Simple meatless recipes for Lent

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Many have heard of Meatless Mondays, but what about Meatless Fridays? When it comes to observing , that means no meat on Fridays for many.

Lauren Mardeusz is a registered dietitian and the owner of . She said there are some common mistakes people make when going meatless.  

“I think sometimes people think of Meatless Fridays or going meatless as fully meat-free and they don’t consider fish,” Mardeusz said. “Per the Catholic religion, fish is permissible on Fridays.”

Mardeusz said there are several ways to ensure a meatless meal is balanced and nutritious.

“One is having a whole source of protein,” Mardeusz said. “Fish is going to complete that for you. If we’re doing a bean recipe, or a soy recipe, having a few different varieties of protein can help you get that profile, and then make sure we pack the veggies on the plate  to round it out.”

Mardeusz shared the following recipes: 

Ingredients:

• Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Vegetable Filling
• 1 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes (about 6 cups), cut into 1” cubes
• 4 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 ½ cups green pepper cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 cup red pepper cut into 1” pieces
• 1 can black beans 
• ½ cup frozen yellow corn 
• Honey, Cilantro Lime Sauce
• 3 TBS honey (maple syrup for vegan)
• 3 TBS lime juice
• 3 TBS fresh cilantro chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease a large baking sheet.

Mix spices together in a small bowl, set aside.

Put sweet potatoes in a large bowl and add 3 TBS olive oil. Stir until potatoes are evenly coated.

Sprinkle spices on sweet potatoes and stir until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated with the spice mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until they just start to brown, stirring halfway through.

While sweet potatoes are baking, add peppers to the large bowl that the sweet potatoes were mixed in. Add 1 TBS olive oil and a little extra salt and pepper. Stir until evenly coated.

After 20 minutes, or once sweet potatoes are slightly browned, remove the pan from oven and add peppers. Stir until combined.

Return to oven for 20 more minutes, stirring halfway through.

While pan is in the oven, mix honey, lime juice and cilantro together in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Once sweet potatoes and peppers are looking nice and roasted, add corn and black beans and stir to combine.

Drizzle honey lime cilantro sauce over all the veggies on the pan and stir until everything is evenly mixed/coated.

Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Until corn is slightly browned and the sauce has stuck to the veggies!

Remove from oven and serve immediately in tortillas or over salad greens, topped with your favorite taco toppings (guacamole, salsa, etc).  

Ingredients: 

• ▢8 oz Banza rotini pasta, or whole wheat Egg Noodles
• ▢2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ▢1 large yellow onion, chopped
• ▢8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• ▢1/2  teaspoon ground pepper
• ▢1 teaspoon salt
• ▢2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢1 cup milk
• ▢1 cup vegetable broth
• ▢½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢2, 5 oz canned tuna, drained
• ▢1 ½ cups frozen peas
• ▢½ cup shredded Parmesan
• ▢¼ cup breadcrumbs

-Cook noodles according to package until al dente, drain and set aside.

-Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a 9×9 casserole dish with cooking spray.

-While pasta is cooking heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute onion and mushrooms with ground pepper and salt until onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

-Add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

-Add flour to veggies and mix to coat.

-Slowly add milk and broth. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce to a simmer, mixing often until sauce thickens, about 10-12 minutes.

-Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese until melted.

-Mix in noodles, peas and drained tuna and pour into prepared baking dish.

-Top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.

-Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Broil for a 1-2 minutes to brown the top. 

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds skinless, boneless salmon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 shallots, peeled and cut into chunks
• ½ cup coarse bread crumbs
• Salt and black pepper
• Lemon wedges

Cut the salmon into large chunks, and put about a quarter of it into the container of a food processor, along with the mustard until the mixture becomes pasty.

Add the shallots and the remaining salmon, and pulse the machine on and off until the fish is chopped and well combined with the puree.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and by hand, stir in the bread crumbs, capers, and some salt and pepper. Shape into four burgers.

grill them: Let them firm up on the first side, grilling about 4 minutes, before turning over and finishing for just another minute or two. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside. Be careful not to overcook. Serve on a bed of greens or on buns or by themselves, with lemon wedges.