Oh, that's easy.

*splat*

If there's not a big red spot, it's fair game.

hawk, suddenly reminded of the Lenten confession in A Canticle for Leibowitz. "Forgive me Father, I ate a lizard."

One way my family have thickened soup is to use instant potato flakes.

Kind of like my friend in high school that tried to paint the eyes the gnats he raised for a science project red. I don't remember why, but anyway the project failed and so did he. rofl

I found this recipe years ago in a LO-Cal cookbook & have been using it ever since either on the 1st Day of the Great Fast or on Good Friday. It is quick & easy.

Baked Fish Fillets with Scallions & Chopped Tomato

1 Lb of fish fillets ( I like to use Cod or Scrod)
1/2 lemon
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, coarsley chopped
1/8 teaspoon basil
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon butter or margarine (I substitute with extra virgin olive oil)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Arrange fish fillets in an ovenproof pan in a single layer.
2. Squeeze juice from the lemon over the fish, then top with scallions & tomato. Season with basil, salt & pepper.
3. Dot with butter or margarine. (if using olive oil, drizzle over the top)
4. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until just opaque throughout depending on the thickness of the fish.

I needed some fiber so I experimented and came up with these muffins:

OATMEAL MUFFINS

1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup applesauce (I use olive oil in non-fasting periods)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup wheat bran

Mix all ingredients together. Batter will be thick and almost a paste. Use muffin papers to avoid using oil or grease in your muffin tin.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

I've also tried to increase the applesauce in place of the milk and egg. They will be much more dense and you must watch that they don't burn.

Makes 12 to 15 depending on how full you fill the cups.

I've also added raisins that I boil for five minutes to rehydrate and add moisture because these muffins can become very dry if not eaten in a few days.

Fish/corn chowder: (my concoction)

Use any kind of fish (preferably without a lot of bones).. fresh, frozen, or canned; but canned salmon usually works well for me and I use about half of a medium can of salmon or one small can.

First: ..par boil on medium heat> chopped celery (as much as you want but this isn't really celery soup) so I use about a half of a cup and about the same amount of chopped onions. And I usually include a few inches of parsley which makes it look pretty (Ha)but has little taste..(it IS good for you) with a tablespoon of margarine/butter or olive oil in three or four cups of cold water.

I then sprinkle all with 1/4 teaspoon basil leaves, thyme (powered is okay) and curry powder..

After the celery, etc. becomes tender from boiling..(about 10-15 minutes)..add one half can salmon and one half can corn (frozen is okay; but don't use canned creamed corn) ..cook another ten minutes or so at low boil..just above simmering. Stir well.

Add to the pot a cup of either milk or [soy milk ( for those of us who are lactose intolerant)] and simmer for a few more minutes but stir so it won't stick or boil too high.

Finally to make it thicker add one small piece or a slice of mild cheddar or colby cheese and one third cup of instant mashed potatoes..[optional..1/2 can of Campbells mushroom or celery soup..thickens it too if you don't want to use potatoes and cheese.]

Simmer and stir on low heat until it looks just right adding a little more milk or water if you don't like it too thick or a few tablespoons of more instant mashed potatoes if you like it thicker or, if you use canned soup, add some more of that.

Salt and pepper to taste and serve with crackers.

Hint: [The main thing here is to keep it from boiling too high and getting overly done or sticking and maybe even burning. So it is good to keep the heat down, stir often and watch the pot!]

Should serve two adults and two children..maybe more.

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pasta-primavera-recipe

Pasta Primavera from the Food Network's Giada De Laurentis

Thank God for "Spring Vegetable" soup, by Knorr.

Here's the recipe, that even a man like me can follow:

1. Put three cups of water in a pot.

2. Put the pot (with the water) on the stove. Turn the heat to "ON." High heat is better. (Turn it to 11...) Bring to a boil.

3. Open package. Pour contents in. Add some olive oil, noodles and spices to taste.

4. Pour into a BIG bowl.

5. Say grace!

6. Eat.

-- John

Here is one that if you can open a can you can do: Good for abstinence.

