MEAL IDEAS FOR LENT. 2. How about a fried omelet with veggies between two pieces of buttered toast and melted cheese. Sounds delicious!

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1 MEAL IDEAS FOR LENT Lent is not easy, but it is a great time to make many sacrifices and penances for our sins and the sins of the world. If giving things up for God seems foreign and unnecessary to you, you are missing the many blessings that flow from this spiritual practice. Whether it is not eating sweets, saying extra rosaries, doing more spiritual reading, or even not complaining about everyday duties (something we can all find hard) planning meals can be a little hard when you need to have more meatless meals. So to make it a little easier when planning your meals during Lent we have come up with some lovely ideas of meals/ and recipes for you. Simple ideas: 1. Instead of the usual bread sandwiches, trying making an egg salad (with chopped dill pickle) or a tuna salad in a tortilla with lettuce. 2. How about a fried omelet with veggies between two pieces of buttered toast and melted cheese. Sounds delicious! 3. Everyone loves grilled cheese so why not dress it up with onions, tomatoes, and peppers (jalepenos if you like a kick). Add some tomato soup and you have a great lunch. 4. Salads always are a good option whether it is lettuce, fruit, or veggie there are endless possibilities. Here we share a fairly simple shrimp macaroni salad for you to try out. SHRIMP MACARONI SALAD 3 cups cooked cold macaroni Dressing: 1 cup chopped celery ½ c. mayonnaise ¼ cup chopped sweet pickle 3tbsp. French dressing 1 head lettuce finely cut 1 tbsp. lemon juice 3 hard cooked eggs, chopped 1 tsp. salt 1 green onion, chopped ¼ tsp. pepper 1 can drained, washed shrimp Mix dressing with salad ingredients. Serves 6-8. Substitute gluten free noodles for those with a restricted diet.

2 5. Or how about this cabbage salad CHINESE SALAD Dressing: 1 small Chinese cabbage (Pak choi) ½ c. extra virgin olive oil 1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms 4 tbsp. soya sauce 3-4 green onions 3 tbsp. vinegar 1 handful of slivered almonds 1 tsp. sugar 1 pkg. Ramen noodles, crushed seasoning package from noodles 1 handful of sunflower seeds Mix dressing ingredients, shake up, and pour onto salad just before serving. 6. For those of you who like a nice soup rather than the usual tomato, mushroom, or vegetable soup with many being tomato based, here is a nice soup to warm you up on a cold day. GREEN ONION POTATO SOUP 3. peeled and diced potatoes cheddar cheese and paprika for toppings 1 ¼ qt. vegetable broth 1 ½ tsp. salt 3 tbsp. chopped parsley 1 c. green onions Dash of pepper 1 c. half and half Cook potatoes and green onions, in the broth with salt, parley, and pepper until tender. Then take soup and puree in blender. Pour into pot and add half and half. Warm up soup and serve sprinkled with cheese paprika, and warm bread! 7. Rice and beans are not only good but also economical. How about using up that leftover Spanish rice you made the day before and wrapping it up with either some pinto beans or black beans with salsa and cheese in a tortilla. Heat up and serve with sour cream. OLE!

3 There are so many ideas and more that one can up with for a satisfying lunch menu. Here we will include some ideas and recipes for main dishes during Lent. MAIN DISHES: 1. Have leftover mashed potatoes. Instead of reheating them or making them into potato pancakes why not try this casserole. PEROGY CASSEROLE 15 lasagna noodles 2 c. cottage cheese 1 large egg 1 tsp. parsley 2 c. mashed potatoes ( no need to add salt and pepper if the potatoes are already seasoned) ¼ tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1 c. cheddar cheese ¾ c. butter or margarine 1 c. chopped onion Cook noodles according to directions. Drain. Spread 5 noodles on bottom of 9x13 in. baking dish. Combine cottage cheese, egg, and parley. Spread over noodles. Then 2 nd layer of noodles. Combine cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes, salt & pepper (if needed) and spread over 2 nd layer of noodles. Add 5 more noodles for 3 rd layer. Melt butter in frying pan and sauté onions. Spread onions over top layer. Cover with foil and bake for 30 min. at 350 F. 2. Is Broccoli and Cauliflower on sale and you have that cup of rice in the fridge waiting to be used, why not try making this vegetable dish. Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole 1 head of broccoli 1 head of cauliflower 1 small onion, chopped 1 c. cooked rice 1 can of mushrooms or 1 c. of fresh mushrooms 1 c. melted cheese dip (the stuff in the jar)

4 ¼ c. water Bread crumbs for top Cook broccoli and cauliflower until tender. Set aside. Mix onions, mushrooms, cheese spread, rice and water together. Pour over broccoli and cauliflower in casserole dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Cook at 350 F. for 30 min. 3. Not everyone likes seafood but for those who do how about this delicious quiche. It is a simple and versatile recipe that whips up in a jiffy. CRAB QUICHE 1 ( 9 inch) pie crust 2 eggs, beaten ½ c. milk ½ c. mayonnaise 1 tsp. cornstarch 1 ½ c. shredded Swiss cheese ½ lb. of imitation crabmeat 1 pinch of ground black pepper. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, mayonnaise, and cornstarch. Stir in the cheese, imitation crabmeat, and pepper. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly and serve. 4. Battered fish tastes good, but whether you buy it pre-maid or make your batter yourself, it can get boring. So why not take your battered fish and dress it up- taco style. Here is a delicious recipe for you with a homemade seasoning for your fish. FISH TACOS 9 taco shells 2 tsp. taco seasoning mix 1 lb. tilapia fillets 8 flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas 1 c. salsa ½ c. sour cream

5 Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with foil. Place taco shells in 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Seal bag; crush shells with rolling pin. Add taco seasoning mix; shake until well mixed. Cut tilapia fillets into 3x1-inch pieces. Add fillet pieces to bag, pressing crumbs onto pieces to coat. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, turning halfway through bake time. Place 2 pieces on each tortilla. Add toppings. Roll up tortillas. Make it your own: You can add your own favorite toppings to change things. 5. Rice is cheap and very easy to make. But the same rice day after day can get a little monotonous. So we ve included a delicious mushroom rice dish for you to try. You won t know what you ve missed all these years! MUSHROOM RICE CASSEROLE 2 c. rice 1 pk. onion soup mix 2 tins of mushrooms w/liquid or use fresh boiled with water, save water ¼ c. oil 4 tbsp. soya sauce Place dried rice in a large casserole dish. Mix up onion soup mix, mushroom liquid or water to make 4 c., oil, and soya sauce. Stir. Pour over rice in a casserole dish. Cover. Bake at 350 F. until cooked or all liquid has evaporated. 6. Potatoes come on sale quite often and there are many varieties of things you can do with them, from baked, to fried, to scalloped, even to making perogies, if you are ambitious. So we have included several potato dishes for you to savor. SOUR CREAM POTATOES 1 large pot of potatoes cooked 1 block of cream cheese ¼ c. of butter 1 c. sour cream 1 tbsp. onion powder 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper Mash potatoes with cream cheese, butter, sour cream, onion powder, salt and pepper. Place in casserole dish and top with butter and paprika before

6 baking. Bake at 350 F, until hot. Can be made ahead of time and put in the fridge. Also freezes well before baking. POTATO PANCAKES 2c. raw potatoes, grated (soak grated potatoes in cold water to prevent) 1 sm. onion, grated them from turning black 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper 2 eggs 1 tbsp. flour ½ baking powder Drain potatoes very well. Squeeze out excess water. Then mix potatoes, onions, salt, pepper, eggs, flour and baking powder. Heat griddle with olive oil or coconut oil. Form potatoes into patties and fry on each side till nicely browned. Serve with ketchup, hot sauce, sour cream, etc. POTATOES DELUXE 2lbs. frozen hash browns (thawed) 1 c. diced onion 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 2 c. of sour cream ½ c. butter or margarine 1 c. of cheddar cheese 2 tsp. salt Pepper 1 c. cornflakes, crushed Mix and cover with cornflakes. Put in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for 1 hour at 375 F. This dish also freezes well and is great for get togethers and even for a breakfast/brunch. 7. Pasta doesn t always have to be served with meat or even a tomato sauce. There are many ways to have pasta whether it is a hot or cold dish. SHRIMP FETTUCINE ALFREDO 1 lb. of fettucine pasta 1 tbsp. of butter 1 lb. of cooked shrimp-peeled and deveined 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 c. half and half 6 tbsp. parmeson cheese 1 tbsp. of parsley

7 salt to taste Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 min until al dente; drain. In a large skillet, sauté shrimp and garlic in the butter for about one minute. Pour in half and half; stir. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. After all Parmesan is added, mix in parsley and salt. Stir frequently making sure it does not boil. Sauce will take a while to thicken. Hope you enjoyed these recipes and we are sure you have some old time favorites of your own. God bless and Bon Appetit!