www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Food - Recipes The Great Fast: What to Eat? (aka: Don't Live on Potato Chips)

The Byzantine Forum would like to invite all participants to share their experiences on how they ensure a nutritious diet during the Great Fast. It's easy to live up to the letter of the law while stuffing yourself with shrimp, lobster, french fries, and potato chips. It's much harder to keep the spirit of the fast while eating moderate portions of good food. We would like to ask each participant to share at least one of his or her favorite non-meat, non-dairy recipes. We'd also ask that participants provide suggestions for keeping the fast while eating out, as many fasting Christians working in factories and offices lead busy lives and oftentimes don't have the time to prepare meals in advance. Please use this thread for your food-related posts.

Let us set out with joy upon the season of the Fast�.

How to eat out: Chinese restaurants are Fast Friendly. Most of them are happy to prepare any of their dishes substituting tofu for whatever meat usually goes into it. Tofu + Rice = Complete protein. Yum. Tough duty, eh?

Mexican food can also be handy - lots of beans & corn combos, tho' depending on your Fast, you may want to order without cheese.

Rule o' thumb:
Beans + rice = complete protein.
Beans + corn = complete protein.
Peanuts are beans (PBJ anyone?)
Buckwheat = almost complete protein. (Kasha is roasted buckwheat)

Year-round favorite with my family is a quick & easy hummus. (So popular that I buy my garbanzo beans in #10 cans.)

Very Precise Recipe:

Garlic
Lemon Juice (I use Minute Maid frozen bought in quarts a the restaurant food supply)
Garbanzo beans (Chickpeas, ceci)

Peel as many cloves of garlic as you want. (We use LOTS. No vampires at our house) Throw into food processor along with a bit of lemon juice. Whiz until it's in tiny bits. Drain Garbanzo beans, add to food processor. Whiz. If it's too stiff, add more lemon juice. If it's too thin, add more beans. Serve with veggies, pita, corn chips, fingers, spoons or whatever floats yer boat. It will keep for about a week (if there's any left) in in a sealed container in the fridge. We are never troubled by leftovers..Warning - the flavor will develop. If it's garlicky on the first day, it'll be deadly by day 3. Yum. Variations: Add any of the following:
Tahini
Peanut butter
Other kinds of beans (I like a 3:1 mix of Garbanzos & black beans)
Chopped spinach (I use frozen, thawed in the nuke.)
Whatever floats yer boat.


Yum. Can't wait.


Cheers,

Sharon

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com


[This message has been edited by Sharon Mech (edited 02-23-2001).]

How about some taboullah to go with that hummus?
1 c.medium bulgar wheat
1/2 c.FRESH lemon juice
1 bunch scallion, finely sliced
4 bunches parsley chopped(@ 4 cups)
1/2 c chopped mint
3 tomatoes,seeded & chopped
6 T. extra virgin olive oil
(omit if your fast is oil free)
Place bulgar in bowl,cover with water & let sit until water is absorbed,press out excess liquid if any.
Toss with 1/2 of the lemon j.,scallions,tomatoes,parsley & mint.Let stand for another 25 min. or so.
Meanwhile combine remaining lemon j. oil and a little salt. Pour over bulgar combination and mix well.Eat with some of that flat bread
P.S. - Sometimes I add chopped cucumber &
radishes and top with toasted sunflower
seeds. Use Quina instread of bulgar if
you are sensitive to wheat but be sure
to rinse well 1st or it will be bitter.

Yum.

For those who don't habitually use interesting grains, bulgur wheat, varietal rices and Quinoa (note spelling) can be found at most natural food stores, oftentimes in the bulk section. So can buckwheat. BTW, buckwheat is also OK for wheat-free types (like celiac folks) It's not any kind of wheat - it's actually in the rhubarb family - and it's gluten free.

If you usually live on microwaved stuff, most of these stores (and some of the big chains like Kroger) also carry frozen, prepared foods aimed at the vegetarian/vegan market. Like anything else, some of them are very good, and some of them...well..uh.. you may as well eat the box. If something says is is "vegan" it is most likely to be strict-fast legal, with the possible exception of oil and/or wine. Vegan stuff will have no animal products (meat, eggs or dairy) in them.

Cheers,

Sharon
(who just found strawberries on sale)

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Slava Isusu Christu!

