Easter Dinner Recipes

Nathan and I decided to go the non-traditional route for Easter dinner and focus on whole-plant based foods (aka vegan). We also wanted it to be relatively simple to cook it all because we didn’t want to be cooking away all day. Therefore, the methods and equipment are all basic – the most complicated piece of equipment we’ll need is a food processor! If you don’t have one of these then check out this article going over the Best Food Processor on the market today. Anyway, here is what I came up with. We were actually very pleased with how everything turned out.
Here is the world’s largest asparagus that I got at the farmers market this week:

Ginger Carrot Soup
Sweet Potato Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
Cauliflower with Nut Topping
Citrus Asparagus Salad
Vegetable Stuffing
Wild Rice
Raw Fruit Pie

Ginger Carrot Soup (not pictured)
Ingredients:

• 1 onion, pureed
• 1 piece fresh ginger, pureed
• 4 cups chopped and peeled carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3 cups vegetable broth

Preparation:Puree onion and ginger. Saute in large pot. Add carrots and broth and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until carrots are soft. Using a food processor or blender, process soup until smooth.

Cauliflower with Nut Topping:1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup nuts (I used Walnuts)
2 tablespoons dried parsley (could also use fresh)
1 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (I used two bags, frozen)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine and process breadcrumbs, nuts, parsley, and paprika in food processor.
2. Place the cauliflower in a skillet with 1/2 cup stock. Let the cauliflower steam until soft, stirring often.
3. Transfer to serving dish and cover with nut topping.

Vegetable Stuffing1 loaf crusty seed & cranberry raisin bread, roughly chopped (5-6 cups packed)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup peeled & finely chopped carrots
1 bunch asparagus, ends broken off and finely chopped
1 cup peas (if using frozen, thaw and drain first)
1 cup edamame (if using frozen, thaw and drain first)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
8 to 9 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh minced parsley
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Herbamare (or salt) & ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup veggie broth or more if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Roughly chop (or tear) bread into 1 inch chunks. Place the bread onto a baking sheet and in the (turned-off) and leave on counter for about 10-12 hours (I put mine in the oven so Sketchie couldn’t eat it!). This lets the bread firm up and get a bit hard so it retains its shape in the stuffing. If using frozen peas and edamame, place in fridge overnight to thaw. Rinse and drain before use.

2.The next day, preheat oven to 400F and grease a 2.3 L/2.5 qt. casserole dish. Heat a large skillet or wok with 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic, carrots, and asparagus and sauté until just tender, about 8 minutes or so. Season well.

3. Now, add in the (drained) peas, edamame, fresh lemon juice, and green onions and sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs and season again with Herbamare & pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

4. Gently, stir in the cup of broth, being careful not to overmix the bread. Transfer to prepared dish, cover, and bake at 400F for 28-30 minutes. Carefully remove lid and allow to cool for 5 mins or so before serving.

Citrus Vegetable Salad1 large bunch asparagus
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (or a handful of roasted almond slices)
1 can mandarin oranges (fruit and juice)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbs dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut asparagus in bite size pieces, and then blanch asparagus in boiling water.Run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Add asparagus and oranges to bowl
3. Mix together the mandarin juice, vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
4. Toss dressing with asparagus and sprinkle seeds/nuts over top

Sweet Potato Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing2 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup cranberries
green onions, finely chopped
Sunflower seeds
Dressing
1/2 lemon juice
2-3 packets of Truvia (or 1/4 cup sweetner of choice)
3 tbs dijon mustard

1. Cook sweet potatoes in microwave, 4-6 minutes on each side (make sure you make slit in potato before cooking
2. Peel and cut into bite sized pieces
3. In a small pan, cook cranberries until they have softened
4. Chop green onions
5. Assemble salad ingredients in bowl. In separate container, mix dressing
6. Add dressing as desired, and eat

Raw Fruit PieFor the crust:12 dates, washed and pitted
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup cashews
1/3 cup almond meal/flour
1 tablespoon vanilla

Filling:
2 bananas, sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup strawberries, pureed
1/4 cup raspberries
1 can mandarin oranges
1/4 cup blueberries
1. Blend crust ingredients together in food processor
2. Press blended curst ingredients into pie plate
3. Arrange fruit in this order: bananas, strawberry slices, strawberry puree, raspberries, mandarin oranges, blueberries
4. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving