When you make a Vegan Easter lunch...

...you will have to blog about it!  How many of you got that When You Give a Mouse a Cookie reference? A little obtuse, I know. Anyway, I know some people may not think it is really an Easter meal unless there is a ham of some sort, but I can tell you that it can still be very satisfying without!  My mother-in-law is a Vegan, and I am always happy to expand my cooking repertoire and imagination by making things that will please her palate and that of my meat-loving husband.  So here is a breakdown of a simple Easter meal for three (with almost everything being Vegan).

First course was a spinach, arugula, strawberry, and toasted walnut salad with my patented balsamic vinaigrette. The salads made for a very nice looking table on the Fiesta-ware.

I also made some deviled eggs because my husband loves them, but I made them with a twist.  I used the standard mayonnaise (probably will use Vegenaise next time), a smidge of dijon mustard, and Harry and David's Pepper and Onion Relish which is a nice mix of sweet with a little hit of spice.  I use it in all kinds of stuff, and I always keep some on hand.

For the main course, I made a Vegan Shepherd's pie.  The bottom layer was a combination of mushrooms (portabello and crimini) cooked down with Vegan beef bouillon, a little roux with Earth Balance buttery spread, and some fresh thyme and rosemary.  I sautéed some yellow crookneck squash, carrot, and zucchini for the next layer and finished it off with some mashed Yukon gold potatoes with soymilk and prepared horseradish!  It was delish.  Oh, and the drink you see is a homemade Arnold Palmer.  My husband endured squeezing quite a few lemons to make into lemonade, and we mixed it with some brewed PG Tips tea.

My sweet mother-in-law made amazing Vegan carrot cupcakes for us.  Luckily she brought leftovers so we could continue to eat them for a couple days (they didn't last long).

Overall, it was a very happy (fulfilling and filling) Easter afternoon.  I hope you enjoyed yours as well!  Any special Vegan recipes to share?