Resources

Fasting Recipes

Simple, satisfying food for the fasting seasons, cooked to what the day allows.

Fasting is not a diet but a discipline of the whole person, kept in the body so the soul may pray. The recipes here are plain and nourishing, and each is marked for the day it suits, and every more lenient day after it. When in doubt about the fast, ask your priest.

Strict

No meat, dairy, fish, wine, or oil. The simplest fare, for the strictest days.

Wine and Oil

Wine and olive oil are blessed for the day, a little richness on the table.

Fish

Fish is permitted, on feasts that fall within a fasting season.

Cheesefare

The bright week before Great Lent. Dairy, eggs, and fish are still blessed, but meat is set aside as the Fast draws near.

From the Kitchen

The Collection

Select a recipe to see the full ingredients, method, and printable card.

Choose a day below to see what it allows: every recipe fit for that day, plus anything simpler. A Strict day shows only the strictest fare; Cheesefare week shows the whole table.

Soups Wine and Oil

Buffalo White Bean Soup

A hearty one-pot soup of tender white beans and potatoes, brightened with a good pour of buffalo hot sauce.

Serves 6 Prep 15 min Cook 25 min Total 40 min

Entrees Wine and Oil

Cheater Shrimp Risotto

A forgiving skillet risotto of toasted rice and tender shrimp, finished with lemon and parsley.

Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 30 min Total 45 min

Soups Wine and Oil

Chinese Nine Vegetable Hot and Sour Soup

A brothy, tangy hot and sour soup crowded with tofu and nine vegetables.

Serves 8 Prep 20 min Cook 25 min Total 45 min

Breads Wine and Oil

Cornbread

A tender, golden cornbread made without dairy or eggs, sweetened with a touch of maple for the fasting table.

Serves Makes one 8-inch pan Prep 10 min Cook 20 min Total 30 min

Entrees Wine and Oil

Creamy Coconut Chickpea Curry

Pantry chickpeas simmered rich and comforting in coconut milk and warm spices, finished with lime.

Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 22 min Total 37 min

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Chimichurri

Grilled cod in soft corn tortillas, crowned with sweet mango salsa and a bright herb chimichurri.

Serves Makes 12 tacos Prep 25 min Cook 10 min Total 35 min

Entrees Wine and Oil

Kimchi Fried Rice

A quick, savory skillet of jasmine rice, tangy kimchi, and vegetables in a sesame-soy sauce.

Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 25 min Total 40 min

Entrees Wine and Oil

Linguine with Clam Sauce

Linguine tossed with a simple sauce of garlic, white wine, and minced clams.

Serves 4 Prep 10 min Cook 15 min Total 25 min

Loaf Bread

A plain, honest sandwich loaf from five simple ingredients, with a soft crumb and a golden crust.

Serves Makes 1 loaf Prep 20 min Cook 30 min Total 50 min

Marinated Baked Salmon

Salmon fillet under a bright marinade of mustard, horseradish, and soy, baked for a fish day.

Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Total 35 min

Breads Cheesefare

Maslenitsa Blini

Thin, lacy Russian pancakes for Cheesefare week, served with butter, sour cream, or honey.

Serves about 16 thin blini Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Total 35 min

Entrees Wine and Oil

Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes

Roasted sweet potatoes and spiced chickpeas under a garlic herb sauce and a bright parsley-tomato salad.

Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 25 min Total 40 min

Mexican Pinto Beans

Dry pinto beans slow-cooked with cumin, garlic, and oregano, a hearty strict-fast entree.

Serves 6 Prep 10 min Cook 480 min Total 490 min

Entrees Wine and Oil

Mujadara

Lentils and rice simmered together and crowned with deeply caramelized onions, a Lenten staple.

Serves 4 Prep 10 min Cook 40 min Total 50 min

Desserts Strict

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chewy peanut butter cookies studded with chunks of dark baking chocolate, rich enough for a fast day without oil or dairy.

Serves Makes 16 cookies Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Total 25 min

Desserts Wine and Oil

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

A spiced pumpkin coffee cake under a cinnamon streusel, made without dairy or eggs for the fasting table.

Serves Makes one 9x13-inch cake Prep 20 min Cook 45 min Total 65 min

Soups Wine and Oil

Red Lentil Soup

A humble, comforting soup where red lentils melt into a thick, savory base over tender brown rice.

Serves Serves 4 to 6 Prep 10 min Cook 30 min Total 40 min

Soups Wine and Oil

Revithia (Chickpea Soup)

A traditional Greek chickpea soup, slow-simmered with lemon and herbs until silky and tender.

Serves 6 Prep 15 min Cook 180 min Total 195 min

Soups Wine and Oil

Seafood Chowder

A warming chowder of shrimp and shellfish simmered with potatoes, carrots, and Old Bay, brightened with a swirl of coconut milk.

Serves 6 Prep 15 min Cook 30 min Total 45 min

Shrimp and Butternut Squash in Coconut Milk Broth

Sweet butternut squash and shrimp simmered in a fragrant coconut broth, finished with lime and cilantro over basmati rice.

Serves 4 Prep 20 min Cook 15 min Total 35 min

Soups Wine and Oil

Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup

A fragrant Thai-style soup of shrimp, coconut milk, and potatoes with ginger, lemongrass, and plenty of chili heat.

Serves 6 Prep 20 min Cook 25 min Total 45 min

Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

Olive-oil-packed tuna tossed with rice, crisp peppers, and a spicy soy and Sriracha dressing, served warm or cold.

Serves 2 Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Total 30 min

Desserts Cheesefare

Syrniki (Farmer Cheese Pancakes)

Tender little farmer-cheese pancakes, golden outside and soft within, a Cheesefare-week favorite.

Serves about 12 small pancakes Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Total 30 min

Veggie Soup

A hearty, pantry-friendly soup of vegetables, beans, and warm spices that comes together in a crockpot or on the stove.

Serves 8 Prep 15 min Cook 60 min Total 75 min

White Bean Chili

A simple, brothy white bean chili built on a tub of fresh salsa and finished with a squeeze of lime.

Serves 6 Prep 10 min Cook 60 min Total 70 min

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Psalm 34:8