The Great Lent has began, thus many of you are preparing more meatless meals, during this time, than any other time of the year, and searching for new recipes.

If you are not used to meatless cooking, it could be quite challenging to figure out what to cook.

I used to be in that predicament in my early cooking years, but by now I would easily become a vegetarian, if only the rest of my family developed the same taste for meatless dishes.

To simplify your search for the meatless recipes I have posted so far, please click on the provided links below, or search my “Meatless Dishes” category.

Homemade Varenyky/Pierogi – Recipe & Technique

Whole Wheat Varenyky(Pierogi) – Recipe

Potato Dumplings (Palushky)

Sweet Potato (Palushky) Gnocchi – Recipe

Steamed Fruit Dumplings – Recipe and Technique

Halushky (Ha-loosh-ky) – Vegetarian Recipe

Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms and Sauce – Quick and Inexpensive Meal

Pasta With Stir-Fry Veggies – Vegetarian Recipe

Cabbage Rolls – Vegetarian Recipe & Technique

Fruit Filled Crepes

Pan Apple Fritters (Ratsushki)- Recipe

Tuna Melts – Recipe

Broiled/Grilled Salmon – Recipe

Veggie Burger – Recipe

Tomato Soup – Recipe

Ukrainian Christmas Borscht with Vushka – Recipe

This should give you an easy access to these recipes, and a good start for meatless cooking.

If you are not following the Great Lent, but love meatless dishes, enjoy these recipes.

Please share your comments.

photo credit: sweetonveg

The Great Lent began about two weeks ago, which means that those who follow this tradition, abstain from eating meat at least on Friday of every week, or some even do it on Wednesdays as well.

If you are like me, and are used to having meat at least once or twice per day, preparing meatless meals a couple of times per week might create a challenge.  I used to really stress out about this during my early years of cooking, but after a while I built quite a long list of meatless meal choices, and could easily be a vegetarian, if I could only win my family over to that eating style.

I have been posting some of my  meatless recipes during this past year, so if you are searching for ideas, here are the links to these posts:

Palushky (Potato Dumplings)

Halushky (Pasta with cabbage)

Vegetarian Holubtsi (Cabbage Rolls)

Varenyky (Pierogies)

Homemade Pasta (in the lower section of the linked post)

Crepes

Tuna Melts

Veggie Burgers

Tomato Soup

Red Beet Soup

Sorrel Borsch

If you are interested in a rather quick meal, there is always Macaroni and Cheese (you can add in some steamed broccoli, or any other of your favorite vegetables), Tuna Fish Salad, Egg Salad, Shrimp Scampi, any other fish which may be fried or broiled, pasta with steamed veggies, pasta with tomato sauce, pizza, PBJ, etc.

With so many different choices, the few meatless days during the 40 days of lent, pass by so quickly, that before you know it, you are back to the old meat cooking routine.

Sometimes  I actually miss a meatless meal, so I whip one up for a change, just to add a new twist to my meal planning.

As always, please share your favorite meatless meal idea with all of us.

Here is another recipe for my vegetarian friends, and one I like preparing for my family on meatless days, especially during Lent.   It requires only few ingredients, and is quick and simple to prepare, unless you decide to make home-made pasta, which I have done for this recipe.  This recipe serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of green cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 2 tsp. Maggie Seasoning
• ¼ tsp. celery seeds
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 cups of cooked pasta (for home-made pasta, see recipe below)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Remove and discard a couple of the outer leaves from the head of cabbage.
2. Cut the cabbage in 4 quarters.
3. Cut out the core from each quarter.
4. Chop up the cabbage, coarsely.
5. Place cabbage in a pot filled with cold water (enough water to cover the cabbage).
6. Add 1 tsp. of salt, bring it to boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the chunky parts of the cabbage are semi-cooked (not to overcook it, or it will turn into mush).
7. Remove from heat, and pour out onto a strainer to drain.
8. Add 2 Tbs. of canola oil (or butter if your diet permits it) into a frying pan, and heat.
9. Add chopped onions, and sauté to a golden color.
10. Add shredded carrot, and celery seeds, and cook 2 more minutes.
11. Add the cabbage to this saucepan, add Maggie Seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste, mix all together and sauté for another 5 minutes.
12. Add the cooked pasta , and blend in with the rest of the vegetables.
13. You can add some of the Parmesan Cheese to the Halushky,  and mix it in now, or let everyone sprinkle their own cheese , to their taste.

Here is the recipe for Home-made Pasta, to use with this Halushky  recipe.   Making your own pasta is quite simple, and probably much easier than you ever imagined.  It’s even easier with a pasta maker, but his time I am making it the old fashion way.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of white, or whole wheat, flour
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. canola oil

Directions:

1. Place the flour on your worktop, and make a well in the middle.
2. Add the egg, and salt.
3. Slowly add milk, as you are incorporating the flour into the mixture in the middle (with a spoon, work the flour gently from within the well, all sides, until you almost use up all the flour) . The dough becomes homogeneous , at which point you knead it with your hands, to obtain the consistency of pizza dough. You might need to flour up your worktop a little more, to prevent the dough from sticking during kneading.
4. Place the dough on a floured surface, cover it with a tea towel, and let it rest for few minutes.
5. Flour up you worktop again, take ½ of the dough and roll it out, using a rolling pin, to 1/8 inch thickness.  Use a knife, or a pizza cutter, and cut to desired shape pasta.
6. Sprinkle generously with flour, and toss gently together, so the pasta does not stick together, and let it rest.

1. Repeat the above process with the second half of the dough.
2. Fill a large pot with water, half way, add some salt and oil, and bring it to boil.
3. Drop ½ half of the pasta into the boiling water, keep the pot uncovered.
4. With a wooden spoon, mix the pasta, making sure none is stuck at the bottom of the pot.
5. Pasta will rise to the top, and start boiling again.
6. Cook for 2 minutes.
7. Remove, with a slotted spoon, into a bowl.
8. Pour some cold water over pasta, and pour out into a strainer, to drain off the excess water.
9. Cook the second half of the pasta as above.

This recipe makes a little over 1 lb. of pasta (more than you need for the Halushky recipe).  My kids loved the left over pasta mixed with onions sautéed in butter.)

Tip:  Some prefer their Halushky more creamy,  so they serve it with a side serving of sour cream, or Ranch Dressing.