There are many beautiful icons of the Temptation of Jesus, but this painting by Duccio captures the essense of our Lenten journey with Christ in the desert. After being driven to the desert to fast for 40 days and be tested (not as a trick or pop quiz, but to model for us and to teach the way we make our spiritual battle), He commands Satan away, with the angels waiting to attend Him.

Our first full week of Lent is upon us. The bright sadness has begun. It is a time of growth, and that is matching our world outside. I'm so proud of Nejat, who kept the entire fast on Ash Wednesday, even though we were planning for her to break it in the evening.

Yesterday, we woke up to our water heater leaking and flooding four rooms in our basement. We got to pay for emergency weekend plumbing and a replacement that was nearly twice the cost it would have been because the state of Washington has outlawed high capacity water heaters for homes, so we had to buy a commercial model. Please pray for us. (Also, if you are a knitter, or know a knitter, I am offering a discount on all my individually sold patterns as a flood sale with the coupon code FLOOD on both Ravelry and PayHip, if you are so inclined to help replenish our emergency fund). The good news is there was a dependable, honest, helpful plumber who was able to bring us the water heater and replace ours in just a few hours. We have water, and it is even hot. Glory to God!

It is Forgiveness Sunday for the Orthodox, so they will join in the fast this week, as well. With most Christians fasting and praying, and even Muslims fasting and praying right now, I am hoping that the world will start to show the effects of praying people. We certainly need it.

We tried two meals this past week which are fabulous for Lent (and other times) and I have shared one of the recipes on the blog already, if you are interested. The paneer musallam recipe I found was a bit sparse, so I shared how I made it, and the sauce itself is completely Lenten, so you could substitute legumes, seared tofu, or vegetables and nuts for the paneer quite easily. It was also super quick to make. The sheet pan chow mein was delicious, too, and took 25 minutes from start to finish. Rich said it sounded like an internet scam recipe, but it was actually tasty and easy to make. It is really flexible about which vegetables you use, so just use what you have. When we made it, I used Chinese egg noodles, more garlic, and added our garlic ginger paste, using only carrots, cabbage, and spring onions (to match the quantity of the recipe) as my vegetables, using the bulb and tougher parts of the spring onion in the baked vegetables and the tender, green parts tossed together with everything at the end, as well as putting the sesame seeds on top when I put the noodles and sauce in the pan in the oven.

Like in previous years, I am cycling through about ten to twelve breakfast meals, just to make my life easier during Lent, and I will be featuring at least one meal using beans, one that is a pasta dish, and one that is a soup or stew each week, both to accomodate our schedule and make Lenten food preparations easier, so it isn't all about the food, allowing me to focus more on prayer and almsgiving. Also, as is our habit, we tend to head to East Asian, Arab, Indian, and other cuisines which already feature vegetarian and vegan dishes, done well, rather than trying to make meat meals appropriate for Lent. Since we don't like to do a lot of meat or dairy substutes (with the exception of coconut milk and cream, which we already use extensively in our cooking), you won't see a lot of that here. Though, by the fifth week of Lent, fake meat starts to sound pretty good!

This week, I am making a recipe my auntie served me and showed me how to make when I was with her in Saudi Arabia, and will share the recipe with you on Saturday. Our church family is taking care of our Sunday dinner tonight, and all I have to bring is a side dish. I am so grateful for that, after our busy week and rough Saturday. Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. May you have a holy and blessed Lent. Good strength and blessed fast!

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Vegetable and Potato Hash Burritos with Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Chickpea Tajin, Rice, Cornbread (+ GF), Fassoliya, Parish brings Side Dishes/Salads/Fruit
• Monday - Feast of Saint Polycarp
  Breakfast: Vegan Oatmeal and Apple Muffins, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Thai Style Coconut Rice Salad with Vegetables, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Matthias
  Breakfast: Polenta with Maple Syrup, Sliced Pears, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: Potato and Poblano Stew (without the cheese), Fried Tortilla Strips, Sliced Oranges
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Potato Pancakes with Salsa, Sliced Avocados, Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Thai Stir Fried Vegetables, Jasmine Rice, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of Saints Alexander of Alexandria and Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas, Toast, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Florida Style Black Beans, Rice, Frozen Fruit Salad
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Roasted Vegetables, Mount Athos Tomato Rice, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Tiganites with Honey, Sliced Apples, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Waraq ‘Ounab*, Rice, Harissa, Strawberry Sorbet

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen