How should Orthodox people eat on weekdays, holidays and fasts? Meals during fasting by day. What to eat during fasting

The post was not invented for fun and gastronomic delights. But this is not a reason to eat fried potatoes with pickles and pasta with ketchup for forty days. They will not make your soul happier, but your health will be seriously undermined. There is a great variety of healthy and very satisfying food that meets the strictest Lenten rules! In addition, Lent is an ideal time to revive forgotten recipes and find new delights in long-familiar products.

Our Porridge is the best option for a Lenten menu

Russian porridge- this is not food, this is philosophy. It includes our entire history, starting from pagan times; hints at long-suffering and frugality, not to mention hospitability and hard work... For centuries now we have seen porridge in pots, we have to eat it with a large family with wooden spoons - and the instructions are funny to us " pour boiling water over and eat immediately". What kind of philosophy is this, if immediately? Porridge is a leisurely thing that pays for patience a hundredfold. The main idea here is this: porridge is never tasteless. It just needs to be cooked correctly.

There you are the clearest example: pearl barley. Or “pearl”, barley from which noble whiskey is made.

Rinse it, pour plenty of boiling water, wrap it in a blanket and let it stand for 8-10 hours. Then drain the water, pour boiling water over the cereal again and cook for about fifteen minutes. Let's turn to our Middle European brothers, the Lithuanians, for experience - they love " glass porridge"Fry onion rings in vegetable oil, and then add grated potatoes. Add prepared pearl barley and spices.

A similar story happens with buckwheat porridge, which for some reason is eaten exclusively with cutlets or milk. Did you know that in the fashionable West, buckwheat (kasha, as they say) is a newly discovered organic product, along with the ancient Aztec amaranth and quinoa? There, however, for some reason it is believed that buckwheat must be mixed with whipped egg white before cooking - otherwise, they say, it will not turn out crumbly. You can simply fry good buckwheat with vegetable oil - even on a baking sheet - and then let it try not to crumble! I don’t know if it’s necessary to say that buckwheat is very good with fried onions, extremely good with carrots, peppers, eggplants, and just very, very good with mushrooms?

But you probably have no idea that buckwheat is eaten with great pleasure in Korea! It is used to make sae me duk - steamed buns. To do this, take buckwheat flour, a little salt and enough water to make a stiff dough. It is kneaded, rolled out a centimeter thick and cut into small squares, which must be greased with vegetable oil and placed in a double boiler for 10 minutes. This amazing dish is served warm on major holidays.

The Japanese make noodles from buckwheat, and porridge is extremely popular in Jewish cuisine." Varniškės": you need to fry a little onion (in the original - on chicken fat), cook the porridge separately, separately - twice as much fusili type pasta. Combine it all, warm it up, eat it and be surprised. In general, if you are tired (and for for a long time you can easily get bored with fasting) the usual taste of porridges, mushrooms and vegetables, get yourself a spicy one" berber mixture", which can be sprinkled anywhere.

Go to the market and enrich the spice merchants there by buying 2 tbsp. l. cumin seeds, 1 tbsp. l. cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, fenugreek (aka fenugreek or shamballa) and coriander, half a spoon of allspice, a couple of dozen clove buds, 5 tbsp. l. red pepper and a tablespoon each of dried ginger, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon. Place the first seven spices in a dry frying pan and fry for 2 minutes, stirring. Then add everything else (and more salt) and put it in the coffee grinder. This wonderful powder will bring you happiness.

We eat fruits dry during Lent and don’t complain

By definition, there can be no fresh fruit in Russia at this time of year. Sauerkraut, of course, is an excellent source of vitamins - but, alas, you can’t make compote from it. We can only rely on summer preparations.

Producers (both branded and Asian brothers) in Lately They try their best: any market is ready to offer at least 10 varieties dried fruits. With the exception of pineapples, which cannot be dried without the use of sugar, other fruits - even kiwi! - simply dry in special drying machines.

Quantity natural vitamin At the same time, of course, their sugar level decreases and their sugar level increases, but the benefits of dried fruits are still undoubted, because all microelements are retained in the required quantities. In the markets, dried fruits are much cheaper, but branded fruits guarantee freshness and complete integrity of all benefits. Chewing dried fruits just like that, even with tea, is not a very exciting activity.

Any dried fruits, especially figs, cherries and large prunes, combined with red berry juice can turn into a very delicious dessert. To do this, various spices are added to the juice: cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, sugar- and actually dried fruits. All this is boiled over very low heat: first without a lid for about forty minutes, then under the lid for another half hour - until the syrup becomes very thick. Can be served with porridge. In addition, many amazing things are done with dried fruits: for example, they stuff tomatoes, sweet peppers or eggplants with them. Or stewed with onions and red beans.

The main meat is mushrooms

If you don't take into account the newfangled soybeans, mushrooms- the main meat during fasting. They are in winter for most - this mushroom soup. For the especially advanced - mushroom julienne. It's not fair. What about mushroom caviar? A potato cutlets stuffed with mushrooms, with mushroom sauce? What about mushroom risotto? What about dumplings with mushrooms?

All this, of course, can be made from dried mushrooms, lovingly collected with your own hands in the distant summer... But it makes sense to pay attention to the counters with frozen foods. Honey mushrooms, chanterelles, boletuses, white...

Japanese ones are also common shiitake mushrooms- world champions in wrestling cancer cells. Even giant portobello mushrooms (which taste like pure chicken) are quite common in supermarkets. This fantastic variety of mushrooms gives rise to almost daily experiments.

Here are some options. You can make sandwiches with tapenade from wild mushrooms: grind the capers in a mortar with olive oil And lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. The result is a paste that is wonderfully spread on toasted slices of bread - and between them, impressive slices of mushrooms fried to a crisp.

From oyster mushroom The salad appears as if by itself: fried mushrooms, apples, celery stalks, lettuce leaves and dark seedless grapes. You can top it with a dressing made from lemon juice and crushed pine nuts, salt, pepper and a pinch of cinnamon. For variety, champignons can be fried in a wok with soy sauce, honey, sesame seeds and green onions(they must be served immediately).

During Lent, eat nuts

Nuts in our diet they play a completely inappropriate role. Either they sprinkle them on cakes, or on beets with garlic... And it seems that everyone only eats peanuts, pine nuts and walnuts. Meanwhile - during Lent, when every protein counts, nuts - irreplaceable thing. If they are fresh, this is practically a panacea for all the problems of the spring-winter period. And not at all as boring as it seems. They can be sweetened - or, conversely, sharpened.

