Vegan Easter

The tradition at my parents' house is lasagna for Easter, and while that was tough to give up when I went vegan 14 years ago, my mom has started a new tradition of two lasagnas:  one oozing with ricotta and mozzarella, and one loaded with spinach and tofu.  And though I must confess there's a part of me that misses all that cheese, the vegan version is still pretty yummy.

We started the afternoon eating fest with a luscious parfait of fresh fruit.  Not only were the complementary colors of blue, green and yellow a pleasure to look at, but the sweet and juicy flavors of kiwi, blueberries, pineapple and orange were perfectly refreshing on an unusually humid April day.

The main course was, of course, lasagna.  On the side were broccoli and cauliflower drizzled with the same tahini lemon dressing I made for the salad.  Yum.  Last night I augmented the leftovers with melty Daiya cheese and fresh parsley and chives from my garden.

And for dessert, nothing beats chocolate.  My mom made a decadent gluten-free chocolate cake layered with fudgey chocolate icing and strawberry preserves.  I'm liking this new tradition more and more every year.