The winter holidays are over, football is a distant memory and spring is STILL many weeks away (according to that overfed, furry media hog).  We all have one eye on spring while the other is tracking the next polar vortex, and it just so happens that Lent and Easter are next up on the calendar. This year, Lent begins on Wednesday, February 18^th and ends on Easter Sunday, April 5^th.

 The one thing you DON’T need a Ground Hog to predict is that each year I’ll have two sets of new Lenten-friendly recipes to share with you. And this marks year number 6! If you do the math, that’s one recipe for each week of lent (six) times 6 years. That’s 36 recipes right there, and there’s still more to come this year!

 Of course, with six weeks of Lenten meals to plan for each year, it can sometimes be pretty challenging to come up with delicious meatless meals that your family will enjoy. So from fish and shellfish to savory pasta and vegetable dishes, you can look forward to two packages of new recipes during the Lenten season, one now and one more in a few weeks.

 If you like the recipes, whether they be the ones below or on our website, you’ll want to be sure to print off a copy before you shop at Nino’s, so you don’t forget any of the essential ingredients! You may even like these recipes SO much you’ll be inspired to create some wonderful new recipes of your own that you can share with us!

Having said all of this, it’s onto this year’s recipes. This year’s first Lenten recipes come from a recent Muffin Tin Meals segment I did on WDIV Detroit, Channel 4. Three of the nine different Muffin Meals were Lent-friendly. If you’d like to see that segment, the link is here. Think of Muffin Tin meals like making mini-pies, using either a pie crust, puff pastry crust or biscuit crust cut into approximately 6” in square or rounds, then pushed down inside a jumbo muffin cup to line it. Each pastry-lined cup is then filled with your choice of fillings.

The 3 Muffin Meals from that segment that I think you will enjoy are below with the ingredients I used in each one. All of the ingredients used are pre-cooked and cooled before you add them to your muffins since the crusts only take about 15 minutes to fully cook and brown in a 375 F oven. Just enough time to thoroughly re-heat the filling ingredients you add.

• Salmon With Baby Spinach & Dill Muffins

  • I used Pillsbury Grand biscuits. Then, in order, I placed the following ingredients into each cup:
    • 1 TBSP  Nino’s Spinach & Dill Dip
    • 2 TBSP  Sautéed Baby Spinach Leaves
    • ¼ Cup   Cooked, Diced Salmon
    • 2 TBSP  Sautéed Spinach Leaves
    • 1 TBSP  Nino’s Spinach & Dill Dip
    • 1 tsp  Nino’s Italian Bread Crumbs

• Seafood With Shrimp, Scallops and Crab Muffins

  • I used Pepperidge Farm’s Puff Pastry Dough here, cut in 6” x 6” squares, but you can also use the Pillsbury Grand. For each muffin, I used:
    • 3 TBSP   Nino’s Crab Cakes (which you can purchase uncooked from our Seafood Department)
    • 1 TBSP    Nino’s Lobster or Crab Dip
    • ¼ Cup    Sautéed Bay Scallops
    • 2   Medium-Size Cooked Shrimp (Tail off)
    • 1 TBSP   Nino’s Lobster or Crab Dip
  • On this muffin, I added a top crust of chopped, leftover dough scraps. It makes a cobblestone-like appearance, which is quite attractive.

• Ratatouille Muffins

  • I used Pillsbury Pie Dough crusts for this recipe, but you can also use either biscuit or puff pastry dough. All work exceptionally well. For each muffin, I used:
    • 2 TBSP   Shredded Monterey Jack Cheddar Cheese
    • 1/3 Cup    Nino’s Gourmet to Go Roasted Seasonal Vegetable Medley, Chopped
    • 2 TBSP  Nino’s Marketplace Café Pizza Sauce
    • 2 TBSP  Shredded Monterey Jack Cheddar Cheese
    • 1 – ¼” Slice  Ripe Roma Tomato
    • 1 tsp   Grated Parmesan Cheese

I think you’ll love these 3 Muffin Tin Meals. You might even come up with a few ideas of your own once you find out how easy they are to make and just how delicious they are! Of course, as I mentioned earlier, we have a wealth of Lent-friendly recipes for you on Nino’s website. Look for them on our RECIPES tab. You’ll find them under Fish & Shellfish and Vegetarian.

And when you’re away from home, you might want to know about some of our area’s most popular Vegetarian restaurants. If so, look for my upcoming blog entitled: Metro Detroit’s Vegetarian Restaurant Scene.