Today’s recipe is shared by Jeff Young, The Catholic Foodie, who says, “Excellent and simple recipe for banana bread. Just smelling this in the oven will cause you to reach for the butter! YUM!”

Paul’s Banana Bread

Ingredients

1. 3 ripe mashed bananas
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1 egg
4. 1 1/2 cup flour
5. 1/4 cup melted butter
6. 1 tsp. baking soda
7. 1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Mash bananas
2. Stir in other ingredients.
3. Pour into a greased regular-sized bread pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour.

(You could also use 3 smaller bread pans and bake in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.)

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s recipe is shared by Paul Camarata, host of The Saint Cast.

Fresh Basil Creamy Pesto Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (~ 60 or so leaves)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

2 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

butter, 4 tbsp

half and half – 3 cups

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Special equipment needed: A food processor

METHOD

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, minced garlic, and olive oil and pulse a few times in a food processor. May need to divide the ingredients into 2 batches for even chopping in food processor.

2  Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add ½ cup grated parmesan cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

3 Melt butter in saucepan, gently heat up pesto mixture, adding in half and half slowly and whisking while heating up.  Heat gently until thickening.

Poor over 1 pound cooked spaghetti or linguine.  Toss ½ cup grated parmesan over pasta and sauce.

N.B.  If you have an abundance of Basil in the spring/summer months, you can pick the leaves and make up the pesto mixture (minus the cheese) and freeze in packets.  It keeps well.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s recipe is shared by Patrick Denny of the wonderful Verbum Domini podcast.  Patrick shares, “This is my FAVORITE low calorie (and meatless) recipe.  Believe it or not, it tastes fantastic.  Just don’t cook it down too “dry”. I like to leave it a bit wet as the moisture will disappear much faster than a standard alfredo sauce.  Perhaps add a bit more milk?”

Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
(From Cooking Light)

1 Tablespoon Margarine
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups skim milk
2 Tablespoons light cream cheese
1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 ounces) grated
Parmesan cheese, divided
4 cups hot cooked fettuccine,
cooked without salt or fat
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Fresh ground pepper

Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.  Stir in flour.  Gradually add milk, stirring with a wire wisk until blended; cook 8 minutes or until thickened and bubbly (but not too thick), stirring constantly.  Stir in cream cheese, cook 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until it melts.  Pour over hot cooked fettuccine; toss well to coat.  Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

This morning, as we were seated around the table for our morning prayer before my boys left for school, I glanced over at Adam who was seated facing our kitchen windows.  His eyes squinted against the morning sunshine streaming in from the backyard reminded me that we are slipping into Spring – a few weeks ago, we huddled at that same table in darkness and now the lengthening days fill our lives with more light.

Today, Jeremiah says:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.

Lord, as I continue my Lenten journey this week, help me to be like that tree planted near Your waters – help me to reach for you in times of stress, distrust, and exhaustion.  Let my soul be replenished by your love, and let me in turn bear great fruit for You.

Today’s recipe was shared by our fabulous chef, Jeff Young of The Catholic Foodie.

You’re not going to believe how good these things are. Really. I mean that. Whew, I’m getting hungry just thinking about them!

Oysters. Those ugly little things that, once opened, yield such soft delicious goodness. They bite too. Well, the cocktail sauce that Char and I prepare and use when eating raw oysters… that bites. But it is oh-so-good.

Next to raw oysters, these are our favorites. Char-grilled oysters. You’ve got to try them to believe it!

INGREDIENTS

* 4 sticks of butter
* 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, minced (or crushed & beaten in a mortar & pestle)
* Raw oysters – Lots of ‘em. You can get them un-schucked in a sack, or shucked in a bucket filled with oyster liquor. How many? Well, that’s up to you. The more you get, though, the more of the other ingredients you need to have on hand.
* Fresh ground black pepper – to taste
* Tabasco or Crystal Hot Sauce – to taste
* About 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese (we love lots on our oysters!)
* 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
* 12 oyster shell halves or a metal muffin pan

DIRECTIONS

1. Make a sauce with the butter, minced garlic, and the black pepper in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Cook only until the butter is melted and starts to bubble. Cut the heat and remove. We also add Tabasco or Crystal Hot Sauce to the pan while cooking. Add it to taste.
2. Fire up the grill. Heat to about 350 – 375.
3. Put oyster shells or muffin pan on the grill and spoon some of the garlic-butter sauce, just enough to coat the bottom of the shells / pan.
4. Add oysters to the shells / pan (if you are using a muffin pan you can add two (or three, depending on size) oysters in each cup. Spoon a bit more garlic-butter sauce over the oysters, careful not to cover completely.
5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each oyster. It could be just a pinch (but we like lots!). Then sprinkle a bit of the chopped parsley on the oysters.
6. Grill for about 3 to 5 minutes. You are looking for the oysters to curl around the edges and “puff up” a bit.
7. Serve immediately!

