Meatless Easter menu ideas

Have you planned your Easter menu already? Most people think of eating colored hard boiled eggs at Easter time, maybe with some ham for dinner. Not so for vegetarians and vegans!

If you're planning on an Easter brunch as the main meal, you may want to try a vegetarian quiche or egg casserole. Or try a an eggless baked vegan quiche with tomatoes and soy cheese and a low-fat vegan coffee cake.

For a fresh spring-themed Easter dinner, try a portobella and asparagus pasta dish with some artichoke mashed potatoes or a sauteed tofu and artichoke pasta. Round it all out with some fresh, light gingered carrot soup or a creamy asparagus and potato soup. For dessert? Carve up these gourmet raspberry mascarpone brownies.

Or, plan your own Easter menu. You can start by scrolling through this complete collection of vegetarian (and vegan!) Easter resources, including dinner ideas, brunch menus and even some vegan Easter candy ideas.

Link: Vegetarian and vegan Easter recipes

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Update! Vegetarian ideas for Lent

Last week, I wrote about a forum post from someone wondering what vegetarians and vegans do for Lent, when some Christian faiths ask followers to stop eating meat or other animal foods for a period. An interesting question, I thought, and apparently so did you!

Nearly fifty people wrote in with ideas or tips for vegetarians and vegans during Lent, and there's quite a few interesting ideas. Besides the Lent thread, there's been quite a bit of discussion in the forum regarding vegetarian nutrition guides. Browse on over and offer your opinion!

From the forum: What do vegetarians and vegans do for Lent?

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Gourmet salad ideas

Take inspiration from nature when building a healthy vegetarian salad, and fill it with the best the farmer's market has to offer! Greens such as watercress, arugula or frissee form a textured base for gourmet salads and a nice change from the usual iceberg or romaine blends. Add color, texture and unusual ingredients to make your gourmet salad unexpected and exciting: blueberries, pinenuts, candied pecans, fennel, edamame, or, if you're not vegan, an artisan cheese. And for the final touch, of course, you need a gourmet homemade salad dressing.

Need some inspiration? Browse through these beautiful gourmet salad ideas:

• Grapefruit, fennel and avocado salad (pictured)
• Quinoa salad with blueberries
• Fresh fennel and mint salad
• Watercress and frissee salad with avocado
• Portabella and arugula salad

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