I find that I eat more Tuna during Lent, except on the First Monday and between Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Otherwise, my favorite lunch is peanut butter and banana on a roll. I call it a Lenten Delicacy.....and for dessert, peanut brittle.. Mmmmm....nothing tastes like Lent

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for the poor college student trying to keep the fast, but relegated to eating at the dining halls, which, depending on their mood, can vary in fast friendliness.

Interesting information.

As a worker downtown, I'm forced to rely upon the Korean 'hot/cold buffets'. There are many things that are acceptable.

For me, I avoid meat and meat products. I also avoid 'dairy' in the sense that I don't eat grilled cheese (I LOVE grilled cheese!) But oftentimes, I find myself going to 'Subway' or other places and I eat 'tuna salad' which has mayonnaise.

For health reasons, I know that avoiding meat and dairy products could induce a protein deficiency. This would be bad for my health. So, I do the 'tuna salad' sandwich routine every other day. The other days, I eat steamed rice with some beany stuff on top. And when I'm fiscally flush, I go get cod or haddock (I love it!!) and mashed potatoes and some vegetables that my doctor would approve of. Yeah, OK, and a piece of pie too. Hey-- I need the sugar.

Some of my Orthodox friends have talked about surviving on potato chips during Lent. Sure, that's OK if you're 15. But as an adult with high blood pressure, I can't do that. So, I avoid the meat; I avoid the obvious dairy; and I eat stuff that will give me a more-or-less balanced diet that will not harm my body.

My grandparents, (Sorry, but once again I use them as my models) used to not eat meat during the Great Lent. But they would prepare pastas ('aglio e olio') with olive oil and sauteed garlic, and Romano or Parmesan cheese on the top. [I LOVE this!!] This, along with a salad and Retsina wine, would be dinner.

To do the 'traditional' Greek fast in America would be very difficult, but our family made do. Please! Do not scour the ingredients labels of your food to detect traces of 'milk solids' in your white bread. This is nuts. The tradition is to avoid meat or dairy dishes; not to become a protein-nazi. Honestly speaking, were one to attempt to be completely meat and dairy free, there would be NO foods except for plain vegetables and rice that would be 'kosher'.

The idea is: let your parameters of fasting (meatless, dairyless, alcohol-free, meat-fat-free, etc.) guide you in what you practice. But don't get down to the molecular level. You'll drive yourself nuts. And that ain't holy.

Blessings!

(I'm going to pull out my Greek cookbooks and find some good stuff. Be prepared!!)

I like cellophane noodles or rice with peppers and onions. I sometimes use soy sauce and/or garlic for seasoning. You could toss in other vegetables and fish with this meal. This dish tends to reheat fairly well for a day or two after initial preparation.

Mor Ephrem, if your cafeteria has any standbys available everyday (and possibly all day long), go for those as necessary. Ones I am thinking of are dry cereal, salad bar, plain bagels or toast, baked potato (minus the dairy), pasta bar, etc. If you can get a copy of the menu for a week or month in advance, by all means review and plan your diet accordingly to the extent possible. You could even consider talking to the cafeteria manager to see whether special dietary accomodations can be made, even if it's as simple as having a portion of the spinach batch made without butter. And as is expressed so many times in these forums, the true fast we are striving for is the fast from sin, not just during Great and Holy Lent, but for good.

I find that I eat more tuna during Lent, except on the First Monday and between Good Friday and Holy Saturday

Ken,

Tuna is a postnyj staple here at OldWorldRus.com HQ, too. I�m a bachelor and don�t really cook, and being a quirky obsessive, cooking isn�t a big priority anyway. When I feel faint, I eat. Pasta is another staple.

So on abstinence days and during fasts I make and eat lots of tuna curry: you boil some egg noodles and in another pot with low heat mix some sour cream, a can or two of tuna, a heaping tablespoon of curry powder and a dash of red cayenne pepper. Jolly good. Ganesha the elephant-headed Hindu god (one of the benevolent ones, whom some Indian shopkeepers pray to for good fortune) would roar and trumpet in approval. If you want to jazz it up taste- and texturewise you can chop up some onions and peppers. I make it plain. It looks gross as all get out but is very tasty and filling.

Serge

<a href="http://oldworldrus.com">Old World Rus�</a>

[This message has been edited by Rusnak (edited 02-24-2001).]

Like Rusnak I'm an old bachelor who really doesn't like to cook unless forced to do so.

