If you are a vegetarian, there are plenty of good quality protein sources for the end of a long day of fast.

Some good non-meat sources of protein include:

• Quinoa
• Greek yogurt
• Legumes, including lentils, chickpeas, and
• Nuts and seeds (and their butters and milks) – sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts
• Chia seeds
• Tofu
• Eggs
• Avocados

A sample vegetarian iftar menu could look something like this:

Soup: Lentil Soup with Vermicelli Noodles

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon madras curry powder (optional)
1 cup lentils
4-5 cups stock or water + 1 bouillon cube
1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup angel hair noodles
lemon wedges (optional)

Heat oil in small pot. Add garlic and onions, and saute for 2 minutes. Add spices and saute another minute. Add lentils and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, and simmer for about 30 minutes. The lentils should be completely soft. If you would like to puree the soup, you would want to do that at this point, before adding the noodles.

Toast the noodles in a nonstick frying pan for about 3 minutes, until golden.

Add to soup, and bring soup to a boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes (adding a cup of hot water or stock if the soup needs to be thinned out).

Optional – a squeeze of lemon juice into each bowl, if desired.

Main Dish: Quinoajadara – Quinoa Mujadara (Lentils and Quinoa with Caramelized Onions and Sumac)

Side: Green Beans with Tomatoes and Olive Oil

Salad: Minted Cucumber Yogurt Salad- Khiar biLaban