In the first case, you collect different unroasted nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, pine. In addition, you will need orange juice, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. From all this a thick syrup is boiled, to which nuts are added. There they need to be mixed thoroughly so that the syrup has time to stick to each, and then transferred to oiled paper and separated with a fork while they are warm.

Spicy nuts ( almonds, pistachios without shell, peanuts) are done in approximately the same way - you just need salt with pepper, chili, cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic powder... with whatever you want - plus delicious vegetable oil. And still a little bit of honey, otherwise the nuts will be separate and the spices will be separate.

Can you make the same mixture from seeds - pumpkin and sunflower. It makes sense to keep spicy nuts and seeds in the refrigerator for a couple of days - let them smell the spices.

Another option for enthusiastically consuming nuts is in a paste or sauce. Peanut butter, a cult product of American teenagers, has long been known to fans of the TV series. It’s easy to make at home: take roasted and peeled peanuts, put them in a meat grinder and grind them with a little water and salt. It is better to store in the refrigerator. Spread this paste on your cookies every morning, because nuts make you smarter - it’s been proven. Healthier Snack Option: sesame seeds, honey, cinnamon and salt.

If guests are going to come over and everyone is fasting, ask them to bring fresh apples, carrots and celery stalks with them. While they're running around town in search of these scarce foods, calmly grab your stash of raw almonds, lemon juice, honey, fresh basil, salt, garlic and ginger. Proportions are up to your taste. Pass it all through a meat grinder, adding water as needed to get the consistency of thick sour cream. When guests show up, cut the fruits and vegetables they brought, and let them dip them in your sauce themselves. Soon they will have enough to eat, become kinder and begin asking you about the secrets of mastery...

Great or strict fasting in the Orthodox Church is considered the longest. Lent begins seven weeks before Easter. What is Lent and what are the rules of human behavior at this time? Let's figure it out.

Great Lent is, first of all, a cleansing that should be not only physical, but also spiritual. This is a time of repentance before the Lord, reading prayers, spiritual literature, as well as confession and communion. A fasting person is instructed to curb his anger, lust, greed, envy and rudeness. Slander, slander and anger are strictly prohibited.

The true meaning of Lent is the spiritual elevation of man. The diet of the fasting person also plays an important role here, since it is easier for the soul to cleanse itself in a clean body. Diet restrictions are quite strict and seem overwhelming to many. However, if you look at it, Lenten menu reminiscent of newfangled diets that people are so eager to follow modern girls. However, diet is just a way to give your body the desired shape. Fasting has a much deeper spiritual meaning.

Lent: how to eat right?

The most difficult days are considered to be the first day of Lent - Clean Monday, as well as Good Friday and Great Saturday - the last two days before Easter. On these days you should completely abstain from food. On other days, dietary restrictions are expected.

How to eat healthy during Lent? It is necessary to exclude meat, milk and dairy products, as well as eggs. These products, as well as any dishes that contain the above, should be completely excluded from the diet. Fish and fish products are allowed only on the Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Lazarus Saturday. On other days, fish should also be avoided.

If you break down proper nutrition during Lent day by day, it will look like this:

  • Monday, Wednesday and Friday - you are allowed to eat cold food without vegetable oil, once a day in the evening.
  • Tuesday and Thursday - it is allowed to eat steamed food (boiled, stewed, baked) without adding oil, also once a day in the evening.
  • Saturday and Sunday are more gentle days of fasting, you are allowed to eat twice a day in the morning and evening, you can eat vegetable oil, and you are also allowed to drink a glass of red grape wine (once a day).

List of products allowed for consumption during fasting:

By eating all of the above foods, you can get a fairly good and varied diet for every day. The main thing in the Lenten menu is not to overeat, since the true meaning of fasting is to give up any excesses, especially in food.

The post is not useful for everyone. It is recommended that pregnant and lactating women, the elderly, and children under 14 years of age refrain from observing strict fasting. However, true believers try to observe fasting from beginning to end under any circumstances.

How should one enter and exit a fast?

Despite the tangible benefits of Lent for cleansing the body and soul, abrupt refusal from habitual foods included in the daily diet can negatively affect the condition of the body. Therefore, it is recommended to start fasting gradually. A week before the start, it is recommended to give up egg dishes, and a few days later - from milk and dairy products. It is preferable to use lean meat (poultry, turkey, beef). In the first days after the end of fasting, it is also better to use food that has become familiar over the previous seven weeks. To vegetable dishes, you should gradually add low-fat meat dishes first, then milk and eggs. For the first week after fasting, it is recommended to abstain from dishes such as dumplings, soups with fatty broth, fried pork, and pancakes.

Thus, we can conclude that following the nutritional rules during Lent brings only benefits to our body. Lenten menu significantly reduces the risk of obesity, diabetes mellitus, stroke, removes waste and toxins from the body, promotes cleansing. In addition to cleansing the body, a person, having passed the tests of Lent, overcomes the path of spiritual cleansing, and “spiritual purity” is much more important than “physical purity.”

The most important component of fasting is a special nutritional system, which is designed to help a person cleanse himself physically, as well as prepare the body for spiritual renewal. At the same time, nutritionists warn that ill-considered fasting during Lent can significantly reduce the intake of essential vitamins and minerals into the body, as well as have a detrimental effect on metabolism. Such problems can only be avoided with the help of a well-balanced lean diet...

Nutrition during fasting involves avoiding consumption of all types of meat products, poultry, milk and its derivatives, fish, eggs and animal fat. At the same time, the Orthodox Church distinguishes between special days of strict fasting and times when Christians are allowed to eat certain foods. For example, on the day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Palm Sunday The Lenten menu is supplemented with fish and seafood.

Scientists say that daily requirement An adult's protein content is approximately 90 grams. During fasting, the intake of protein food into the body decreases sharply. Compensate for the deficiency of animal proteins with soy and other legumes, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, and nuts, which are very similar in their amino acid composition to meat products. In addition, the lack of protein food is easier to bear for those who get good sleep and spend a lot of time outdoors.

On days when seafood is allowed, include shrimp or squid in your diet. They are distinguished by high nutritional value and are perfectly absorbed by the body.

During fasting, watch the calorie content of your meals. It is important that the food consumed provides the body with required amount energy. Supplement boiled and raw vegetables with cereals that contain a large amount healthy carbohydrates. Sugar is an important source of energy during fasting, but you should not overuse sweets.

