils
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream* (optional – see notes)
- salt and pepper to taste
PILE ON THE TOPPINGS!
- crushed tortilla chips (my favorite!)
- shredded cheddar or mex-blend cheese
- sliced or diced jalapeños
- chopped red onion
- pico de gallo
- sliced avocado
- fresh cilantro
- sour cream or greek yogurt
Instructions
- Below are the electric pressure cooker and slow cooker instructions, see blog post below for directions to make this bad boy on the stove.
- First, chop your veggies and measure out the ingredients.
- Next add everything but the heavy cream your toppings.
- This includes bell pepper, jalapeño, corn, lentils, black beans, pinto beans, broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salsa verde, and all your herbs + spices. Toss them in and set IP to high pressure for 15 minutes. Walk away; FREEDOM!
- Allow natural pressure release.
- Stir in the cream, add all your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:
- First chop your veggies and measure out the ingredients. This will make everything super easy to toss together!
- Next add everything except the heavy cream and toppings.
- Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours, until dried lentils are cooked through and veggies are tender. My soup was perfect after 5 hours on high.
- Swirl in the cream, add all your favorite toppings, and dive in!
Ingredients
Tofu and Seasoning
14-ounce package extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 large cloves garlic pressed
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Vegetables
- 1 small onion halved and sliced into thin wedges
- 1 large bell pepper sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 8 ounces kale (about 1 bunch) stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- additional broth or water as needed
Sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or other chile sauce or to taste
- 1/2-1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch slices. Gently press each slice between paper towels to remove some of the moisture. Then cut each slice into rectangles. Place into a ziplock bag. Combine tofu seasoning in a small bowl and pour over tofu. Seal bag and gently turn it over until tofu is completely covered in seasoning. (You can do this ahead of time and allow the tofu to marinate for a stronger flavor, but it’s not mandatory.)
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet or dish with parchment paper. (A silicon mat will also work, but parchment on a rimmed metal baking sheet yields the crispiest tofu with no sticking.) Place the tofu on the parchment in a single layer along with the marinade. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn gently and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
- While the tofu is cooking, chop all the vegetables and combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. About 10 minutes before tofu is done, preheat a large, deep non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Spray or rub it with oil if you wish, but this is optional. Have about a half cup of water or broth standing by. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until it begins to become translucent. Add a tablespoon of water or broth if it starts to stick. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for another minute. Then add the garlic and mushrooms and cook another two minutes, adding liquid by the tablespoon if needed.
- Stir in the kale, add about 2 tablespoons of liquid, and cover quickly. After a minute, stir and add liquid if necessary. Cook covered for another minute and then add the asparagus and a little more liquid. Cover and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook until it is heated through. Serve the vegetables with tofu on top, or stir the tofu into the vegetables and serve over rice or pasta.