What I will do is peel two potatoes and then shred them using one of those four sided shredders, I use the side that makes the poato come out like show strings. I then soak the shredded potato in COLD water for 15 min to a half hour. I then drain them and get as much of the excess water out by flipping them in the strainer. I then put some cooking oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) in a bowl add, garlic powder, pepper, Savory 'season all' and mix. Pour the shredded potatoes on the bowl and mix the ingreditents with my (washed) hands like I was making a salad. Then pour the shredded potatoes in a pyrex pan and put in my toaster oven for 30 - 40 minutes at 350. After about 20 minutes I turn the potatoes over with a spatula to make them more crispy.
GREAT!!!!

Bob

SLAVA ISUSU CHRISTU!
SLAVA NA VIKI BOHU!

Found some recipes that I like to use during Great Lent. Hope you like them too!

Lenten Holupki
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 1/2 cups rice
2 chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic
pinch of parsley
1 head of cabbage
1 large can of tomato juice

wash and drain the rice thoroughly. Heat the oil in a skillet then add next five ingredients. Saute until tender. Add well drained rice, salt and pepper to taste. You can add a dash of Season All or Accent also. Mix well and saute for 5-10 minutes. Place aside to cool.

Prepare cabbage leaves by removing them from the head and parboiling in boiling water. Remove the hard core from the head also.

On each leaf place 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the rice mixture and roll like stuffed cabbage. Line a roasting pan or baking dish or dutch oven then pour the tomato juice over the top. Bake in a slow oven for 2 hours at 350 degrees.

For desert try this:

1/2 cups of Crisco oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup applesauce
2 cups flour
1 cup raisins and nuts cut small
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Sift flour and spices together
Cream the Crisco and sugar gradually. Add the applesauce and slowly add the flour. Add raisins and nuts. Place in a floured pan and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

This is good also

4 cups sliced cooking apples
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup sifted flour
1 cup instant oats UNCOOKED!
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup melted margerine or oil

Place apples in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. In a sperate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, add melted margerine or oil and mix until they are crumbly. Sprinkle this over the apples. Bake at 375 degrees until apples are tender about 30 minutes.

Wishing everyone a prayerful Great Lent!

mark

Raw apple slices with some peanut butter/or some other nut butter( cashew butter is my favorite) smeared on them is good and fast too!

Christ is in Our Midst!

My wishes for a holy and prayerful Lent are sent to all of the Forum readers!

Some of my favorite fasting meals have a slightly Tex-Mex flavor being from Texas.

1. There is alawys the ever popular Bean and Potato Taco at my house.
Flour Tortillas
No-Fat Refried Beans
boiled cubed potatos
(may be fried on oil days)
Shredded Lettuce
Chopped Tomatos
onions chopped
Advocado Sliced
Salsa or Pico de Gallo

1. Spread Refried beans on Warmed Tortilla
2. Place some potatos on center of Totilla
3. Add Lettuce, Tomatos, Onions, Advocado
4. Fold Tortilla in half
5. Add Salsa or Pico De Gallo to taste

II. Another family favorite is Russian Tacos

Taco Shells (fried) or Soft Flour Tortillas
1 small head of Cabbage Sliced
1 small onion chopped
Salsa or Pico de Gallo

1. Saute in water or oil the cabbage and
onion until soft and cooked
2. Hold Torilla or Taco Shell is hand
fill center with cabbage mixture
3. Top Russian Taco with Sals or Pico de
Gallo to taste.


I hope you will enjoy these!
Keep me in your prayers this Lent.

Your brother in Christ,
Thomas

[This message has been edited by Thomas (edited 02-25-2001).]

Greetings all,
Fasting?....Ah yes, no meat, no cheese, no problem. I've been on the Japan diet for 10 years. Biggest concern is "will the fish be cooked or raw?". Anyway, a very nice Fasting dish, loaded w/ protein and actually tasty (for me anyway) is called Hiyayako,

Ing:
1 block Tofu
1 tsp grated ginger
3 tblspoons chopped green onions (naganegi)
2 tblespoons Katsuo-bushi (Bonito flakes)
Soy Sauce.

Take out block of Tofu. Rinse it. Put grated ginger, green onions, and Katsuo-bushi on top. Pour soy sauce over it to taste.

Go-chisou. Otanoshimi-ni.

Jason Glavy
Yokohama, Japan