Vegan & Gluten Free Easter Dinner (perfect for any special ocassion)

Usually holidays stress me out.  Either I'm worried about making something that others will like, or I feel bad when I might not be able to eat something that a family member has made for me.  If we go out, the chances of there being something I can eat besides a salad are slim.  I admit:  I have funny tastes.  I love veggies.  I don't eat meat (and for the past four months, haven't eaten eggs or cheese either -- my body truly doesn't enjoy how I feel after eating these delicious goods, sadly).  Sugar doesn't work out for me either.  No peeps.  No rack of lamb or colorful hard-boiled eggs.  Yet, I don't mind.  When I get to cook for myself and go "all out," the stress melts away and I find myself day dreaming about possibilities rather than limitations.

This year, Andrew and I were too busy to meet up with family -- Andrew's bogged down with classes with intimidating names such as "Digital Logic" and "Calculus B" and I've been a busy bee with teaching and my yoga training.  We don't have many weekends together, but this was an off week for training, so we decided to make Sunday a mostly-us day, with a home cooked Easter dinner to look forward to.

We started the day off with a flow yoga class, and then went to our neighborhood Rosemont Market, since not only are they awesome, but they were also the only market in town that was open for the holiday.  After a light lunch, Andrew got to studying and I worked on some artwork and spent some time with my yoga text books in preparation for our midterms next weekend.

Then, the cooking began.  The meal took about 2 hours to create, and it was worth every second in the end.

Eggplant & Mushroom Pie

The menu:

• Eggplant and Mushroom Pie 
• Gluten-free Vegan Garbanzo Bean Quiche
• Buckwheat and various lentils with pecans and olive oil
• Gluten-free and Vegan Carrot Delight Muffins 
• Gluten-free, Sugar free, and Vegan Black Bean and Dark Chocolate Brownies with Date, Pecan, and Orange Zest Frosting  

Andrew and I sat down as the sun was setting, candles lit and dishes spread out before us.  We filled our plates with a little of everything (except the brownies -- those were still cooking while we were eating!) and simply savored every bite.  After a few moments of focused silence on the enjoyment of the tastes we were experiencing, Andrew said, "Now this is great home cooked Italian food."  That sort of made me laugh because this menu is the opposite of what I had traditionally growing up on Easter.  But it was still delightful.

Gluten-free Vegan Garbanzo Bean Quiche (Crustless)

• Various cooked veggies of your choice.  I used broccoli, onions, tomatoes, garlic and yellow squash.  You should have about 3.5 cups, cooked.  Spice with seasonings of your choice.  I used dried basil and ginger.
• 1/4 cup Tomato Sauce of your choice
• 1 1/2 cups plain garbanzo bean flour mixed with just enough water to form a pancake-batter consistency 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.   Lightly grease the bottom of a 9 inch round pie plate with olive oil, and then spread a couple spoonfuls of tomato sauce around the bottom of the plate.  Pour in your vegetables, spreading them out evenly.  Pour your garbanzo bean batter over the vegetable mix.  If a thicker quiche is desired, you could use more garbanzo bean flour and water mixture.  Add any remaining tomato sauce.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the garbanzo bean mixture has firmed up and formed a nice crusty layer on top.  Serves 2 hungry folks as a side dish (I guess we were really hungry!)

Gluten-free, almost sugar free, and Vegan Black Bean and Dark Chocolate Brownies with Date, Pecan, and Orange Zest Frosting 

• 2 cups of pre-cooked black beans or 1 can of black beans (I like Eden because they are packed in BPA free cans), drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons flax seed plus 6 tablespoons warm water, mixed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened chocolate, not processed with alkaline
• 1 tablespoon stevia (or sweetener of your choice...add more if you desire!)
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ounces of a dark chocolate bar, cut into small chips.  I used a 91% bar that was made without milk and minimal sugar

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper cups.  Combine all ingredients except for the chocolate bar in a blender, and blend.  Add more flour or more milk until a thick fudgy pancake like batter is achieved.  Pour the batter into a mixing bowl, and fold in the chocolate chips, adding more or less, depending on your chocolate needs. Using an ice cream scoop, place the batter into the paper cups in the muffin pan.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.  Yields 12.  These make some wonderfully fudgy brownies, which are perfect plain or topped with...

Date, Pecan, and Orange Zest Frosting

• 6 dates, pitted, and soaked in 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk for 4 hours (or stick the milk and dates in a ramekin and put it in the oven while the brownies are cooking to speed up the soaking process)
• 1/4 cup pecans
• zest from 1/2 an orange
• 2 orange slices

Blend all ingredients, including the almond milk, together. Let set for a bit, and then smear all over the brownies to your heart's content!  Makes enough to frost 12 lightly.

To me, this meal was a celebration.  So many good things are happening in my life right now.  I'm working with more students and love learning along with them. I just started up a new yoga class especially for kids, and yoga teacher training has introduced me to so many new concepts, ideas, and people.  I also have some exciting opportunities lined up for the summer.  There's so much to look forward to, so much springing up and blossoming and blooming.  A holiday is a good excuse to celebrate, to be thankful, and to look forward to times to come.  

What are you looking forward to?