Vegan Easter

I celebrated Easter at the new Well on Wheels headquarters and while the holiday is long gone, it is not forgotten.  This is the first chance I've had to load some photos which now allow me to reflect on the amazing meal and good times shared by all.  

The menu was a vegan twist on some traditional Italian favorites:  pasta with meatballs and fire-roasted tomato marinara, eggplant rollatini with macadamia "rawcotta," broccoli rabe sautéed in olive oil and garlic with toasted pine nuts, and a less traditional dessert of gluten-free lemon cupcakes with Absolute citron buttercream frosting, candied lemon peel and edible flowers.  

As I type this I'm drooling just thinking about the amazing flavors.  If you'd like to recreate this meal at home, recipes for the marinara, macadamia rawcotta and gluten-free walnut neatballs can all be found in my cookbook, Easy Peasy Vegan Eats.   

Eggplant rollatini with macadamia "rawcotta" and fire-roasted tomato marinara

Fussili with walnut "neatballs"

Dinner!

Gluten-free lemon cupcakes with Absolute Citron buttercream and candied lemon peel

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.