Easter is upon us, and it is, as any other holiday, a time filled with a lot of food and being social with friends and family. A traditional easter dinner often contains a lot of different kind of meat dishes, and it can be difficult to be the only vegan at the table, especially if you are not the host.
Are you a guest, it can also be very transgressive to bring your own food, or ask the host to make a vegan meal for you.
Depending on your relationship with the host, it is okay to ask, if there are any food for you, or if you should bring your own dish. But another really good alternative, that I often offer, is to bring two to three vegan dishes myself, so the other guests also can try. In that way you don’t put any pressure on the host to make a vegan dish, because it can be very difficult for some people who don’t know anything about veganism. And hosting a family dinner in the holydays, can already be very stressful. In this way you take off the pressure and can add something to the dinner in the same time. In best case some of the people who tastes your dishes, will be very surprised how good a plant-based meal taste.
Or maybe you are hosting an easter dinner yourself, and need some inspiration for dishes to serve for your friends or family, either they are vegan or not.
Either way I will give you three easy and so delicious recipes for some dishes that will fit perfect at the Easter table. But before we get to that, let’s talk about what Easter is all about.
A little history about Easter
Easter is one of the most important holidays of the year. It is a very old tradition that celebrates the time, when Jesus died at the cross and came back to life.
Back in the 1800s this special time were honored by fasting on Great Friday to sympathy with Jesus’ suffering. Nowadays we still show our respect, but in a little different way. We got a lot more traditions during the years. Many people go to Church to honor what Jesus went through. Additionally, we gather for family dinners and eat a lot of delicious food. We hide eggs around in the garden for the kids to find, and then paint them.
Easter is very much about being with our loved ones, and be thankful for what we have, and be nice to the people around us.
Three delicious recipes
Luckily, we don’t fast anymore, but eat a lot of delicious food instead. Here you get three very delicious and easy recipes to cook for the family gathering.
Potato “meat”balls
A traditionally Easter dinner, usually in most families, contains a dish with potato. So why not introduce another way to eat potatoes. I tell you, this is so good, and one of my favorite dishes with potato.
This recipe will give you 20 meatballs
What you need:
500 grams of potatoes
50 grams of rasp
One hand of parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Some pepper
What you do:
Boil the potatoes until they begin to be soft, and then you let them cool down. Afterwards you blend them with a stick blender or a potato masher.
Put all the rest of the ingredients into the bowl with the mashed potatoes. You can always put more or less salt and pepper in after your own taste.
Then you form small balls with your mashed potatoes dough. Put them on the pan and make them a little flat with a spoon.
Fry them on both sides on medium temperature in some oil until they get firm.
Breaded parsnip
Instead of eating fish fillets, you can make a great alternative that will make the guests be longing for more.
It is a great dish to serve, and can go as a good side dish as well.
What you need:
600 grams of big parsnips
4 dl. chickpea flower
4 dl. water
1 teaspoon yellow curry
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
Rasp for breading
Tip: If you want the taste of fish you can add some crushed pliers.
What you do:
You start by peeling the parsnips. Afterwards you cut them in slides on the long side, with a ½ cm thickness. Then you bake them in the oven with 200 degrees for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile you start preparing the breading. You mix the flower, water, and the spices in a bowl. It must be thick enough to stick on the parsnips.
You take the parsnips out of the oven after 10 minutes and let them cool down.
Then you take the cooled parsnips and put them in the dough and afterwards in the rasp.
Put your breaded parsnips on the pan and fry them until they get some color. Alternative you can bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes.
EggLess salad
Another necessary dish to the easter dining table. But be careful, you can get addicted.
What you need
200 grams of tofu
1 dl of vegan mayo
1 tbs of apple cider vinegar
1 tbs mustard
¼ red onion
½ tbs curry
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Pepper
Salt
What you do
Start by drying the tofu between a clean towel and some paper. Press the tofu well so the fluid will come out.
Then you cut the tofu out in very small pieces or crumble it between your fingers. You mix it in a bowl with all the other ingredients.
Put the mix in the refrigerator for one hour before eating it.
The EggLess salad is very tasty on a piece of bread, and can definitely be used on the Easter table.
Three easy dishes that will also impress the other guests at the easter dinner. By bringing some of your own dishes to the family dinner for the others to try, you introduce vegan food in a good way and hopefully you make them a bit more curious about plant food, when they find out how great it tastes.
I hope you were inspired and got a little hungry. Either way have a very nice holiday.
About the Author
Heidi Kirstine is a freelance writer and has been vegan for 4 years now and loves experimenting with new recipies. She finds peace and joy in cooking, and loves to show people how amazing plants can be, and how good a plant-based diet makes her feel.
