A Brief Explanation of Fasting Restrictions:

Several Orthodox liturgical calendars use the following designators. This is what they mean.

  •   Strict fast (speak to the priest for his guidance on how you are to fast)
  •   All dairy products, in addition to fish, wine, and oil
  •   Fish, wine, and oil
  •   Wine and oil
  • No Symbol means the day is fast free. i.e., no restrictions.

For those of us coming into the Church from a non-Orthodox background, usually fasting wasn't part of the tradition. Lenten cooking can present a challenge. Where do you even begin?

But there's no reason to panic. There are lots of resources at your disposal. First of all, we're a community. We have several very good cooks in the parish who've been Orthodox a long time. A good place to start is by asking them to share a recipe or two. All of them have a list of favorite Go To Lenten recipes. It's an easy way to compile the "best of the best."

In addition, here's a short list of good Lenten Cookbooks, each with lots of really tasty recipes.