Lenten Recipes

Here are a couple of recipes for Lenten Fridays…and the rest of the Fridays throughout the year.

Vegetarian Chili

Saute garlic, onion, celery, and carrots in a medium sized pot until union and celery are clear and tender. Add beans, hominy, chili powder, cumin and sauce. Stew for a while or eat right away. Serve over brown rice with cheese and sour cream or plain yogurt with a side of corn bread.

Pesto
(Fr. Tim, you can pass this along to Dusty.)

Strip basil leaves from stems. In a blender or food processor, chop basil leaves and garlic; add pine nuts, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil until reduced to a thick sauce. Add parmesan cheese and blend.
Serve over pasta, mix with green beans or potatos, use in sandwiches or just about anything you like!

Italian Vegetable Stew (from A Continual Feast)

1-1lb bag of Red Kidney, Red or white beans
1/4 cup oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatos, cubed
1/4 head of cabbage chopped
5 peeled and chopped tomatoes, or 1 can tomato paste
1 clove
pasta shells (optional for a Minestrone type of soup)

Clean and soak beans overnight. Cook in two inches deep of water for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. If the water runs low, add boiling water to avoid splitting beans.
When the beans are almost done, saute garlic, onion, celery, carrots until clear and tender about 10 minutes.
Add this to the beans. Add potatos, cabbage, clove, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 15 minutes. You may need to add more water for a soupy consistency. Add pasta shells if desired and cook another 15 minutes.
Top with croutons, or mix in a tsp of pesto.