Don't start fasting without first preparing: abrupt change habitual diet can have a detrimental effect on health. Prepare your body for a new diet in advance (at least 2 weeks before fasting). You also shouldn’t quickly return to quick meals after church bans are lifted. Introduce animal products into the menu gradually and in small portions.

In order for fasting during Lent to be beneficial, make proper nutrition a habit: avoid fried and smoked foods, limit the consumption of alcohol, sweets and salt, try to eat in small portions, etc. Only if these conditions are met, dietary restrictions will be effective, and fasting won't ordeal for the body.

Recipes Lenten dishes in Lent 2013


The Lenten table is not only considered beneficial for health, Lenten foods: vegetables, grains are the most sophisticated culinary products, often requiring special art of preparation and giving the most amazing results...

During Lent, meat, eggs, dairy products, and animal fats are excluded from the diet. Fish is allowed on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday. Fish caviar is acceptable on Lazarus Saturday...

Salads

Preparing salads during strict fasting can greatly diversify the table. IN Lent Of course, fresh vegetables are less available than during summer fasts, but preparations can be widely used: frozen, dried, pickled vegetables and fruits, tofu, add cooked rice or other cereals.

To dress salads, sunflower oil, soy mayonnaise, sauces are used, or ingredients that are juicy enough are selected so that the salad is tasty without additional ingredients.

Salad of various vegetables

100 g kohlrabi, 50 g canned green peas, 2 carrots, 2 fresh apples, cucumbers, 50 g lettuce or green onions, 50 g plums or prunes, 1 tomato or fresh sweet pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, 200 g . soy mayonnaise, pepper, salt to taste, dill.

Peeled boiled young kohlrabi, cut carrots into thin slices. Rinse the prunes and pour hot water for swelling, remove the seeds from it and cut into slices. Also chop the pitted plums.

Cut the tomatoes into 5-6 parts, cut the fresh sweet pepper, removing the stem along with the grains, into strips. Peel the apples, remove the seeds and cut them in the same way as vegetables. Cut the washed lettuce leaves into 2-3 parts, and chop the cucumbers into slices.

Mix chopped vegetables and fruits, add canned green peas, lightly salt and pepper and season with mayonnaise when serving. You can add sugar (preferably powdered sugar) and lemon juice to the salad. Vegetable salad can be prepared from other vegetables available.

The vinaigrette

Peel boiled potatoes and beets, cut into small cubes or thin slices. Pickled cucumbers and onion cut into cubes. Sort through the sauerkraut and cut into large pieces.

If the sauerkraut tastes very sour, rinse it with cold water or even soak it for some time, squeeze it out, and chop it. Finely chop the onion. Then mix all the vegetables, add salt and season with vegetable oil. Potatoes can be partially or completely replaced with boiled beans.

Lenten seaweed salad

Dried seaweed is soaked, boiled, washed thoroughly. Separately, chopped onions are fried, mixed with prepared cabbage, seasoned with soy sauce, ajinomoto, and other spices to taste.

Korean salads

Many Korean salads have lean components and therefore are quite suitable for a Lenten meal. You can buy them ready-made or prepare them yourself. To prepare salads, you need a special grater (only an experienced hand can cut it as thinly as necessary).

Here are a few classic options: 1) carrots (shredded thinly), 2) carrots and green radishes (the second one is smaller, chop both products), 3) cabbage (cut into 2x2 cm squares, add either chopped carrots or beets, but very little of the latter, only for color). Prepared vegetables are salted, mixed, crushed, allowed to stand until juice is obtained, the juice is drained or squeezed out.

Heat odorless sunflower oil in a frying pan. At this time, season the vegetables with vinegar, red pepper, ajinomoto, and coriander. Finely chop the garlic and place it in a heap on the vegetables, pour the heated oil directly onto the garlic, and mix everything. Let stand and cool.

Salad of cabbage, carrots, apples and sweet peppers

The washed white cabbage is cut into strips, ground with a small amount of salt, the juice is drained, mixed with peeled chopped apples, carrots, sweet peppers, seasoned with sugar and vegetable oil. Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.

300 g cabbage, 2 apples, 1 carrot, 100 g sweet pepper, 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, herbs.

Beet caviar

Finely chop the onion, grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Fry everything in vegetable oil until golden brown. Then add grated fresh beets. Five minutes before readiness, add salt to taste and tomato paste.

1 onion, 1 carrot, 3-4 medium beets, 100 g vegetable oil, 1/2 cup tomato paste diluted with water, salt.

Radish salad with butter

Peel and rinse the radish well, put it in cold water for 15-20 minutes, then let the water drain, chop the radish on a grater, season with vegetable oil, salt and vinegar, put in a salad bowl, garnish with herbs. You can add chopped onions sautéed in vegetable oil to the grated radish.

Radish 120 g, vegetable oil. 10 g, 3 g vinegar, 15 g onions, greens.

Vitamin salad

Finely chop the fresh cabbage and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Mix everything and add salt. Add green peas (canned). Pour vinegar, vegetable oil, sprinkle with ground black pepper and herbs. Can add fresh cucumbers and green onions.

300 g of fresh cabbage, 1 large carrot, 5 tablespoons of peas, salt, 1 tablespoon of vinegar. 10 g vegetable oil, 2 g black pepper.

Salad “Summer”

Place the tomatoes in a colander, pour boiling water over them, and then immediately pour cold water over them. Remove the skin. Cut the peeled tomatoes into thin slices. Cut the peeled apple in half and remove the core. Cut the apple into slices too. Cut the onion and pepper into small strips. Mix everything. Salt, add sugar, add lemon juice and pour over vegetable oil.

2 ripe tomatoes, 1 apple, 1 small onion, 1 sweet peri pod, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt, sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Tomatoes stuffed with vegetable mixture

Wash the tomatoes and cut them with a sharp knife top part, use a spoon to remove the core. Finely chop the boiled carrots, finely chop the apple, grate the cucumbers on a coarse grater. Place all vegetables in a bowl, add peas, salt, vegetable oil and stir. Stuff the tomatoes with this minced meat. Sprinkle dill on top.

5 small tomatoes, 1 carrot, 1 apple, 2 pickled cucumbers, 100 g green canned peas, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/3 teaspoon salt, dill.

Rice salad

Boil rice in salted water. Chop the vegetables, mix with cooled rice, salt and pepper, add sugar and vinegar to taste.

100 g rice, 2 sweet peppers, 1 tomato, 1 carrot, 1 pickled cucumber, 1 onion.

