Meatless Mondays have been a thing since 2003, a world-wide movement that encourages people to reduce meat consumption for both their health and that of the planet. It's still a noble effort and very much a part of our culinary landscape. Recipes for meatless meals abound, on the internet, food magazines and in the many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. You really don't have to look far.

However, when it comes to going meatless (or simply pescatarian: basically vegetarian, but with fish), Christians — most notably Catholics, but some other faith traditions as well — will begin their annual Lenten practices of abstinence that includes meatless Fridays. Raw Sprouted Buckwheat

Lest you think this means a steady diet of fish sticks and old tuna casserole, the post-Vatican II era has much more to offer the tables of meatless Christians.

All this talk of meatless Mondays, Lent and a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle got me thinking about how to make some delicious dinners without visiting the butcher counter.

I often fix meatless meals, not for religious reasons but just because I get tired of chicken. Not surprisingly, consumption of meats, especially beef, has fallen off in recent years because of cost and availability. We still buy it, but less often. When was the last time you had a steak? For those doubting Thomases, a meatless meal should not be such a big deal if fish is not something you choose. The options are many as well as delicious, satisfying and for the cook easy to put together.

A good place to start is the vegetable aisle. True, the selection is not as big or varied as the summer farmer's market but you can still get squashes, red, green and yellow sweet peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, onions, and mushrooms which can be roasted, sauteed, grilled and combined with pastas, rice or grains: your choice. Add fresh chopped tomatoes or a little tomato sauce, a sprinkling of herbs, some Parmesan cheese and there you are. Done.

Going meatless one day of the week should not be a big deal. There are countless options.

For the Lenten crowd who don't care for salmon or cod, there's always the option of shrimp, and who doesn't love those. Otherwise, make sure to get some good fish that is fresh. My choice is to head to People's Food Coop (519 First Ave. SW) where you will find a variety of fish that was likely swimming not long ago. There are slices of cod from Alaska, their biggest seller. Then there is Atlantic Salmon, Steelhead Trout from Scotland, wild caught Canadian Walleye and Arctic Char from Iceland.

A simple preparation of grilling, sautéing or baking with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of herbs will convert you. Mike Van Steinburg, manager of that area, can also give you some tips.

A Lenten tradition in many parishes pre-COVID was the Friday Night Fish Fry. Many of those events went on hiatus during the pandemic, but two area churches working together are offering them again this year, Holy Family Catholic Church in Kasson and Christ the King in Byron.

The first takes place on Feb. 24 from 4-7 p.m. at Holy Family (1904 Mantorville Ave. N, in Kasson). Every Friday after that until March 31 it will be held at Christ the King (202 Fourth St, NW, in Byron) from 4:45-6:45 p.m.

An army of volunteers do the cooking, which includes battered or baked fish, parsley potatoes, green beans, coleslaw (secret recipe) and St. John's bread. The event is all you can eat for $18, seniors, $16. A special children's menu of peanut butter and jelly or mac and cheese is $10.

Drive-through is also available for $16. The amount of food prepared is stunning. I spoke with Chris Schwebach, meat manager at Fareway who orders the fish — this year he is getting 2,100 lbs. of Pollock, a mild flavored white fish. Will that be enough? He hopes so. A church spokesperson told me that pre-COVID this event drew over 700 people every Friday night.

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more to drizzle 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 15-oz. can Great Northern beans 2-1/2 cups vegetable broth or hot water 1/2 teaspoon salt, or according to taste 1-1/2 cups uncooked short pasta (fusilli, penne) 3 handfuls baby spinach, washed 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan, more when serving

Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 seconds. Add paprika, chili flakes, beans, and black pepper and give a good stir. Add hot water or vegetable broth, and salt, turn to high and bring to boil. Stir in pasta, lower heat to medium low, cover with a lid and stir often. The amount of liquid is enough to partially cover the pasta, but watch and add water if needed. The last two minutes or so of the pasta's cooking time, add the spinach, a handful at a time, and the cherry tomatoes. Stir until spinach is wilted. This takes a few minutes. Turn off the heat, finish with Parmesan cheese and give a good stir until cheese melts and pasta looks well combined. Taste for seasonings. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, more freshly ground pepper and cheese.

1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes in juice 5 cups chicken stock 3 cups water 1-1/2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed 1 cup brown rice 3 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 1 onion chopped 1 celery rib, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 bay leaf 1/3 cup minced cilantro or parsley 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a large pot combine the tomatoes with juice, stock, water, lentils, rice, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer, stirring once in awhile, until lentils and rice are tender, about 45-55 minutes. Stir in cilantro, vinegar and salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf. Stew will be thick so add more hot stock or water before serving. On meat-eating days smoked sausage cut into rounds and sauteed, then added makes a great dish. (Why brown rice? Because it stands up to the long cooking better than white which becomes too soft.)

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 4 oz. can mild green chilies 2 cups enchilada sauce (store bought) 8 corn or flour tortillas (6-inch size) 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese Garnish: 1/3 cup chopped cilantro 4 green onions, sliced 1 avocado, sliced 1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl combine black beans and green chilies. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce on bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour rest of sauce into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Working one at a time, dip tortilla into sauce to lightly coat both sides. Transfer to a plate, then place about 3 tablespoons of the bean mixture into the top center. Top with a few tablespoons of the cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with rest of tortillas, placing close together in pan. Pour rest of sauce evenly over enchiladas and sprinkle with rest of cheese. Bake about 20-25 minutes until cheese bubbles. Take out of oven, cool 5 minutes, then add garnishes.

Grilled shrimp with a kick

1 lb.large shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 1 tablespoon garlic, minced

If using wooden skewers soak in water for 30 minutes before beginning. Preheat grill to 400. Clean grate and wipe with oil. Place shrimp in a medium sized bowl. Add olive oil, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning and garlic. Gently toss shrimp until they are all covered in oil and seasoning. Thread shrimp on skewers and place them on hot grill and cook for about 3 minutes. Flip shrimp and grill for an additional 2-3 minutes or until no longer translucent. Best served immediately.

Baked Buckwheat Tea Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what’s cookin’. Send comments or story tips to life@postbulletin.com .