I must confess that we often stand around the grill with our little seafood forks and attack the oysters as soon as they are ready. Those yummy little oysters often never make it to the plate! If desired, you could serve these is small, individual-sized glass bowls.

And then… Bon appetit! Enjoy!

Today’s meatless recipe was shared by Pat Gohn of the wonderful Among Women Podcast.  Pat shares, “This makes a great simple lunch, or side dish with soup, etc.”

3 cups of diced zucchini, skin included
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt, pepper,
(Italian options: add ½ tsp oregano plus 2 tbsp. parsley)
1/2 c. oil
1cup of shredded sharp or mild cheddar cheese
4 eggs

Mix all ingredients and place in a grease cassarole dish, about 8×8 or 9×9.

Bake at 350 degrees, about 40-45 minutes.  Test with knife inserted at center.  Center should be firm and dry.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s meatless recipe was shared by Mary DeTurris Poust, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism, over on her wonderful blog last week.  Enjoy!

1 bunch broccoli rabe (rapini), rinsed
6 sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in boiling water, drained and chopped in slices
1 8-ounce container of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans, rinse and drained
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted (optional)
1 pound rotelle pasta (or ziti, rigatoni, whatever you like)

Bring pasta water to boil. Rinse broccoli rabe and blanch in boiling pasta water for four minutes. Lift broccoli rabe from water with handheld strainer, reserving pasta water in pot. Drain broccoli rabe and cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve. Keep pasta water boiling, and throw in pasta.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, heat olive oil and saute garlic until it begins to sizzle. Add mushrooms and sundried tomatoes and saute for two or three minutes. Add cannellini beans and saute for two minutes. Add broccoli rabe and heat for a few minutes so the flavors can marry. If it begins to dry out, ladle in some pasta water to keep it moist. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When pasta is al dente, drain and place in serving bowl. Pour broccoli rabe-tomato-bean mixture over the top. If needed, ladle in more pasta water so the pasta is not too dry.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese (if you’re not eating vegan), crushed red pepper and toasted pine nuts (if using). Note: To toast pine nuts, shake them in a dry skillet for a few minutes until fragrant but not brown.

We served our dinner with Italian bread and a side salad heavy on the arugula and “fixed” with olive oil and vinegar.

Mary says, “Delish! This dish is definitely a keeper. Remember, if you don’t have the exact ingredients, don’t be afraid to improvise. Use broccoli instead of broccoli rabe, or even kale. The best thing about this kind of pasta dinner is that you can change it up or use up whatever you have in the fridge and come up with something that looks and takes like it came from an elegant restaurant. Mangia!”

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s meatless recipe was shared by Dana, who says, “This works great for kids or folks who don’t care for peas.”

Kid Friendly Tuna Casserole

Approximately ½ package of medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1 can of light tuna in water, well drained
2 cans of cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
1 can of milk
1 11 oz can of whole kernel corn -OR- 8 oz of frozen corn (doesn’t need to be thawed)
Crushed potato chips

While the noodles are cooking, crush enough potato chips (plain corn flakes will work in a pinch) to top the casserole. Make sure the chips are coarsely crushed and not crumbs when you are done.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. You may add a little salt and pepper to your taste, but the canned soup will provide plenty of sodium. Pour mixture into a large baking dish or casserole. Top with a thin layer of potato chips so that all the casserole is covered. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until bubbles come through the chips. Serve with rolls/bread and a tossed salad with plenty of cold milk.

The potato chip topping adds a little zest while keeping the top noodles from drying out and getting hard while baking. Using two cans of soup with one can of milk makes for a nice, creamy texture that is very palatable to children. When it isn’t Lent, I also use cream of chicken soup. Actually, I use whatever is in the pantry – if I have one can of mushroom and one of celery or chicken, I use one of each, etc.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s recipe was contributed by Alice Di Gioia, author of

Mediterranean Pasta
from 30 Days of Easy Entrees for the Single Vegetarian, www.alicedigioia.com

¾ cup (uncooked) Penne pasta
½ cup, about 12-14 Grape tomatoes
about 10 Cracked green olives – tip: pitted green olives can be substituted for cracked green olives
2 teaspoons Olive oil
4-5 medium fresh Basil leaves
¼ cup Feta cheese, crumbled
freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

1. Boil about 1quart of cold water in a sauce pan.  Add the penne and set a timer for 9 minutes for al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, cut the grape tomatoes in ½ lengthwise.  Place on a serving plate.

