Celebrating Ostera

Spring Equinox, Ostera, was yesterday. Although the weather outside didn't feel very springlike. I had a celebration with a few friends. It's always exciting to celebrate the coming spring. Fresh air, more daylight, and flowers blooming. It's a very hopeful time after a long winter of hunkering down. I wanted to make a plant based meal and I wanted to try something different. So, I decided our menu would be tofu quiche, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and lemon cream. An ambitious menu, I know, but all turned out very tasty. I made a homemade gluten free and vegan pie crust for the quiche. Something I have never tried before.I was SO excited when that ball of dough formed in the mixture.It really is possible to eat this way and not feel like you are missing out. It just takes some time and planning. I have provided links to the recipes I used below:

Tofu Quiche

https://minimalistbaker.com/simple-tofu-quiche/

I messed with this recipe quite a bit. I did add the hummus but only went with 1 tsp. of nutritional yeast. If you didn't have the yeast you could omit it altogether. I also sautéed hash brown potatoes, broccoli, and leeks and added that to the final tofu mixture. One tablespoon of Herbs de Provence was also an add on. Its not a quiche (in my opinion) without this seasoning blend! I omitted the potato crust on opted for this recipe for a homemade crust:

You could also omit the crust and put into muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. A nice snack to have in your fridge during the week.

https://alittleinsanity.com/gluten-free-vegan-pie-crust-recipe/

Turned out perfect. I will be using this recipe for many more pies this summer. I used bobs red mill gluten free flour blend though instead of regular flour.

Salad

This is my recipe. Couldn't be easier. I used lettuce, strawberries, onions, avocado, pecans, and roasted squash. But, you could choose any salad toppings that you choose. The balsamic vinaigrette is 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup olive oil, a few shakes of salt, and a spoonful of raw honey. My daughter ate 4 bowls of this salad yesterday!

Lemon Curd Parfait

https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-lemon-curd/

I stuck exactly with this recipe and it was really good. I added a little extra lemon juice which made it too tart so I would stick with what is listed. When done, I made parfaits, layering with Cocowhip and crushed Smorable graham crackers. It cut the tartness of the cream.