My {Vegetarian} Easter Menu

Can you guys believe it’s already mid-March? I feel like this year is flying by so far! Since I was a bad food blogger who didn’t even mention St. Paddy’s Day on here or make any festive recipes for it this year, shall we move on to the next holiday & talk about Easter?

Normally my hubby and I don’t really celebrate Easter since it’s neither one of our favorite holidays and we live so far away from our families’ celebrations of it, but this year, my father-in-law will be in town. I love entertaining, so this Easter I’ll be whipping up some fun recipes.

I’ve been brainstorming some menu ideas, and here’s what’s on my list for Sunday’s holiday:

Apple Dapple Pancakes. I’m planning on throwing together this family recipe as a breakfast/brunch thing on Sunday. Made with fresh apples, eggs, honey, whole wheat flour and cinnamon, it comes together in half an hour & makes for a perfect special occasion morning recipe.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip. This recipe is a go-to dip of mine, and I plan to whip some up to serve with tortilla chips and pretzels as an appetizer.

Sautéed Rosemary Potatoes. Cooking baby potatoes in fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and butter (I’ll probably use Earth Balance) makes for a tasty side dish.

Spring Veggie & Fontina Quiche. This quiche packs in some of the flavorful produce of the season, including asparagus, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes, which pair well with fontina cheese.

It’s kind of funny that I don’t usually eat eggs and will be making two recipes that center around eggs, but quiche tends to be a crowd pleaser, plus it’s pretty simple to make. I love the veggie & cheese combo in this quiche!

Balsamic EVOO String Beans. I think I’ll make a simple green bean side dish by steaming them, then drizzling olive oil & balsamic glaze and sprinkling sea salt on top. Can’t really go wrong with that right? Sometimes simple is where it’s at!

Veggie & White Wine Orzo. I’ve been into orzo pasta lately and was looking around for recipes that use it when I stumbled on Sarah’s recipe for grilled corn & tomato orzo with white wine sauce. Corn isn’t in season yet but I love the idea of orzo + white wine sauce, so I plan on adapting the recipe to come up with something yummy.

Buttermilk Biscuits. Homemade bread always reminds me of a special occasion and family, so I wanted to make something along those lines. I’ve decided to make flaky buttermilk biscuits and will be loosely following this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. My father-in-law has a huge sweet tooth, so I know that when he’s in town, I’ll be having some baking fun. When I saw this cookie cake recipe via Spiced, I knew it’d be perfect to serve with some ice cream on Easter. I’ll definitely be coming up with some sort of Easter-ish way to decorate it!

Besides Easter, I’m also planning on cooking another night over the long weekend. I’m going to do a Mexican themed dinner night when I make black bean, sweet potato & spinach enchiladas + guacamole & chips, then make these dark chocolate drizzled strawberry cheesecake graham cracker mini pies for dessert.

Tell me… Who else is cooking this Easter? Do you have any Easter recipe favorites?