In our #LentForASmallPlanet series on creation care and the season of Lent
For me (Hannah), the decision to keep a meatless Lent, which I’ve been doing for six years, came about as I looked for a new way in to an understanding of creation care. Like many people, I see climate change as a looming crisis now, but in 2014 it felt far less imminent to me. Environmental activists and clergy were already, rightly, encouraging more serious ethical reflection around creation care. But for me at the time, the sorts of actions (protests and political advocacy) that they were advocating lacked immediacy. I could support “creation care” in the abstract, but I couldn’t see how to tie it into my own discipleship, or how to make it something that I could make a difference in in any immediate or personal way. And for me, the systemic nature of the environmental crisis was a stumbling block to doing anything about it.
Enter meatless eating. I’m a foodie; cooking and eating are some of my favorite hobbies. Tying the concept of creation care to something as deeply personal as what I ate was a way to make myself care, in a real way, about an abstract issue. I know that eating meat contributes to climate change. The ethical and environmental imperatives for at least occasional vegetarianism and pescatarianism seemed clear.
Why Lent? Why not start up Meatless Mondays? For me, meatless eating during Lent was also a way to tie into the ancient traditions of the church. Through meatless Lent, the modern imperative of creation care is grounded in the ancient practice of the church, as well as in a deeply personal spiritual discipline.
In practice, here’s what meatless Lent looks like for me: I eat no meat (including poultry) between Ash Wednesday and the Great Vigil of Easter, including on Sundays. I do continue to eat fish as well as eggs and dairy throughout Lent. For me, this fast immediately felt right. It has made me more aware about the necessity of caring for the environment. It is a sufficient fast to feel like it supports the keeping of a holy Lent, while also being manageable to maintain through the entire season. It has encouraged me to try more new meatless recipes and makes me more conscious about meatless meals during other seasons as well.
I try to keep this fast joyfully, by cooking new delicious meals and exploring new recipes throughout Lent. Throughout this Lent, we will be offering (along with meditations on creation care) recipes for meatless eating. To start off, here’s my favorite lentil soup recipe, an easy, slightly curried variety with spinach and yogurt:
serves 5 as a main meal
1 lb. lentils
1 head garlic, coarsely chopped
2 onions, chopped
1-2 tbsp. cumin seeds
1-2 teaspoons paprika
1-2 teaspoons turmeric
pinch of cayenne
approx. 6 cups stock (my favorite veggie stock is made from Better than Bouillon soup base)
approx. 4 cups tomato juice
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 pound spinach, coarsely chopped
Plain Greek yogurt and hot sauce, to serve
1. In medium-large soup pot, bring stock to a boil. Add lentils, carrots, and garlic and lower heat so they cook at a slow boil/simmer.
2. In a skillet, saute onions in olive oil. Add cumin seeds and let them brown a bit, then add paprika, turmeric, and cayenne. Add contents of skillet to soup pot.
3. Add tomato juice to soup, and more water as needed as the lentils cook.
4. When lentils are starting to get soft, add spinach.
5. Serve with yogurt and/or Tabasco sauce.