3. Drain the cracked green olives and rinse with cold water.  Add about10 to the serving plate with the tomatoes.

4. Drain the pasta and then return to the pan. Add the olive oil and toss to coat.

5. Place the penne on the serving plate and gently mix with the olives and tomatoes. Sprinkle feta cheese over the penne mixture then season with black pepper. Tear the basil leaves onto the mixture and serve.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s recipe is shared by Eva E. who shared, “My family enjoys this soup as their fasting meal every Friday during Lent.”

Lenten Friday Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large leeks, washed and thinly sliced (or 2 small)
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery chopped (optional my son doesn’t care for celery so I leave it out)
2 carrots, sliced

3 cups canned diced tomatoes (I use the one with basil)
2 boxes of Vegetable Both
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup diced squash (zucchini or yellow squash)
1/2 cup orzo or alphabet  pasta
Salt and pepper

Directions
In a stock pot heat the olive oil. When hot, add onion, leeks, celery & carrots.  Cover and simmer until tender.  Add the tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add potatoes, squash and pasta, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until all the ingredients are tender.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

In this Year for Priests — Deacon Tom shares a tribute about one priest, Fr. Cyril Levy. Truth be told, our Catholic Church is filled with such wonderful priests, for which we give thanks.

Avery discusses Lent and gives some ideas for reflecting on the season.  Lisa Mladnich shares some amazing ideas for making teaching the faith a fun experience.

Inspired by the mention of St. Gemma Galgani on episode 45 of the Among Women podcast, Sarah Reinhard shares a quote by that saint and a reflection on suffering.

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this Episode:

• Susie Lloyd – Facebook, Sophia Institute Press, CMGBooking.com
• Music by Popple
• Making Music, Praying Twice Lenten Activities
• Lent at CatholicMom.com
• Spread the Word to End the Word
• Current CatholicMom.com Contests
• CatholicMom.com Book Club
• The Catholic Company
• The Handbook for Catholic Moms:  The Catholic Company, Amazon, Aquinas and More or Barnes & Noble
• Lisa’s Facebook Profile, SQPN Connect Page, Plurk, Twitter
• Catholic Mom Logo Store
• Yoursphere

Subscribe to the feed | Subscribe with iTunes

Today’s recipe was shared by Father Robert Reed of the CatholicTV Network.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

-1 pound Barilla regular spaghetti
-9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-3 fresh garlic cloves
-1 dried peperoncino (if possible; if not hot pepper from the spice rack)

In a large flat pan add the 9 tablespoons olive oil and the 3 garlic cloves.  Begin to heat the oil on medium low heat.  As the oil heats, cut the cloves into very small pieces using a fork and small sharp knife.  Crush the single peperoncino into the oil (or add two pinches of bottled hot pepper).  Allow the oil to heat for a few minutes until garlic pieces begin to turn golden, just slightly toasted.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta about 7 minutes, or until “al dente.” Drain the pasta completely and put back in the empty pot.  Add the heated oil, toss vigorously and transfer onto a serving plate.

Enjoy immediately.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s recipe contributor says of this tasty dish, “To be eaten as a main dish. However, they would also make a nice side dish to go along with  some vegetarian Falafel burgers.”

Oven-baked chips with garlic and rosemary

Ingredients
1 kg large potatoes
1 bulb garlic
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
some sprigs fresh rosemary

Cover a baking tray with olive oil and place it in the oven. Preheat it to 230 degrees C. Peel the potatoes, then thickly cut them into chips. Parboil for about ten minutes in salted water.
In the meantime peel the garlic and cut the gloves into halves. Remove the leaves from the rosemary and bash them up in the mortar. It might me less strenuous just to chop them. Use a chopping knife for that job.

Bake in the preheated oven for about half an our, until the chips are crispy and golden.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Second Sunday of Lent

Check out Lisa Hendey’s new book, The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul, now available at The Catholic Company, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Aquinas and More, or a Catholic bookstore near you!

Click on the links below to download each item

• Sunday’s Gospel
• Coloring Page
• Mass Worksheets – 7-10, 11-14
• Word Search Coming Soon
• Crossword Puzzle Coming Soon
  
• Lesson Plan
• Lent Calendar

Extra activities:

• Lent at CatholicMom.com
• Current CatholicMom.com Contests
• Puppet/skit scripts at CatholicMom.com
• Teaching Catholic Kids - Great Resources from Our Sunday Visitor
• To Teach – Great Resources from USCCB – Charity in Truth (Caritas In Veritate)

Pre-K Lesson Plans:

We will be providing weekly Pre-K lesson plans this year. These do not coincide with the Sunday Liturgy of the Word, but are specifically created for Catholic Pre-K learners.

