Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole (Vegan)

Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole (Vegan)

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Guys. It's the last post of our Week of Lenten Recipes. I'm bummed cause it's been so much fun testing these recipes and sharing them with people all over the world! BUT next week, we're going to have more Lenten goodness for you all! We've got Instagram takeovers from:

Anastasia McAdams of Lettuce Attend - March 4​

Melissa Naasko of Fasting as a Family - March 7​

They're going to be sharing their Lenten tips and meals, and be a constant reminder that we're all in this, working out our salvation, together. Feel free to email or message us your questions to pass them on to them!  ​

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I'm sharing this super hearty recipe today cause I wanted to show what delicious Lenten entrees can look like. The secret to this one is the SAUCE. Who knew just some canned tomatoes + cilantro + garlic powder could help pull together a whole casserole so beautifully?! 

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Also, did I mention it's a SLOW COOKER recipe?! Yay!! Assembly takes around 15 minutes and you just set this baby aside for 4-5 hours and serve with rice. Bam. Done. 

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Vegan Vegetable Sammies

Vegan Vegetable Sammies (Oil-free, or not!)

I have a friend who likes to joke about the "food titles" for different fasts. For example, the Lenten fast = the Hummus fast, the Nativity fast = the Lentil Soup fast. I think, for our family, the Lenten fast could easily be called, The Veggie Sammies fast. Every other week during lent, I make up a tupperware container of this mix and we eat it for lunches for the week. The best part is...it's super flexible! 

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For example: If your family is eating oil this fast, you can sub out the red wine vinegar in here for olive oil. I usually add in any random leftovers that need to be used up. These usually include: white beans, zucchini, canned tuna... you get the picture. I usually keep the tomato-cucumber-pepper base and alternate the other mixin's. For our family, this mixes it up juuuuust enough that we don't get completely sick of the recipe by Pascha, but it still makes the recipe effortless. 

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Plus, LOOK at how fresh and delicious this mixture is. Boom. 

Hop to it, y'all here's the recipe!

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Greek/Lebanese Green Beans

Greek/Lebanese Green Beans

I'm sure some of you guys don't even need a recipe for this one, but I wanted to share because this recipe is crazy simple, filling, and of course, Lenten. 

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So in case you haven't seen a theme here, we're trying to keep these recipes

1. delicious for the kiddos,

2. Simple by using as few ingredients as possible, 

3. filling and nutritious. We are trying to avoid your kids needing a snack break every hour. Cause to me, that seems to defeat the point of the fast. 

 

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I also wanted to take the time today to add a little note reminding everyone that this is a judgement-free zone. It's between you, your family, and your spiritual father to decide what is the best way to go about the fast. Plus, there is a HUGE learning curve for the Lenten fast... I'm not just talking about the food part. I've heard several priests say that it took them nearly 10 years before they could fast "completely". That was a nice reality check for me.  

Full disclosure: I am not doing the full fast since I'm nursing, but I'm trying my best and will maybe have one meal a week that's non-lenten. I can be kind of legalistic and tend to overdo the fast, especially since I've only been at this for 4 years now. I call it "that convert zeal"! Because of this, I've learned so much from listening and heeding the advice of other people in the parish (for me, talking with moms who've been pregnant/breastfed before has really helped), who keep me in check, keep me from getting sick (most of the time), and cope with my stubbornness - ha! Also, shout out to my mother-in-law, the Gypsy, who two years ago, basically made me eat a burrito during the fast when I was pregnant and still trying to fast. You've really helped me keep things in perspective. I learned a lot from that moment. 

I told you, I'm stubborn. I''m working on it. Love to you all! My God bless us all this lent as we struggle together to grow closer to him by overcoming our desires and negative habits. 

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Coconut Whipped Cream (Vegan + Oil Free)

Coconut Whipped Cream (Vegan + Oil Free)

Yes. Vegan. Whipped Cream. In under 10 mins. Let's go. 

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"the good stuff"

"the good stuff"

I love this recipe because it's so easy to make, the kiddos love it, and you can really easily adjust the sweetness level to suit your family's preferences. Yes, if you haven't figured out by now, I'm the crazy mom who tries to limit her children's sugar intake. (Sorrynotsorry!)

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I just love this recipe during Lent. It helps remind me that we can treat ourselves without being extravagant in what we eat and without making a recipe that takes forever and sucks up time that we could be spending in prayer or with our families. 

My favorite way to serve it is in a bowl with fresh fruit. If I'm feeling so inclined, I'll top it off with some maple syrup and serve it with those lovely Cardamom-Lemon Biscotti we made earlier this week! 

Also, if you're feeling really fancy, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of either cinnamon or cardamom (seeing a theme here?) to the bowl when you add in all the ingredients. It will be so yummy and simple!

