Have a Yummy Easter Feaster or Delicious Food Induced Passover Hangover!

Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover, spring is here and it's time to celebrate. My honey,bunny and I have put together some ideas to keep your holiday healthy as well as eco friendly this year; )

• Paint wooden or ceramic eggs. A night out at a place like Color Me Mine is a great alternative to dying eggs at home. No real eggs and no mess! Put them out later for your egg hunt and use them year after year.
  
• Vegan candies and deserts are available for online orders as well as at stores like Whole Foods and other specialty markets. I found a bunch of great stuff at Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe and Sweet Diet Delights.
  
• Look for paper basket grass as opposed to the plastic kind. This "green" paper kind can be used year round for other gifts, packing materials, etc.
• Bake vegan easter cakes in egg and bunny shaped molds. These are great in gift baskets!
• Give children great illustration heavy books like pop-ups instead of toys they will grow out of an create more waste. Books nourish their minds and create wonderful memories.
  
• Try some healthy vegan passover recipes. Here are 2 to share with your family:

Sweet Potato Kugel (serves 12)

6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
3 apples, peeled and grated
1 cup raisins
1 cup matzo meal
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup fruit juice or water

Mix ingredients together. Press into baking dish and bake 45 minutes at 375ºF, until crisp on top.

Potato/Kale Casserole (serves 6-8)

3 lbs potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 lb kale, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes and mash. In a separate pan, sauté onion in oil, then add kale and steam, covered, until kale is soft. Remove from heat and mix with potatoes and seasonings. Pour into casserole dish and bake at 350ºF until warmed through.

• For Easter brunch , these dishes are a sure hit:

Mustard and Apricot Glazed ‘Ham’
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup apricot jam
1 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. horseradish
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Veg S.W. Ham (available from www.vegieworld.com), sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds

• Combine all of the ingredients except the vegetarian ham in a bowl and mix well.
• Brush the mixture over both sides of each slice of “ham” and arrange, overlapping each piece, on a baking sheet. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 20 minutes.
• Uncover the ham and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Makes 8 servings

Yummy Pancakes

Mix
1 1/4 cups flour
2 T sweetener
2 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
Mix
2 T oil
1 1/2 cups water or 1/2 cup soy milk with 3/4 cup water

Make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture into it. Mix with a wooden spoon until blended. Lumps are good because it makes the pancakes light. If it's not very pourable, add more liquid. Also add chocolate chips or blueberries or vanilla extract here.

Heat a griddle over a medium flame and add some margarine. Pour the batter on thinly and wait for the top to bubble before you flip it. These are really good with syrup and margarine.

My honey,bunny and I hope we could help!! Have a great Easter and/or Passover!