Though I’m not Catholic, I did attend a Catholic college and usually make some sort of sacrifice during Lent. Last year, we gave up alcohol during the week. Though we don’t drink a lot, we do often enjoy a beer or glass of wine with dinner.

That honestly wasn’t too difficult, and we avoided consuming a lot of empty calories during the week. Since we did allow drinks on the weekend, I don’t even feel it was much of a challenge at all.

We also avoid meat (red meat and poultry) on Fridays during Lent; however, since we enjoy seafood so much, this was more like a reward or treat for us. Nothing beats hot, steaming, boiled crawfish for dinner on Friday! This year, I’m giving up all meat on Fridays (beef, pork, poultry, and seafood) and making a conscious effort to eat vegan the entire day. By making a conscious effort, I mean I will purposely avoid eggs, yogurt, cheese, etc. but won’t beat myself up if a sauce, baked good, etc. contains one or more such ingredients. I’m also going to do my best to eat more servings of vegetables daily.

Below, I’ve compiled a list of some favorite vegetarian dishes (that can be made vegan with a few substitutions and some creativity) for Ash Wednesday, Lenten Fridays, or any day of the week!

1) Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas from Giada de Laurentiis

2) Veggie Burgers

3) Spaghetti Squash topped with sauce of choice (endless possibilities)

4) Giada’s Orzo Stuffed Peppers

5) Vegetarian pizza or flatbread

6) Stir-fry

7) Meal-sized salads (again—endless possibilities)

8) Emeril’s Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

9) Simple beans and rice (black beans are a favorite of ours)

10) Pasta Primivera (or any pasta dish: pesto, marinara, etc.)