Leek

Finely chop the green part of the leek into rings (you need four stems), fry in margarine with garlic and thyme. Add the white part of the stems. Pour the whole thing half and half with white wine and vegetable broth before putting the container in the oven, cover with food paper, put in the oven and keep for 30 minutes.

4 stalks of leeks, 2 cloves of garlic, a bunch of fresh thyme, 115 g of butter (vegetable margarine is possible), 2 glasses of chardonnay, 285 ml of vegetable broth, sea ​​salt and black pepper.

Crumbled buckwheat with mushrooms and onions

3 glasses of water, 1.5 glasses of buckwheat, 2 onions, some dry porcini mushrooms. Pour water over the kernel, cover with chopped mushrooms and put on high heat, closing with a lid.

When it boils, reduce the heat by half and continue cooking for 10 minutes until thickened, then reduce the heat again to low and cook for about 5-7 minutes. until the water has completely evaporated. Remove from heat and wrap warm for 15 minutes. At the same time, fry finely chopped onion and add salt. Add the fried onions to the porridge and stir evenly.

Mushroom pilaf

For pilaf, thick-walled dishes are preferred, they heat up evenly and release heat slowly. The ratio of the main components: rice\carrots\mushrooms (frozen, fresh or soaked dry) is equal, i.e. for half a kilo of rice there are exactly the same amount of carrots and mushrooms.

You can partially or completely replace mushrooms with soy meat, but you should remember that soy meat itself does not have the same taste as mushrooms, and when using it, the dish should be seasoned with flavorings and spices.


Heat the cauldron and the oil in it (do not skimp on oil for pilaf: its taste improves significantly), fry the mushrooms and carrots, add salt and spices, cover the top, without stirring, with a layer of washed rice and carefully pour in water (1.5 volumes of rice), so that the rice turns out covered with water with a margin of more than a couple of centimeters. Close the lid tightly, trying not to open the lid further unnecessarily.

When we hear that the contents of the cauldron are boiling, reduce the heat to a minimum, at this time we will prepare the garlic: we will need several small cloves. They are placed directly into the cap of rice (the rice has already swollen and absorbed all the water above it) whole and lightly pressed down, immersing it in the rice, after which the cauldron is turned off, but the pilaf continues to cook due to the residual heat.

After ten to fifteen minutes you can mix everything and serve. Homemade pickled cucumbers or tomatoes or sauerkraut are a good addition to pilaf.

Sweet barley porridge with poppy seeds

Wash the barley and start cooking in large quantities water over moderate heat, skimming off foam. When the cereal begins to secrete mucus, excess water drain and cook until the cereal is soft and thick, stirring.

Prepare poppy seeds (less than half a glass of poppy seeds per glass of cereal): pour boiling water over it, let it steam, after 5 minutes. Drain the water, rinse the poppy seeds, add boiling water again, and immediately drain it as soon as droplets of fat begin to appear on the surface of the water. Then grind the steamed poppy seeds, adding a little boiling water.

Mix prepared poppy seeds with thickened, softened barley porridge, adding honey, heat over low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring continuously, remove from heat, add jam.

Millet porridge with pumpkin

Boil small pieces of pumpkin in water for 10-15 minutes. Wash the millet thoroughly and add it there, lightly salt and sweeten. Stirring, cook until thickened (min. 15-20). You can set it to “ready” for a short time in the oven. The proportions between pumpkin and millet are chosen according to taste, the amount of water is taken depending on the previous components, and when more Pumpkins require less water.

FIRST MEAL

Adaptation to fasting soup-kharcho

Pour half a glass of rice into two to three liters of boiling water. Fry 3-4 onions, add them to water with rice, bay leaf, allspice (crush the peas). After 5 minutes, add half a glass of crushed walnuts.

Still in little time add half a glass of tomato paste (more classic version: tkemali plums, which we don’t have here, or half a glass pomegranate juice): dried herbs (basil, parsley), red pepper, a little cinnamon, suneli hops (a key seasoning for the taste of the soup).

After another 5 minutes, you can turn it off completely, adding fresh herbs and chopped garlic, and let it brew. In an even more adapted version to the Russian environment, potatoes can be placed in boiling water before rice.

Rassolnik

Soak a small amount of pearl barley for several hours (no more than half a glass for a standard three-liter pot of soup). Boil it lightly. Place potatoes cut into cubes into boiling water with barley. Separately, fry the onion and add carrots to the rice and potatoes.


Later, when the potatoes are ready, add chopped pickles and season with brine (it’s good to stew these cucumbers in the brine a little before). At the end of cooking, add chopped garlic, bay leaf, dried or fresh herbs. Can be served with soy mayonnaise, if available.

Korean soup

For this soup you need to have a special soy seasoning: chai. It has a very thick consistency, dark brown, specific taste and smell. The Japanese have an analogue called “Mizo”.

For a lean version of this soup, three or four onions are fried with the addition of two or three tablespoons of chai; you can also add steamed soy meat here. After this, water is added (up to three liters), after boiling the potatoes and a little later the “profile” vegetable.

It could be fresh or dried Korean cabbage, or chopped zucchini, or a couple of green radishes. The soup is cooked until the vegetables are ready. The tai should give the saltiness and spiciness, but if it seems insufficient, you can add more salt and red pepper. Serve with unleavened rice, cooked in a thick-walled bowl, ratio of rice to water: two to three, gradually reduce heat.

Lentil soup

Soak the lentils for a couple of hours, set to cook, peel and cut the potatoes, carrots and onions fried in oil. Successful additions and spices to this soup: coriander, thyme, garlic, herbs. Pairs well with soy meat (fry with onions and carrots), tomatoes, olives (their brine is added directly to the soup) and soy mayonnaise when serving.

Vegetable soup

Fry chopped onion, parsley and celery in vegetable oil, add water, add chopped carrots, rutabaga and shredded cabbage and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes. About halfway through cooking, add crushed garlic and seasonings; add applesauce or grated apple at the very end. When serving, sprinkle the soup with chopped herbs.

2 onions, 1 parsley root, celery, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 liter of water, 2 carrots, 1 slice of rutabaga, 1 cup of finely shredded cabbage (150 g), clove of garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin , 1 apple or 2 tablespoons of applesauce, salt, herbs.

Pea soup with pearl barley

Soak the peas overnight in cold water and, adding washed pearl barley, cook in the same water. Cut the carrots, onions and parsley into small cubes, fry in oil and combine with the peas when they are half cooked. Salt and sprinkle with herbs.

1 liter of water, 1 cup of peas, 1 tablespoon of pearl barley, 1/2 carrots, 1/2 onions, 1/2 parsley root, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, herbs, salt.


Lenten pea soup

In the evening, pour cold water over the peas and leave to swell and prepare the noodles.

For noodles, mix half a glass of flour well with three tablespoons of vegetable oil, add a spoon cold water, salt, leave the dough for an hour to swell. Cut the thinly rolled out and dried dough into strips and dry in the oven.

Cook the swollen peas without draining until half cooked, add the fried onions, diced potatoes, noodles, pepper, salt and cook until the potatoes and noodles are ready.
Peas – 50 g, potatoes – 100 g, onions – 20 g, water – 300 g, oil for frying onions – 10 g, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Russian Lenten soup

Weld pearl barley, add fresh cabbage, cut into small squares, potatoes and roots, cut into cubes, into the broth and cook until tender. In summer you can add fresh tomatoes, cut into slices, which are laid at the same time as the potatoes.
When serving, sprinkle with parsley or dill.
Potatoes, cabbage – 100 g each, onions – 20 g, carrots – 20 g, pearl barley – 20 g, dill, salt to taste.

Borscht with mushrooms

Prepared mushrooms are stewed in oil along with chopped roots. Boiled beets grate or cut into cubes. Potatoes, cut into oblong pieces, are boiled in broth until soft, other products are added (flour is mixed with a small amount of cold liquid) and the whole thing is boiled for 10 minutes. Greens are added to the soup before serving. If tomato puree is added, it is stewed together with mushrooms.
200 g fresh or 30 g dried porcini mushrooms, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 onion, a little celery or parsley, 2 small beets (400 g), 4 potatoes, salt, 1-2 liters of water, 1 teaspoon flour, 2 -3 tablespoons of herbs, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, vinegar.

SECOND COURSES

Peppers, eggplants, stuffed zucchini

Peel peppers, eggplants, young zucchini from stalks and seeds (cut off the peel from zucchini) and stuff with minced vegetables, which includes finely chopped onions, carrots, cabbage, taken in equal parts, and 1/10 of the total volume of parsley and celery.

All vegetables used for minced meat must first be fried in vegetable oil. Also fry stuffed eggplants, peppers and zucchini. Then place in a deep metal bowl, pour in 2 cups of tomato juice and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes. for baking.

Tikhvin porridge

Wash the peas, boil in water without adding salt, and when the water has boiled down by 1/3 and the peas are almost ready, add the mixture and cook until tender. Then season with finely chopped onions, fried in oil, and add.
1/2 cup peas, 1.5 liters of water, 1 cup buckwheat, 2 onions, 4 cm. spoons of vegetable oil.

Simple stew

Cut raw potatoes into large cubes and in a wide frying pan, in vegetable oil, as quickly as possible (over high heat) and fry evenly on all sides until golden brown. As soon as the crust has formed, place the still half-baked potatoes in a clay pot, cover with finely chopped herbs, onions, salt, add boiling water, cover with a lid and place in the oven for 1 minute. The finished stew is eaten with cucumbers (fresh or salted) and sauerkraut.
1 kg of potatoes, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of dill, I cm. a spoonful of parsley, 1 onion, 1/2 cup water, salt.

Braised cabbage

Finely chop the onion, put it in a frying pan with vegetable oil and fry until golden brown. Then add finely shredded cabbage and fry until half cooked. In 10 min. until finished, add salt, tomato paste, ground red or black pepper, sweet peas and bay leaf. Close the pan with a lid. Sprinkle with herbs before serving.

2 medium onions, 1 small head of cabbage, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, salt, leek, 2-3 allspice peas, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 cup tomato paste diluted with water.

Potatoes in garlic sauce

Wash the peeled potatoes and dry with a towel. Cut each potato in half. Heat more than half of the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the potatoes until golden brown. Then prepare the garlic sauce. To do this, grind the garlic with salt, add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and stir. Pour garlic sauce over fried potatoes.

10 small potatoes, half a glass of sunflower oil, 6 lobes of chenok, 2 teaspoons of salt.

Friable rice-oat porridge

Rinse the rice and oats, mix and pour the mixture into boiling water. Keep on high heat for 12 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and keep for another 5-8 minutes, then remove from heat, wrap warm and only after 15-20 minutes. open the lid. Season the finished porridge with onions fried in oil and finely chopped garlic and dill. Heat in a frying pan over low heat for 3-4 minutes.

1.5 cups rice, 0.75 cups oats, 0.7 liters of water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 onion, 4-5 cloves of garlic. 4-5 tablespoons of sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon of dill.

Tochonka

Soak the poppy seeds for 10 hours, drain the water, squeeze and grind in a mortar.
Soak the beans for 10 hours, boil for 2 hours and grind the boiled beans into puree, to which hot add mashed poppy seeds, mashed potatoes, finely chopped onion, sugar, pepper, parsley and grind.

5 potatoes, 0.5 cups beans, 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, 1-2 onions, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon parsley, 0.5 tablespoons ground black pepper.

Potato cutlets with prunes

Make a puree from 400 grams of boiled potatoes, add salt, add half a glass of vegetable oil, half a glass of warm water and enough flour to make a soft dough.

Let it sit for about twenty minutes so that the flour swells, during which time prepare the prunes - peel them from the pits and pour boiling water over them. Roll out the dough, cut into circles with a glass, put prunes in the middle of each, form cutlets by pinching the dough into patties, roll each cutlet in breadcrumbs and fry in a frying pan in a large amount of vegetable oil.

Potato fritters

Grate some of the potatoes, boil some, drain the water, add salt and add finely chopped onion and fried in vegetable oil. Mix the entire potato mixture, add flour and soda and bake pancakes from the resulting dough in vegetable oil.

750 g grated raw potatoes, 500 g boiled potatoes (mashed), 3 tablespoons flour, 0.5 teaspoon soda.

Rice with vegetables

Heat oil in a frying pan, fry onions, carrots, and bell peppers. Then add lightly boiled rice, salt, pepper, a little water and simmer for another 15 minutes. Bring until cooked, the rice should absorb all the liquid. Then add green peas, parsley and dill.

2 full glasses of rice, 100 g of vegetable oil, 3 onions, 1 carrot, salt, pepper, 3 sweet peppers, 0.5 liters of water, 5 tablespoons of green peas.

KVASS, COMPOTES

Dried fruit compote

Wash the fruits, and then separate the apples and pears, as they take longer to cook.

Rinse the sorted fruits 3-4 times and place in boiling water. Cook pears and apples for 35-40 minutes, other fruits - 15-20 minutes. Add sugar at the end.
200 g of dry fruits, 5 tablespoons of sugar, 1.5 liters of water.

Rhubarb compote

Wash rhubarb stems in warm water. Remove the skin from the thickened ends with a knife. Then cut the stems into pieces 2-3 cm long, put them in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave in it for 15 minutes. Cook sugar syrup. Remove the prepared rhubarb from cold water and immerse in boiling syrup, add lemon zest and cook for 10-15 minutes.
200 g rhubarb (stalks), 150 g sugar, 4 glasses of water, 8 g lemon zest.

Lingonberry compote with apples

Wash winter apples, cut into slices, and remove the core. Then immerse the fruits in sugar syrup made from a decoction of apple peels and cores. Bring the syrup to a boil and add lingonberries to it.
150 g lingonberries, 150 g apples, 150 g granulated sugar, 600 g water.

Mushroom vinaigrette

Mushrooms and onions are chopped, boiled carrots, beets, potatoes and cucumber are cut into cubes and mixed. The oil is seasoned with vinegar and seasonings and poured over the salad. Sprinkle with herbs on top.
150 g pickled or salted mushrooms, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 small beet, 2-3 potatoes, 1 pickled cucumber, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 cm. spoons of vinegar, salt, sugar, mustard, pepper, dill and parsley.

Mushroom caviar

Fresh mushrooms are stewed in their own juice until the juice evaporates. Salted mushrooms are soaked to remove excess salt, dried mushrooms are soaked, boiled and allowed to drain in a colander. Then the mushrooms are finely chopped and mixed with chopped onions, lightly fried in vegetable oil. The mixture is seasoned and finely chopped green onions are sprinkled on top.
400 g fresh, 200 g salted or 500 g dried mushrooms, 1 onion, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt, pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, green onions.

Stewed mushrooms

Heat the oil, add thinly sliced ​​mushrooms and chopped onions. Broth is added to the boiled mushrooms, fresh mushrooms simmer in its own juice for 15-20 minutes. Towards the end of the stewing, add salt and herbs. Boiled potatoes and raw vegetable salad are served as a side dish.
500 g of fresh or 300 g of boiled (salted) mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 onion, salt, 1/2 cup of mushroom broth, parsley and dill.

PIES

Lenten pie dough

Knead the dough from half a kilogram of flour, two glasses of water and 25-30 g of yeast.

When the dough rises, add salt, sugar, three tablespoons of vegetable oil, another half a kilogram of flour and beat the dough until it stops sticking to your hands.

Then put the dough in the same pan where you prepared the dough and let it rise again.
After this, the dough is ready for further work.

Apple charlotte with black bread

Apples (preferably sour varieties, such as Antonov) - 3 pieces, granulated sugar - 100 g, cinnamon, cloves and vanillin to taste, almonds (I took hazelnuts because there were no almonds) -20 g, dry white wine – 20 g, mashed black bread – 1 glass (I took 2 glasses, it seemed to me that a glass was not enough), vegetable oil – 20 g, zest of 0.5 lemon, orange peels– 20 g. Peel the apples, cut into slices, remove the grains, put 2 tablespoons of sugar, add cinnamon, crushed nuts, orange peels, white wine.


Buckwheat porridge shangi

Roll out flatbreads from lean dough, put buckwheat porridge, cooked with onions and mushrooms, in the middle of each, fold the edges of the flatbread.

Place the finished shangi on a greased pan and bake them in the oven.

The same shangi can be prepared stuffed with fried onions, potatoes, crushed garlic and fried onions.

Buckwheat pancakes

Pour three glasses of boiling water over three glasses of buckwheat flour in the evening, stir well and leave for an hour. If you don’t have buckwheat flour, you can make it yourself by grinding buckwheat in a coffee grinder.

When the dough has cooled, dilute it with a glass of boiling water. When the dough is lukewarm, add 25 g of yeast dissolved in half a glass of water.

In the morning, add the rest of the flour, salt dissolved in water to the dough and knead the dough until the consistency of sour cream, put it in a warm place and bake in a frying pan when the dough rises again.
These pancakes are especially good with onion toppings.

Pancakes with seasonings (with mushrooms, onions)

Prepare a dough from 300 g of flour, a glass of water, 20 g of yeast and place it in a warm place.

When the dough is ready, pour in another glass of warm water, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, salt, sugar, the rest of the flour and mix everything thoroughly.

Soak the washed dried mushrooms for three hours, boil until tender, cut into small pieces, fry, add chopped and lightly fried green onions or onions, cut into rings. Having spread the baked goods in a frying pan, fill them with dough and fry like ordinary pancakes.

Pea pancakes

Boil the peas until soft and, without draining the remaining water, grind, adding 0.5 cup wheat flour for 750 g of pea puree. Form pancakes from the resulting dough, roll in flour and bake in a frying pan in vegetable oil.

Pies with pea filling

Boil the peas until tender, mash, add onion fried in vegetable oil, pepper and salt to taste.

Prepare a simple yeast dough. Divide the dough into balls the size of a walnut and roll into flat cakes 1 mm thick. Add the filling. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Unleavened dough products

What are the characteristics of unleavened dough prepared during Lent? We cannot put an egg in it to strengthen it. Because of this, our actions depend to a greater extent on the “character” of the flour, on the strength of its gluten.

If the flour is good, and you tried to make a very tight dough (water:flour ratio = 1:3 by volume, and don’t forget to salt - adding salt also strengthens the dough a little), you will get an excellent dough for dumplings.

But a situation may well arise when the quality of the flour leaves much to be desired, there is not enough strength to knead the dough, there is no male power on hand. Then you can pour more water (1:2.5), but be prepared for the dough to “float” during the cooking process, dumplings or other products will be slippery and fall apart. Treat this with prayer and patience and eat with humility (it is always useful).

In the future, when using the same flour, you can “overcome” the weakness of its character by changing the cooking method: steam it (it will be something like manti), or fry it in oil (like chebureki).

Both of these methods require a softer dough. Interesting dough variations are obtained by replacing water with brine or another liquid. There are methods that use hot water, which produces a dough with a special taste, with a slight sweetness, and this dough requires more water.

The dough can be used directly for noodles, dumplings, as a side dish or as a component for soup, or as a shell for filling: fried cabbage or other vegetables, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, onions, herbs, fresh or frozen berries with sugar, boiled and twisted dried fruits, bean or pea puree and even porridge: for example, millet or buckwheat.

Flatbread

We prepare ordinary unleavened dough, let it rest for about twenty minutes, roll it into small thin circles and fry them on both sides. We serve it on the table, where various fillings are prepared: bean pate, fresh vegetable salad, stewed vegetables, and maybe jam, fruit salad. We put the filling directly on the flatbread and eat it right away along with the “plate”.

Galushki

Roll out the unleavened dough, kneaded with water, into a 1 cm thick cake, cut into strips 2-3 cm wide, pinching off small pieces from each strip, and throw into salted boiling water (or vegetable or mushroom broth). Dough for dumplings can also be prepared from a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flour. Dumplings boiled in water are drained and seasoned with fried onions. Dumplings boiled in broth are eaten with liquid.

Dumplings with mushrooms

Soak and boil 150 g of dried mushrooms, finely chop, add 2 onions fried in oil, 2 tablespoons of crumbs from stale bread, pepper, salt, a little mushroom broth, knead everything and simmer lightly. The dough is the usual one for dumplings. Roll out thinly, make small dumplings and cook. Serve doused with oil.

Lenten manti with pumpkin

To prepare manti you need special dishes: a double boiler or pan with a removable top part into which racks with manti are inserted (cascan, pressure cooker). Dough: half a liter for 1 kg of flour hot water, salt, knead well, let sit.

Minced meat: pumpkin cut into small (half a centimeter) cubes, soy meat in proportionate pieces in equal proportions with pumpkin, spices: salt, red pepper, ajinomoto. Roll out the dough into thin circles the size of a small saucer. Place a heaping tablespoon of minced meat in the middle.

The dough is pinched on top: with a bag or figured. The grates are lubricated with vegetable oil. Place the manti on them (do not crowd them, otherwise they will stick together), insert them into a pan where water is already boiling and steam for 45 minutes.

Serve with sauce: dilute soy sauce (classic, Korean, brown) with water, add just a little vinegar, red pepper (a noticeable amount), chopped garlic.

Dumplings with cherries

Make a dough from flour and water, not very stiff, roll it out into a thin crust. Peel the cherries and sprinkle with sugar. Digest the juice that drains with sugar. Make small dumplings, boil, drain in a colander, pour juice on a plate. Serve cold.

Dumplings with apples

For the filling, take 800 g of apples, 1/2 cup of sugar. Peel the apples, remove the core, cut into strips, sprinkle with sugar, prepare dumplings from a not very thin dough and boil them. When serving, sprinkle the dumplings with sugar or honey.

Dessert

I would like to start talking about desserts with the simplest, something that does not need cooking: fresh fruits or washed and steamed dried fruits (dried apricots, raisins, figs, dates, prunes), nuts of the most different types, halva, kazenaki, pastila, jam of various consistencies.

Lenten ones include many candies and jelly candies, marshmallows (technologically they can be lean). Among the desserts prepared, we note jelly, jelly, and fruit salads. The latter are either prepared from predominant juicy fruits or seasoned with syrup prepared from canned fruits or prepared independently. We will consider baked goods and flour desserts separately.

Apple dessert

Mix chopped baked apples with boiled rice and add ginger and curry. Baked apples can also be served without rice with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Cereal dessert with dried fruits

Cook a regular compote of dried apricots, raisins or other dried fruits without seeds. When the fruit is ready, add semolina (or other small grains) in a thin stream with stirring, evenly, in a small amount.

Citrus jelly

4 oranges, lemon, 100 g sugar, 15 g agar-agar, half a glass of water. Dissolve agar-agar and sugar in warm water, add the zest of half an orange, the juice of oranges and lemon, mix, strain, pour into molds and into the refrigerator. When serving, the molds are lowered briefly under water so that the jelly can easily separate.

Fruit salad

Boil the pasta until tender, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water, season with vegetables. oil and stir. Cut the grapes in half and remove the seeds. Cut bananas into slices.

Peel the apple from the core and cut into thin slices. Add tangerines or oranges in slices or half-slices. Sprinkle the fruits with cinnamon sugar and lemon juice. Finely chop the figs and dates, chop the nuts.

Place the canned fruit in a colander, mix with the pasta and other ingredients and add a little canned fruit syrup. Mix everything, sprinkle with coconut and/or chocolate chips.

Pumpkin aspic


Stew the peeled pumpkin in the oven until transparent with a small amount of water. Pour layers of raisins, peeled walnuts (slightly crushed), and dried apricots (also cut into 3-4 pieces) into the bottom of a flat bowl about half a finger thick.

Cover it all with a pumpkin on top. Do not discard the remaining pumpkin juice from cooking, but use it instead of water to make jelly (see instructions on gelatin bags). Pour the prepared warm jelly over the workpiece, then put it in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Fasting is abstinence from certain types of food in order to reunite with God, therefore at such a time it is assumed not only to limit food, but also to renounce external impressions and pleasures.

Proper nutrition during fasting: essence and features ^

The essence of fasting is to abstain from everything that can bring pleasure: festivities, festive gatherings and, of course, certain products. When people are just getting ready to fast, they are often interested in the question: what can’t be eaten during fasting?

  • First of all, animal proteins, which are found in meat and meat products, fish, poultry, and eggs, are strictly prohibited.
  • You should not consume cheeses, sour cream, kefir, yogurt and other dairy products, as well as milk chocolate, pasta, white bread and alcohol.

In fact, nutrition on fasting days completely excludes any protein food, however, on non-strict days it is allowed to eat fish and vegetable oils, which contain mainly fats.

Now let’s learn more about what you can eat during Lent:

  • Any vegetables and fruits;
  • Legumes;
  • Porridge;
  • Confectionery and bakery products, prepared without eggs and dairy products;
  • Nuts;

Nutrition rules during fasting

It’s not enough to just find out what you can eat during Lent; it’s also important to follow some food rules:

  • You cannot overeat, even if it is permitted foods, otherwise the whole essence of fasting is lost;
  • It is necessary to give up all carnal pleasures, because... spiritual limitations are of great importance;
  • The most stringent are the first and last weeks Great Orthodox Lent when you can eat crackers, kutya, and drink water. On the first day - only water.

What you can and cannot eat: sample menu ^

What is possible during a strict fast?