SouthWestern Veggie Soup from cans(don't drain any of them)
1 Big can Tomato or Veggie Juice
2 cans sweet corn (not the creamed stuff lol)
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can green beans
1 can black beans
2 cans diced tomatoes(with chilies if you like it spicy)
1 large jar salsa (mild or hot to taste)
1 package taco flavoring (check ingredients for no no's)

Put in large pot or slow cooker and cook till hot.

Can have taco cheese sprinkled on it if it is a cheese day. I also like to crack some type of Tortilla Chips the blue ones are quite nice on top.

Time needed. 20 minutes to open the cans and 30 minutes to cook. Great to bring for shared suppers after Liturgy or Mass.

PAX
Kathleen Elsie Gibbs
Proud Supporter of C.A.P.E. ~ Catholic Association of Parent Educators
Pro-Life from Conception to Natural Death

Kathleen,

That sounds interesting...I will try it.

If any one has a Trader Joe's in their area, I went there yesterday and bought their brand of hummus which is awesome. It is called 'Mediterranean Hummus'. I also bought two ready made bean burritos which were good. They also carry some nice Indian prepared foods, and I like the eggplant dish very much.

Now here is something cute...on another forum (Orthodox), one of the priest moderator's chimed in to a similar thread that his eyes get glazed over when he sees too many ingredients, and he was wondering if anyone could just give him an easy two or three ingredient recipe, to which the Administrator replied:



LOL !!!!

For some reason that really tickled my funny bone!!!

Alice

The "LENTEN CARROT DISH" ?

LOL . . . . that sounds like something at my level . . .

Hahaha! I thought you would like that recipe! It is even easier than your Knorr soup one! LOL!

Regards,
Alice

I would venture that a shrimp based ramen noodle recipe is up John's alley as well!

Put 2 cups of water in pot
Take package and slam it onto your head to break noodles
Boil water
Add noodles
When they are soft, add seasoning packet
Eat

Option:
When noodles are soft, drain water
Add seasoning packet
Eat

Here are two soups, both meatless and no dairy that can be used for Lent. They do contain oil though, for all you die-hards.

Indian Lentil-Vegetable Soup

3 tbs. vegetable oil
2 c. lentils, rinsed and picked over
2 medium onions chopped
8 cups water
2 cloves garlic, minced
35 oz can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 ½ c. peeled, chopped potatoes
1 tbs. ground cumin
2 t. ground coriander
1 c. chopped carrots
½ t. tumeric
2 t. salt
¼ t. cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Cook till tender, 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in spices. Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.


Tuscan Tomato Soup

¼ c. olive oil
Two 35oz and one 28oz cans of whole plum tomatoes
4 carrots, 4 stalks celery, 2 or 3 small/medium onions, all finely chopped in processor
½ c. chopped parsley, 6 basil leaves chopped

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and cook vegetables till tender. Crush tomatoes and add. Cook 25-30 minutes and add parsley and basil and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Heavy Bread

You can live all of Lent on this, with a handful of green onions and some salt for dipping.


2 cups lukewarm water

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 cups rye flour

1/2 cup gluten flour or Do-Pep

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup carob powder

1 tablespoon salt

1/3 cup molasses

2 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cup unbleached flour (as required for kneading)

* Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Stir next 5 ingredients
together and add to yeast mixture. Stir in molasses. Let stand for
10 minutes. Add whole what flour and unbleached flour as needed
until you have stiff dough. Knead vigorously for 10 minutes, or
until dough is moist, but not sticky. Allow to rise until doubled
(at least 1 hour). Punch down. Spray your hands with a food release
spray and shape dough into a round loaf. Place on a cookie sheet
and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place. Bake in a preheated
350°F oven for 1 hour, or until thoroughly baked. If it gets too
brown on top, cover with foil until baking is completed. Yields one
22 ounce loaf.


Alexandr