As we continue our journey in the Lenten Season, I know that we make a big fuss about “fasting” on Fridays before the Easter Celebration.  To help us with eating meatless meals, I offer you a unique faithful foodie adventure about One World Café in Baltimore that I wrote in collaboration with the Catholic Review Newspaper’s Culinary Confession. If you bring a copy of the article with you, this vegetarian restaurant will even give you a discount on your final bill!  So go support this deliciously healthy and Lenten-friendly restaurant, owned and operated by two sisters, and a local parishioner!

The sisters who own and operate One World Café. Executive Chef Susan Novak is a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas in Hampden.

 

In the Book of Daniel, because they didn’t want to break their Jewish dietary restrictions, the prophet Daniel asked the prison guards to give the Jewish servants only vegetables instead of the food from the king’s table. This allowed them to keep within Jewish tradition, but I think they must have also known something parents have always encouraged: eating vegetables is good for you! And sure enough, at the end of their trial period, these “faithful foodies” were much healthier – truly a sign of Godly living.

Now I know that when it comes to going to a vegetarian or vegan restaurant, it can worry some meat lovers. Will I be satisfied? Do they just serve salads and veggies? Admittedly, I also find it difficult to enjoy a “forced upon” diet, especially if it comes with a moralizing, or what some might call “tree-hugging” or “animal-protecting” attitude. I don’t need to feel guilty just because I like steak.

 

But rest assured, while One World Café certainly caters to veggie lovers, I was very satisfied by the food and comfortable with the casual and friendly service. I was also edified to hear the sisters who own One World were subscribers to the Catholic Review.

The One World atmosphere is eclectic. The front room is a true college-hipster hangout. Bright painted walls give a modern vibe for an area that serves as a bar for alcoholic beverages, coffee, and pastries. Wi-Fi invites the earphone-wearing laptop crowd for homework or hanging out. The main dining room, by contrast, is a bit bare, but clean. Diners were equally eclectic, encompassing seniors, college students, and families with young children. However, street parking and stairs down to the dining room may be inconvenient for some patrons.

The staff was primarily young and bohemian-fashioned with tattoos and piercings, especially the, I have to admit, ominous-looking bartender, who turned out to be very kind and well-mannered. Our waitress was informative and patient with my many food preparation questions.  I sensed no meat-lovers guilt trip. The staff seemed content simply to serve good-tasting food. And, to their credit, the food was quite good.

With a combination of vegetarian and vegan foods (no animal products or dairy), I sampled familiar flavors, including a Philly cheese steak (less), packed with caramelized vegetables and a well-marinated seitan (“wheat meat”) that produced the texture of tender beef. The baked non-chicken parmesan used densely breaded tofu that looked and tasted like layered lasagna, served with a tasty but, in my opinion, unnecessary side of linguine marinara. A Greek-inspired veggie gyro, a tasty variety of vegetables wrapped in pita, was served with a traditional tzatziki sauce. The creamy mushroom soup was hearty and comforting. They even offered vegan desserts that still felt rich and decadent.

The food portions were generous, especially considering the moderate pricing. These dishes, personally created by chef-owner Novak, left me feeling satisfied.  For me, the most creative dish was the Maryland-inspired crab-less cake, made with shredded zucchini. Combining it with traditional binders gave the cake the texture of back fin crabmeat.

My experience of One World Café gave me a new perspective and respect for plant-based menus. Hunger satisfaction and a non-preachy approach to healthy eating makes One World Café a great restaurant for more than vegetarians and Friday meals during Lent.

Culinary Confessions – One World Cafe

• Do you have a favorite meatless recipe?

• How is your Lenten Practice going?

Your comments help encourage us and our movement. Please post your comments here!

 

Father as we continue this Lenten tradition of abstaining from meat on Friday, help us to hunger for the Body and Blood of Christ.  May this discipline remind us of what we can do without, and how we cannot do without You.  Sustain our Lenten observance and help us to become more the people You want us to be.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

Recently, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) teamed up with Grace Before Meals to create a little video in preparation for Lent, which officially begins TODAY with Ash Wednesday! This collaboration features me cooking with Joan Rosenhaur, the Executive Vice President for the United States. Together we made a Bean Cake from Burkina Faso, which is located in the western part of Africa.

CRS Rice Bowl: Having Fun Making Simple Meals (For the Recipe, click HERE)

The video highlights the important work done by CRS through the CRS Rice Bowls. I’m sure you’ve seen these little boxes before, a Lenten tradition, in which people put in money as part of the Lenten practices.  Instead of purchasing something that we really don’t need, like a cup of coffee, dessert, candy, or what have you, you simply put that money into the box.  You’ll be amazed at how much we spend on things we don’t need.  The money from the boxes builds up and collectively, it can make a difference in the lives of so many people around the world – people who are hungry, in need, or learning how to be self-sustaining!