*BONUS* Save the coconut milk that you drain from the can and use in smoothies for breakfast. Or, just drink it straight! It's crazy good for helping you stay hydrated! Have fun!

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Vegan White Bean "Fondue" Dip

Vegan White Bean "Fondue" Dip with Veggies

I usually do my best to stay away from what I call "cheater" recipes during Lent. By that I mean trying to replicate an everyday recipe in a vegan fashion. I don't really have a problem with it, it's just not how I cook in general. 

This recipe is one of my few exceptions. I don't really consider it a "cheating" recipe because we never have fondue in our house, so to us this is just a neat way to eat bean dip- ha! However, I think the nutritional yeast in the recipe kind of screams [PRETEND CHEESE] haha. Sounds like I'm in denial, right? 

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I love how the dip all comes together so quickly! You can assemble the whole thing in 10 minutes. Again, this allows for more family or prayer time, and less time that your toddler can spend clinging to your leg asking to be picked up. ha!

This is another recipe from my girl over at My New Roots. I love everything she makes because it's always simple, mostly vegan and cheap! One amazing thing I've learned from reading her recipes is that white beans are a fantastic way to make your recipes creamier, denser, and richer in protein all in one go! That handy-dandy trick is showcased beautifully in this recipe!

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Some ingredients you may or may not have seen before:

Nutritional Yeast: This is a flaky, deactivated yeast that is frequently used as a natural cheese substitute because of it's cheesy flavor. You'll see shortly! You can find in almost any grocery store nowadays - it's usually in the health-food isle. 

White Miso: This is a fermented soybean paste that is actually great for your digestive system and can be used to make miso soup! I like to keep a little jar on hand and drop a tablespoon or two into some warm stock when my family starts to get sick - it's very versatile! You can find this in the refrigerated section of your health food store.

If you don't already have these in your home, I highly recommend purchasing them for this recipe and playing around with them! They really make this dip special!

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To serve:  

I usually serve this dip family-style on the table along with a big bowl of dipping items. These include things like:

  • Celery
  • Carrots
  • Slices of baguette
  • Broccoli
  • Peppers

Honestly, just chop up whatever is easy and you know your kiddos will eat! Have fun!

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Creamy Tomato Soup (Vegan + Oil Free)

Creamy Tomato Soup (Vegan + Oil Free)

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So here we go. This recipe is

1. So. easy.

2. Ridiculously fast. 

3. Creamy and delicious.

Get excited, y'all. I love tomato soup and I love how simple it is. For me, that makes it a great family fasting food. It can sustain us, and the kids will eat it, but really, it's nothing fancy. 

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Before we start, here are some important notes for this soup:

1. You're going to be using the broiler to get a nice char on your tomatoes and peppers. Don't worry, it's how we'll roast the peppers and we're going to peel off all the black bits eventually. Think of it like Lent itself - it can be "painful" and not pretty at times, but in the end, you get to peel back all the dark parts of yourself and emerge a brand new bowl of delicious tomato soup. But seriously. 

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2. Make sure your pan is ovenproof. This makes the recipe so much easier because then you can do everything IN ONE PAN. That's what I'm talking about. 

3. Keep the can from your tomatoes. You'll use it when the soup all starts to come together to make your very own "tomato stock". 

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Easy, right? Oh and also this recipe can be made in under 20 mins. Did I mention that?! Boom. Lenten recipes are amazing. Here it is, ladies and gents. Don't be afraid to double it and freeze for later on in the fast! 

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7 Ingredients, people. The peppers are MIA in this shot because they jumped into the pan right before I snapped the camera - ha!

7 Ingredients, people. The peppers are MIA in this shot because they jumped into the pan right before I snapped the camera - ha!

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Cardamom Lemon Biscotti (Contains Oil)

Cardamom - Lemon Biscotti (Contains oil)

Hello All! 

Caroline here with one of my all time favorite recipes! Guess what? It's VEGAN! Let it be known that biscotti is my weakness and go-to snack food, mostly because I'm constantly drinking coffee. My husband is a manager of a stellar coffee shop here in Louisville and I have 2 kids under the age of 4. I'll just leave it at that. 

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So these biscotti... They're Cardamom - Lemon and the recipe is adapted from my favorite food blogger, Sarah Britton of My New Roots. (original recipe here). Anything with cardamom in it is super divine and I love making a huge batch of these before Lent begins and keeping them in my freezer for special wine and oil days, or when I need a pick-me-up. 

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The flour in here is just oats that you run through the food processor, so if you're trying to avoid gluten, it can be easily adapted by just opting for gluten-free rolled oats! Yippee! Without further adieu, here is the recipe! Stay tuned this week for more goodies that complement these bad boys PERFECTLY. 

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