The most strict fasting is considered Great: its duration is 40 days, during which a person must refrain from watching entertainment programs and attending such events, and also observe the following rules:

  • On the first day of fasting and on Friday, any food is prohibited;
  • In the first and last week you can eat vegetables, fruits and bread, and drink water;
  • The rest of the time you are allowed to eat honey, nuts, marmalade and any food plant origin.

Fasting on Wednesday and Friday: what you can eat

Many people prefer to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year: on these days, small indulgences in food are allowed if they do not fall during other fasts.

What you can eat during fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays:

  • Fish;
  • Vegetable oils;
  • Fruits and vegetables.

Is it possible to eat sugar during fasting?

Despite the fact that sugar contains albumin, its use during Lent is not prohibited by the church. What other sweets are allowed:

  • Bitter (dark) chocolate is one that does not contain milk and is filled with prohibited ingredients. Many delicacies are made on the basis of dark chocolate - almonds in chocolate glaze, paste using soy milk, and glazed cookies;
  • Dried fruits - all without exception. The abundance of offers can satisfy any gastronomic taste. Want even sweeter? Prunes in dark chocolate - for real gourmets;
  • Kozinaki are any nuts pressed using molasses, sugar or honey. Homemade kozinaki should be prepared without butter;
  • Marmalade, marshmallows, marshmallows, pectin jelly. Gelatin is made from animal collagen, which is found in bones, cartilage, tendons, and pectin is of plant origin. The most popular pectin is apple pectin;
  • Honey is considered lean product, because it is a product produced by insects and does not contain animal proteins or fats. For some, honey becomes the only consolation in this difficult time of spiritual and physical restrictions.

When can you eat fish during Lent?

Fish is on the list of prohibited foods, except for the following cases:

  • Petrov fast: Tuesday, Thursday and weekends;
  • Dormition Fast: only on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord;
  • Nativity fast: on weekends, i.e. on Saturday and Sunday;
  • Lent: on the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on Palm Sunday.

Is it possible to eat vegetable oil during fasting?

Vegetable oil is one of the main products included in the list of permitted products: it is added to prepare vegetable dishes, mushrooms and baked goods. There are only a few days when it is prohibited:

  • Monday: dry eating is observed in honor of angelic powers;
  • Wednesday: in memory of the betrayal of the Savior;
  • Friday: as a sign of sorrow over the crucifixion of Christ.

Is it possible to eat honey during fasting?

Honey is not a plant product, but modern church it is permitted for use. Only Old Believers and some monks are against this, but in most cases clergy do not exclude it from their diet. Which honey is better to choose:

  • Buckwheat: contains many amino acids and vitamins;
  • Acacia or linden.

Is it possible to eat bread during Lent?

  • During fasting, use of this product allowed only if it does not contain vegetable oils, eggs and milk.
  • In this case, white bread and any other varieties of it are prohibited if ingredients included in the list of restrictions were used in their preparation.

Is it possible to eat sweets during Lent?

  • Sweets are allowed during fasting, but they should be eaten in moderation.
  • Lean chocolate, candied fruits, dried fruits, chocolate-covered nuts, caramel, lollipops, and chocolate grilled vegetables are allowed for consumption.

Orthodox fasting: how to eat for the laity

Calendar proper nutrition during Lent it looks like this:

  • Good Friday: nothing can be eaten until the shroud is taken out;
  • Lazarus Saturday: you can eat some fish caviar;
  • Palm Sunday: fish is allowed to be added to caviar;
  • Annunciation: all permitted products, as well as fish.

Sample menu for strict fasting days:

  • We have breakfast with tea with a slice of black bread, eat a portion of porridge;
  • We have lunch with vegetable salad and lean soup;
  • For an afternoon snack we drink compote and eat fruit;
  • We have dinner with stewed vegetables.

What role does nutrition play during fasting?

According to church clergy, observing all food prohibitions during fasting is secondary: first of all, a person needs to cleanse himself spiritually and try to find the path to God.

That is why you need to fast not for the sake of fashion trends or the cleansing of the body that occurs thanks to fasting, but in order to receive spiritual enlightenment. Without true faith in God and keeping the Commandments, the whole essence of fasting is lost.

Eastern horoscope for March 2019


If you are fasting and would like to know what you can eat during this period and what is prohibited, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the list of products. Do not think that by fasting you will go hungry and not eat enough. A properly selected menu and knowledge of the main products containing fats, carbohydrates and proteins will allow you to easily carry out the holy cleansing, and even lose extra pounds.

You can eat any fruits and vegetables during fasting:

  1. Potato
  2. Cabbage, including sauerkraut
  3. Mushrooms
  4. Radish and radish, turnip
  5. Beet
  6. Carrot
  7. Onion and garlic
  8. Greens and lettuce
  9. Eggplants and zucchini
  10. Bell pepper
  11. Cucumbers, including pickles
  12. Pumpkin
  13. Apples
  14. Pears
  15. Bananas
  16. Tangerines, oranges, grapefruit and lemon
  17. Persimmon
  18. Plum and grapes
  19. Peaches and apricots
  20. Any berries

Vegetables and mushrooms can be boiled, stewed, baked without adding butter. A huge number of salads and snacks can be made from vegetables. Fruits can be eaten fresh, or baked, or made into salads. Adding vegetable oil is allowed only on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

During Lent you can eat any cereals and porridges:

  1. Buckwheat
  2. Oatmeal
  3. Pshenka
  4. Pearl barley
  5. Lentils, peas and beans
  6. Corn porridge
  7. Semolina

You can also eat dried fruits, nuts, pasta, cookies and bread (without eggs or egg powder). You can prepare delicious pastries and pies, most importantly without adding animal fats or eggs. Fish is allowed twice during the entire Lent: on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on Palm Sunday. If it is difficult for you to fast without fish, then it is better to replace it with soy products. Even on holidays, you can drink a small amount of wine.

During fasting you should not eat products of animal origin:

  1. Meat and all meat-containing products
  2. Bird and eggs
  3. Milk and all dairy products (sour cream, cottage cheese, yoghurts, kefir, cheeses and milk drinks)
  4. Baked goods and pasta with eggs and butter
  5. Mayonnaise
  6. Chocolate
  7. Fast food because it's high in fat
  8. Fish and vegetable oil, excluding weekends and holidays
  9. Alcohol, with the exception of small amounts of wine on holiday

In fact, modern priests, speaking about fasting, note that this is a limitation that a person must make for himself. For some people, it is enough to give up only meat, while eating dairy products, while others need to adhere to fasting according to all the canons.