Children around the world need our help! This brother and sister are from the Philippines. During a family visit there we made it a point to do some charitable donations.

 

Besides the charitable affects of the CRS Rice Bowls, I really enjoy and encourage the “experiential” aspect of the program.  Each bowl has recipes and stories from people from all different parts of the world.  The recipes give users the chance to have a small “taste” of the different culture.  It also gives participants an opportunity experiment the recipes and to hear the stories of the people who eat these meals.  It’s also a real Grace Before Meals opportunity for the family, providing the opportunity for conversation about our global human family, developing compassion, or simply learninging more about our faith through food.

A former graduate student at The Mount who cooked CRS Rice Bowl Recipes for the Wednesday evening college student gatherings in 2009.

And, may I add, these recipes are low cost, interesting to make, and delicious to eat!

One of my favorite things to do is to explore the markets of different countries.  Here, I’m in South America cooking with some exotic fruits.

 

As you begin the 40 days of Lent, make it special by “interacting” with the CRS Rice Bowl Program.  You’ll find your spiritual life, compassion, and knowledge about our human family grow with each recipe and story.

Culinary Students from the City College in San Francisco with prepared foods I purchased for them to give to the homeless.  It’s always so rewarding to give to those in need.

Remember, in preparation for St. Valentine’s Day we will also be announcing the drawing of the winner for a Grace Before Meals gift bag. So stay tuned for next week’s email blast and enjoy a blessed Saint Valentine Day with the special love in your life – God and your spouse!

My parents, who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on September 22, the day that I released the book Spicing Up Married Life.

Fr. Leo talks about “Spicing Up Married Life” on CBS Baltimore

 

• What is your favorite Lenten Recipe?  
• Have you ever used the CRS Rice Bowls and if so, do you remember how much you actually collected?  
• Have you ever used one of the recipes?  If so, which is your favorite?

Gracious Lord, accompany us on these 40 sacred days of Lent. May our efforts, as well as those of CRS Rice Bowls, bring us to a level of discipline, compassion, humility and holiness.  Bless our efforts for praying, fasting and almsgiving, and make us true instruments of your peace.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

FEBRUARY 16

ST. ALPHONSUS LIGORI CATHOLIC MISSION

ZIONSVILLE, IN

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

 

Speaking of recipes, how cool is this new layout?

 

With the new interface, people who sign up and register will be signed up for the weekly eBlast and get access to all of Fr. Leo’s recipes all at once. And we want to encourage each of you to share in the movement by sending in stories and photos from GBM events and with your family so that others may be encouraged by the good that be done through one another.

 

 

You may start seeing Fr. Leo on TV and in articles more often soon in light of the release of Spicing Up Married Life, as we seek to partner with groups to share the book with couples. He will be featured on The 700 Club on November 30, sharing a number of recipes straight out of the book. If you have a local bookstore that you want to offer Fr. Leo’s new book, or if you’re interested in hosting Fr. Leo at your event or show, please contact us at assistant@gracebeforemeals.com.

 

 

This fall, Fr. Leo has been hosting a radio show with Tom Leopold on the Catholic Channel called “Entertaining Truth with Tom Leopold and Fr. Leo Patalinghug” (appropriately enough). Tom Leopold is a Jewish convert to Catholicism and a comedy writer who has worked on shows such as Seinfeld, Cheers!, and even Will and Grace, but you can read about his conversion here. The next show is airing at 11am on Saturday, November 3, so tune in!

Aside from being on the 700 Club and hosting a radio show, Fr. Leo was also recently in Rome filming new episodes of Savoring Our Faith! It will be a lot of fun and worth catching on EWTN.

With so much going on and a new chapter for Grace Before Meals getting ready to begin, we ask you to keep us in your prayers, and we also extend special prayers to all of the families devastated and affected by the recent Superstorm Sandy. May God bless each of them, especially in light of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH

Our Lady of Good Counsel, 8601 Wolftrap Road, Vienna, VA 22182 

CONTACT: Anna Mary 703-896-7425 auction@olgcva.org

• Fr. Leo will be giving a Grace Before Meals presentation and cooking demonstration at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church.  This event is part of an auction effort to raise money for the church.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH

St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Community, 4103 Prices Distillery Rd. Ijamsville, MD 21754

CONTACT: Carol Smith 301-695-8845 csmith@e-stignatius.org

• Fr. Leo will be working with the “Marriage Matters” group at St. Ignatius Loyola to speak on Family Meals and Strengthening Marriages, complete with a cooking demonstration, starting at 1pm after the 12pm Mass.