Anastasia's Guide to Greek Lent

Hello gorgeous, refreshing, hopeful SPRING! I’ve been waiting for you and appreciate you now more than ever. If you’ve also spent too much time in isolation and not enough time in the sun (I’ll never take those mini sunny getaways you get through the colder months for granted again), you’ll feel me on this. While there was a certain beauty in living each season this year, I think we’re all ready to bring a little more ‘spring’ to our steps and enjoy the hum of sweet spring!

Everything is blooming, and spring onions are bursting through my garden soil, reminding me that Greek Easter is approaching! The last few weeks, we have been mega-focusing on dairy-free, egg-free, meatless recipes that are 100% vegan and pack a flavorful punch to get us through the 40-day Lenten Fast!

Throughout the history of humankind, fasting has been a part of spiritual, religious, and health practices. Believe it or not, traditionally, Greeks fast for about half the year! Talk about commitment. In the Blue Zone region of Ikaria, otherwise known as “The Island Where People Forget to Die," people fast for about 150 days of the year, and this fasting is one of their (worst-kept) secrets to longevity.

Most of the things we cook at Fancy Peasant don’t stray too far from this golden path as we mainly make a whole lotta wild greens, seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, potatoes, and, you guessed it, olive oil.

So, to celebrate Greek Lenten in style, I’ve decided to give you a taste of the rainbow and share a few dishes that really blow my mind. They are each stunning in color and vibrancy and taste even better. The key to all these recipes is simply using the freshest ingredients and preparing the right foods in the right way to bring out all of their flavors and health benefits! The secret sauce to all of these recipes of course, is our Liquid Gold GEVOO.

This Greek White Bean Salad

This Sexy Spinach Spaghetti

This Incredible Spring Artichoke Recipe

My Favorite Beet and Walnut Pasta

Our Fancy Peasant Lagana

My Favorite Lenten Dip: Taramasalata

This Sensational Melitzanosalata

Our Spanakorizo with Latholemono Sauce

Our Greek Goddess Greens

This Incredible Longevity Soup