• The Prodigal Son
• Jesus Loves Me – Great for Valentine’s Day
• Lent
• Jesus Calms the Storm
• Fishers of Men
• Woman at the Well
• Wedding at Cana
• The Birth of Jesus
• Advent
• Thank You God! (Terrific for Thanksgiving!)
• Joshua and Jericho
• Moses
• Joseph and His Wonderful Coat
• Prayer – I Can Talk to God
• Noah’s Ark
• Adam and Eve
• God Made Me and I’m Special
• Creation Day Seven – On the Seventh Day God Rested
• Creation Day Six – Animals on Land and Man
• Creation Day Five – Creatures in the Seas and Sky
• Creation Day Four – Sun, Moon and Stars
• Creation Day Three – Seas, Lands and Plants
• Creation Day Two – God Created the Sky
• Creation Day One – God Created Light

Check out Lisa Hendey’s new book, The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul, now available at The Catholic Company, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Aquinas and More, or a Catholic bookstore near you!

Religious Education Resource Articles:

• Great FREE Catholic Teaching Sites
• Staff Training for Special Needs Students
• Timelines
• Story Sequencing Activities
• Assessing Student Progress
• Using Technology in Your Classroom
• How to Keep Disruptive Behavior Down to a Minimum
• Organize Your Materials
• Introductory Letter to Parents
• Lesson Planning
• Discipline in the Classroom
• Helping Hands Chart
• Special Needs Students – Information to Gather from Parents
• Preparing Your Religious Education Classroom

Featured Product:
Thank you for your support of CatholicMom.com!  A small portion of your purchase price goes to CatholicMom.com and enables us to continue providing these resources free of charge for families and parishes around the world.

My Catholic Lent and Easter Activity Book: Reproducible Sheets for Home and School – Reproducible Sheets for Home and School.  Few Easter activity books focus on more than bunnies and candy. Even fewer focus on the season through a specifically Catholic viewpoint. This imaginative new book takes kids on a journey from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost, engaging them at every point through fun activities while introducing and reinforcing the richness of their heritage.

This lively new work:
· uses such proven favorites as word finds, word scrambles, dot-to-dot pictures, matching, crosswords, code breakers, and more.
· challenges and satisfies kids from second through fifth grade.
· includes over two dozen activities plus an answer key.
· offers the best-loved prayers and devotions of the season.
· provides busy parents, teachers, and home-schoolers with a moment of quiet time while their children are fully involved, learning.
· can be reproduced for a variety of home, school, and church uses.

Today’s recipe was shared by Christy J. (daughter of Maria J. of Secrets of Farmville Fame), who shares, “Here’s something my brother really likes and is so simple to make. It’s a perfect match for David’s tomato soup.”

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sammich

sliced bread (any kind–you can be all traditional and use Wonder Bread, but I like the all-grain that is tasty and has texture)
slices of cheese (I’ve used plain ole yellow american, but muenster, and provolone are good too!)
half a small onion, sliced thin
2 tsp butter

Grill onion in butter on medium heat until soft. Remove from pan. Place slice of bread in pan, layer cheese, onions, and cheese, and add top slice of bread.

Toast bread over medium heat. When bread is cooked to your liking (I like it golden brown, a little on the crispier side) turn over and repeat. You might want to add a little more butter so it doesn’t stick.

Sandwich is done when the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted to your liking. That’s it — so easy. Clean up isn’t so bad, either.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com

Today’s meatless recipe comes courtesy of Steve Nelson, SQPN Executive Director and Host of On the U. 

Steve’s Simple Veggie Stew

2 cans of tomato soup, prepared according to the label.  (Probably feeds 4 people, I guess)
Add 1 chopped yellow squash
Add 1 chopped zucchini
Add 1/2 of a chopped white onion  (adjust according to preferences)
Add 2 chopped red potatoes  (I like mine mostly peeled)
Add 2 chopped carrots (about the same amount as a yellow squash)
Add 1/2 tsp of basil
Add 1/2 tsp of oregano

Simmer at least until the potatoes are cooked.  Serve with some garlic croutons and you’re all set!

That’s about it.  I usually chop things into about 1/2 pieces because I’m lazy and I’m afraid of my chopping skills.  That makes it more like a chunky stew, but it you’re a whiz at chopping you might like something more elegant.

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?  Comment below or email Lisa@CatholicMom.com.