A Citrus and Spice Easter

Nope - I do not do eggs for Easter.  You probably could have guessed that.  Chad was not up for trying any of the vegan quiches I showed him, so what to do?  We had another family coming over for lunch and I wanted to prepare a "fun" meal.  Nothing says fun more than a little citrus, spice and tequila, right?

I got my menu idea from two blog post I received last week as I was trying to decide what to prepare. 

The FOOD

Chipotle Citrus Superfood Tacos

I made the quinoa, salsa and tofu per the instructions.  We also made yellow rice and black beans and shrimp for those who weren't up for the SUPERFOODS.   (yes, meaning Chad)  We had corn and whole wheat tortillas, and slaw with a honey-lime dressing to go with the meal.  For appetizers I made my super easy bean dip with veggies and low fat tortilla chips.

The quinoa was so healthy, I felt like superwoman eating it.  It had kale, parsley, cilantro, hemp seeds, flax seeds and nutritional yeast.  I believe you could live off that meal forever!  I added a lot more lime juice than it called for, it was a little dry.  But when you put the avocado, mango, goji berry salsa on top, it was perfect.  The tofu turned out really well.  Despite the chipotle, it really was not all that spicy.  Truly this meal was superfood with quinoa, goji berries, kale, mango, avocado, hemp seeds, flax, simply outstanding.


The DRINKS

Pineapple Cilantro Serrano Cocktail
This was the PERFECT spring cocktail, light, refreshing with a little kick.  So good.  When muddling all the stuff together became too labor intensive, we made drinks with soda, pineapple juice, lime, cilantro and tequila - no muddling required.


Strawberry Mint Gazpacho - as a fun drink for the girls:

I made this strawberry gazpacho for the girls (the adults enjoyed it as well).  I put the soup in shot glasses to make it more festive and so hopefully it would not be as messy for the girls.

Stawberry Mint Gazpacho

• 1 pound organic strawberries (take half, cut into smaller pieces and set aside)
• 2 cups honeydew melon - cut into cubes
• 1 large cucumber - sliced
• 2 cups watermelon - cut into cubes
•  1 TB lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped

Place all ingredients in the food processor except for half of the strawberries that were set aside.  Blend well, add the remaining strawberries, pulse a few times.  Chill for at least an hour before serving.

The DESSERT

Chocolate Rice Crispie Treats (of course, GF, VG)

• 2 TB Earths Best vegan buttery spread
• 2 TB almond butter
• 1/2 TB vanilla
• 1 10oz bag of vegan / GF marshmallows (I used Dandies brand found at Whole Foods)
• 4 cups Envirokidz Koala Crispies - founds at Whole Foods - VG/ GF

Heat Earth's Best  and almond butter in pan over medium heat until melted.  Then add marshmallows and vanilla.  Stir frequently until everything is well mixed and melted (get ready for a good arm workout) - add the rice crispies - keep stirring. I kept the heat on low as I was doing this, to keep the marshmallows soft.  Then spoon into a greased pan.  Let cool in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours before cutting.  You can cut them into squares or used cookie cutters to make shapes.  Remember to leave on the counter after you make your shapes.  They will get too hard if you return them to the refrigerator.
I put some in a pan and later cut into squares as seen above.  But with some of the mixture, while warm, I rolled into egg shapes for Easter, then let them "set" in the refrigerator.

Si and I thought these turned out great.  Ry informed us she no longer likes marshmallows.  Oh well!

 RESULT

Well, it looks like everyone had a good time to me:

One final thought - yes, I bucked tradition for an Easter meal, (as I always have), but why?  Two reasons - health reasons and for the benefit of animals.  I got this email this morning -  For some, it might be over the top, so be warned!

The Easter Hangover