This article only briefly outlines what Lenten (fasting) food looks like, to help someone who has not fasted before, is not used to cooking Lenten meals, and does not know what could be prepared during a fast.
“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41-42)
“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly” (Luke 21:34)
Soups
Soups on vegetable broth (with fried onion and carrot)
Potatoes go well in almost all of them:
soups with grains (buckwheat, rice, pearl barley, lentils, peas),
pasta soups,
vegetable soups,
borscht (beetroot soup),
rassolnik (soup with pickled cucumbers),
shchi (cabbage soup),
ukha (fish soup, when the rule allows fish).
Side Dishes
oatmeal (flakes),
boiled rice, buckwheat, lentils, couscous, bulgur, quinoa, polenta (cornmeal porridge) and other grains. Fried onion and carrot go well with them.
pilaf (chickpeas can be added to make it more filling),
mixes with boiled rice: Hawaiian, Mexican, etc.
pasta: boiled, fried before boiling, pasta with mushrooms, with canned fish (tuna, sardines, etc., when the rule allows)
potatoes: fried, baked, boiled, mashed,
stewed cabbage,
vegetable stew: potatoes, carrots, onion, zucchini, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomato paste or tomato, eggplant,
boiled vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, green peas, corn),
vareniki (dumplings): with potatoes, mushrooms, cherries,
tofu,
chickpeas with vegetables,
mushrooms, fried,
zucchini, fried,
draniki (fritters of grated potato or zucchini, rice or wheat flour, salt),
ratatouille,
baked pumpkin,
grilled vegetables,
vegetable patties (from beans).
Salads
from fresh vegetables: cucumber, tomato, young cabbage, red onion, lettuce, bell pepper, herbs, spices,
from boiled vegetables: vinegret (potatoes, beetroot, carrots, beans, canned peas, pickled cucumbers, onion, sauerkraut),
Chinese cabbage salad: Chinese cabbage, corn, Lenten mayonnaise[1],
boiled beetroot with Lenten mayonnaise[1],
fruit salad,
avocado salad,
Pickles
sauerkraut,
cucumbers: pickled, lightly salted, smashed,
carrots, Korean style,
onion marinated in vinegar,
and so on.
Baked Goods
bread,
Lenten buns: baked in the oven or in a frying pan, or bought in a shop,
filled pies: with cherries, stewed cabbage, potatoes and onion,
Lenten pancakes (water instead of milk, bananas instead of eggs),
Preserves
zucchini spread,
eggplant spread,
hummus,
corn,
mushrooms,
beans,
green peas,
sun-dried tomatoes,
guacamole without cheese,
Dried Fruit and Nuts
nuts,
berries and fruit, dried or freeze-dried,
halva,
Sandwiches and Snacks
bread with honey,
bread with tomato, basil and salt.
Drinks
Kvass (a fermented bread drink)
Kissel (a thick fruit drink set with starch)
Kompot (of fresh berries or dried fruit)
Mors (berry juice drink)
Smoothies
Lemonade
Tea
Coffee without milk
Water